Intercostal neuralgia is a very painful and unpleasant condition. It is caused by irritation of nerve fibers or their compression. Neuralgia in the heart, the symptoms of which are most often detected in patients of an older generation, is associated with age-related changes inherent in the state of their vessels. In children, pathology is detected relatively rarely. Next, we consider in more detail what constitutes neuralgia in the region of the heart. Symptoms and treatment will also be described in the article.
General information
Pathology is often accompanied by pain in the heart. Neuralgia is a syndrome that appears reflexively. This condition, as mentioned above, is the result of exposure to nerve endings. Often, the pathology develops against the background of osteochondrosis in an advanced stage. This occurs due to compression of the roots of the intercostal nerves, which produce intervertebral hernias.
Development reasons
Neuralgia in the heart can occur due to various pathologies. In particular, they include spondylitis, hormonal spondylopathy, progressive kyphosis, ankylosing spondylitis, as well as neoplasms localized in the spine. An attack can cause hypothermia, a cold, an infection or poisoning, trauma or psychological stress. In addition to the above, the factors that increase the likelihood of the onset of the disease include strong physical exertion, which a person is exposed to without the necessary warm-up or out of habit. Among the main reasons due to which intercostal neuralgia in the region of the heart can develop, are called infections, cooling, overstrain and intoxication.
Other factors
Quite often, in the course of clinical practice, neuralgia in the heart develops as a result of herpetic lesion. Often, pathology acts as a specific response to irritation, which is directed to the nerve trunks. This, in turn, is the result of the course of pathological processes in the region of neighboring organs and tissues. Such conditions, in particular, include diseases of the spine and ribs, pleurisy, chest deformity, and others. A generalized intoxication option corresponds to such a reason as the use of a number of drugs. Against the background of such drug therapy, pinched nerves are observed . With prolonged use of certain drugs, complications often arise that are caused by the breakdown of drug components in the patient's body. In general, experts note that staying in conditions of elevated levels of toxic compounds, inhaling metal salts helps to accelerate damage to the nervous system, a concomitant syndrome of which is often neuralgia in the heart.
Clinical picture
Signs of neuralgia in the heart are not so difficult to distinguish from other pathologies. Manifestations are neuropathic in nature. The main sign of neuralgia is pain in the heart. This manifestation is due to certain pathologies associated with the nervous system and its components, as well as damage that is relevant to them. Despite the neuropathic nature, pain can be expressed in different ways. For example, it can be burning, dull, aching, or sharp. At the same time, some patients may complain of an episodic manifestation, while others - its constant presence. With an increase in motor activity, the intensity of pain increases. This can occur with a sharp turn of the body, sneezing, loud conversation.
Features of the clinical picture
Soreness can occur when feeling some parts of the body. These, in particular, include the region of the spine, chest. Discomfort can occur when feeling the intercostal area. It should be noted that this manifestation, regardless of its localization, cannot be constant. This is due to the fact that over time there is a necrosis of the nerve root. This undoubtedly brings reassurance to the patient. However, this fact does not eliminate the pathology.
Other manifestations
In addition to the above, neuralgia in the heart can be accompanied by quite noticeable muscle contractions or twitches. In some patients, sweating intensifies, probably a change in the color of the skin - it can either turn pale or redden. Tingling of the skin or its numbness in some areas is also often noted. The pain is characterized by patients as "shingles." This is due to its development along the intervals of the bone elements of the sternum. There are also external signs of neuralgia in the heart. So, for example, some patients may remain in the so-called antalgic posture. It looks like this: the body bends towards the healthy side. So the patient carries out stretching of the intercostal spaces. This helps to reduce pressure and reduce irritation of nerve endings. As a result, due to these manipulations, pain is reduced. In this tactic, an additional role belongs to psychological fear. It is associated with the expectation of an attack of pain. As a result, the patient seeks to stay in this position for the longest possible time.
Difference from cardiovascular pathologies
Here, a special role belongs to determining the nature of pain. It is a thorough analysis of the patient's condition that reveals its cause. It should be noted that, despite the fact that soreness is the main manifestation of both neuralgia and cardiovascular pathologies, its nature is different in different cases. So, in the first case, the state is different in duration. The pain in most cases is constant, lasting for a relatively long time. Accordingly, it cannot be eliminated using traditional means, such as, for example, Nitroglycerin. If we talk about any cardiovascular disease, then the pain is most often short-term and periodic. When taking the same Nitroglycerin, it is usually suppressed. In addition, pain in cardiovascular pathologies does not increase during the movement of the body. Along with this, a change in pressure and rhythm is noted. Neuralgia in the region of the heart, the treatment of which will be described later, is not accompanied by these manifestations. Pulse and pressure remain normal.
Cardiac neuralgia: treatment
Therapeutic measures should be aimed mainly at eliminating the main manifestation. You can get rid of pain when the effect that provokes it is completely eliminated. If there is a displacement of certain elements of the spine, a specialist can prescribe procedures that facilitate their placement in place. This, in particular, massage and physiotherapy. In some cases, the doctor may schedule a visit to the chiropractor. All manipulations should be carried out by a qualified doctor. Otherwise, there is a high risk of serious complications, up to disability. Osteopathy is used as an additional measure. During the procedure, the position of each incorrectly spaced segment of the spine is restored. This contributes to the speedy normalization of blood and lymph flow, which favorably affects the state of nerve endings, muscle fibers and the body as a whole.
With neuralgia, reflexology is also recommended. Physiotherapy exercises with a specially developed set of exercises can be added to it. As auxiliary agents, various external (local) medicines can be used in the form of ointments, gels with an analgesic effect ("Diclofenac", "Capsicam", etc.). In especially severe cases, the doctor may prescribe an analgesic (Ketorolac, Lornoxicam, etc.) orally (inside).