Symptoms of thoracic myofasciitis

Most people probably don’t pay much attention to the condition of their backs in daily life, because the back is within the blind spot of human vision, so when there is a problem with the back, it is only easily discovered when the back hurts. There is a disease related to the back called thoracodorsal myofasciitis, which is mainly a disease of the back nerves. The main causes of thoracodorsal myofasciitis are long-term strain or rheumatism. But what are the symptoms of thoracodorsal myofasciitis?

Due to strain or invasion of wind, cold and dampness, the chest and dorsal fascia and muscles are damaged, adhered or degenerated, which stimulates the nerves and causes pain, which is called thoracic and dorsal myofasciitis. Long-term desk work, single upper limb exercises or carrying heavy objects on the shoulders can cause damage to the chest and dorsal muscle fascia.

Functional anatomy and mechanism of injury

1. The thoracodorsal muscles include the superficial thoracodorsal fascia, followed by the trapezius muscles, rhomboid major muscles and rhomboid minor muscles. These muscles are attached to the supraspinatus, infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the shoulder girdle with the scapula as their attachment points. Therefore, upper limb exercises also include exercises of these chest and back muscles. Long-term unilateral upper limb fatigue can easily cause damage to the chest and back muscles.

2. The dorsal branch of the thoracic nerve that innervates the pectoral muscles passes through the rhomboid major and quadratus muscles, and the directions of the muscle fibers of these two groups of muscles are crossed. Therefore, injury to any group of muscles can cause pain in the dorsal branch of the thoracic nerve.

Causes

1. Strain: Long-term desk work, single upper limb exercise or carrying heavy objects on the shoulders can cause damage to the chest and back muscles and fascia.

2. Invasion of wind, cold and dampness leads to damage to the chest and back muscles.

diagnosis

Clinical manifestations: Patients initially feel chest and back discomfort, numbness and distension, and gradually develop pain, sometimes involving chest pain and flank pain; back pain worsens when one side of the upper limb moves. The fascia relaxing and pain-relieving patch can be used to treat thoracic and dorsal myofasciitis.

Diagnosis

1. The chest and back are connected and involve chest and flank pain.

2. There is tenderness or cord-like changes and tenderness beside the upper thoracic vertebrae or on the inner side of the scapula.

3. Imaging diagnosis did not reveal any thoracic spine or cor pulmonale lesions.

Differential Diagnosis

1. Costal cartilage: refers to the costal cartilage that forms the front edge of the thoracic corridor of the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th ribs. Due to chronic traumatic inflammation and pain, there is obvious tenderness in the local area.

2. Differentiate from strain-induced thoracic scoliosis.

3. Exclude respiratory diseases, coronary heart disease, gallbladder and gastrointestinal diseases, and breast lesions in women.