Kinesiotape of the thoracic spine
Taping describes colloquially the creation of a tape bandage. The material used here is wide adhesive tape, which is available today in numerous colours. The aim of a tape bandage is the targeted restriction of the mobility of the desired joint while maintaining a residual function and thus a residual mobility.
This can accelerate the healing process of some diseases or injuries compared to a complete immobilization. Accordingly, tape bandages can only be used in areas where complete immobilization is not necessary. A large field of application for tape bandages is muscle strains.
A tape bandage can be applied therapeutically – i.e. after an injury – as well as prophylactically – i.e. preventively. For pain in the area of the thoracic spine, usually only so-called kinesiotapes are used.
A kinesiotape of the thoracic spine can provide relief from pain. Before doing so, however, the cause of the pain should always be clarified by a doctor. Depending on the location of the maximum pain and the type of pain, there are different ways of taping the bandage.
The help and guidance of a physiotherapist is advantageous here. Where one vertebral body meets the next, the intervertebral disc (discus intervetebralis) acts as a kind of buffer zone. It lies between the two vertebral bodies and consists of a fibrous outer ring (annulus fibrosus) and an inner part (nucleus pulposus) filled with a gelatinous mass.
The inner mass has a high water-binding capacity and thus serves as a kind of water cushion for the spinal column. In the course of life the limiting outer ring can get more and more small cracks. In the worst case, this leads to a tearing and the nucleus pulposus exiting towards the spinal cord.
This is called a herniated disc, disc prolapse, discus prolapse or disc hernia. One of the most common causes is years of incorrect strain, even people who are mainly sitting in everyday life seem to be more often affected by a herniated disc. Of the 23 intervertebral discs in the human body, those in the area of the lumbar spine are by far the most frequently affected by a herniated disc.
In the area of the thoracic spine, such an event occurs only very rarely. Depending on the source, 0.2-5% of all herniated discs are said to be located in the thoracic spine (BWS). Not infrequently, such a thoracic disc herniation can be a chance finding in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI of the thoracic spine) because it does not initially cause any symptoms.
However, it can also be conspicuous by unspecific pain in the thoracic spine. These can radiate into the course of the ribs and also in the direction of the heart and abdominal wall and thus may be misinterpreted. For example, it is not uncommon to first think of an inflammation of the gall bladder, ulcers in the stomach or small intestine, an inflammation of the esophagus or an inflammation of the kidney.
Sensitive failures in the sense of numbness or sensations as well as motor function restrictions in the sense of a weakened muscle function of affected muscles can also occur, but as an initial symptom they are less common than pain. Disorders of bladder function or anal sphincter muscle can also be symptoms of a thoracic disc herniation. The thoracic disc herniation mostly affects the lower part of the thoracic spine and has a frequency maximum between the age of 40 and 50.
It can increase slowly over the years, i.e. have a chronic course, but also start very acutely. If there is a suspicion of a herniated disc of BWS, imaging of the spinal column with an MRI of BWS (magnetic resonance imaging) is the method of choice. Here, a prolapse can usually be easily detected.
If the diagnosis is considered confirmed, a therapeutic procedure must be decided upon. Often a conservative – i.e. non-surgical – therapy is sufficient for BWS herniated discs. Here, heat applications and painkillers are used.
It is important – if the pain allows it – to move sufficiently, physical protection can cause even more damage. However, this depends on the individual case. In the long run, attending a back school is a helpful method to learn the correct handling of your own spine and to avoid a renewed flare-up of symptoms.
Sports that are easy on the intervertebral discs, such as swimming, hiking and Nordic walking, also promote the recovery process and can prevent further complaints. Rarely does a thoracic prolapse need to be treated surgically. This is the case when there are or have been sensitive or motor deficits or disturbances in the bladder or rectum function. Depending on its severity, rapid action may be necessary in such cases.
