Often people confuse chest pain on the left side with heart pain and one that is a harbinger of other problems in the body, for example, compression of a nerve in the spine. However, an imitation of heart pain of a non-cardiogenic nature is completely plausible. You need to go through a consultation with a neurologist and a cardiologist to find the reason why the heart aches.
Non-cardiogenic pain
In medical practice, any pain in the heart is called cardialgia. They are aching, blunt, but there are sharp and strong. A person usually immediately responds to the latter and goes to see a doctor. But when the heart just aches for a long time, everyone is attributed to fatigue. And this is fraught with consequences.
Non-cardiogenic aching pain in the heart can be the result of several reasons:
- heart neurosis;
- advanced osteochondrosis;
- VVD (vegetative-vascular dystonia);
- extrasystoles.
Suspicions of extrasystoles (violation of the rhythm of contraction) arise if the patient says that he has pressure in his chest, there are sensations of a sinking heart, and there are difficulties with swallowing.
How to recognize these conditions? Is it life-threatening when the heart aches? A qualified cardiologist should recognize the exact cause of discomfort and chest pain.
Pain due to osteochondrosis
When examining a patient who complains of chest pain on the left side, the doctor should do the tests. After all, the feelings with angina are almost the same, sometimes there is an innervation of pain in the left hand, but the attack lasts only 3 to 5 minutes.
As a diagnosis, experts suggest making a check:
- Throwing back his head and moving his bent arms back first, then up, a person with problems in the thoracic spine will immediately feel chest pain.
- Nitroglycerin contributes to the expansion of blood vessels, so it is used to stop an attack of angina pectoris. After taking nitroglycerin in tablets or drops, the pain goes away after 5-10 minutes. And if not, then the pain is not heart.
There are many interconnected nerve plexuses in the chest that are innervated by irritation. Therefore, pain due to the spine is completely obvious. With osteochondrosis, discomfort usually worsens when cornering, abrupt movements or when inhaling. But there is no danger to life. Heart pains manifest themselves in a different way: they do not depend on the position of the body.
Psychogenic factors
The chest pain on the left side caused by severe and prolonged stress is called heart neurosis. In the diagnosis, the cardiologist does not detect any deviations in the work of this organ. However, piercing or aching pains do not stop attacking a person. They are unpredictable in nature. Some people feel that something is pressing in the chest, others notice that the pain is sharp. All sensations are very subjective. And the pain is transmitted either in the limb or in the back.
In such cases, it is necessary to consult a psychotherapist who deals specifically with neurosis and knows the symptoms of psychosomatic disorders. Along with pains, asthenia, a drop in temperature below 36 ° C, numbness of the limbs and headaches can be observed.
Vegetative dystonia
The disease is also characterized by dull and aching pain, as is the case with angina pectoris. The main symptom encountered in all patients with VSD is complaints that the heart is aching and the left arm is numb. Sometimes tingling is felt in the hand. The pain is accompanied by tremor of the extremities and constant fatigue.
Often, these patients have sleep problems and many other related symptoms. How to help yourself with such attacks? Doctors recommend taking valocardine (50 drops) and rest. In fact, VVD is also a serious disease and requires treatment by a neuropsychiatrist.
Cardiogenic pain
Consider the etiology of cardiogenic pain. They are caused precisely by heart disease. These include several groups of ailments:
- Myocardial dystrophy is a metabolic disorder of the heart muscle. At the beginning of the disease, a person feels that for unknown reasons the heart aches, at first the pain is barely noticeable, but increases with time. And if you do not consult a doctor at the initial stage, the pain will become sharp and severe.
- Heart defects.
- Coronary heart disease is a circulatory disorder in the cardiac artery.
- Aortic aneurysm. Other
Causation is more interested in doctors. How to deal with pain - this question worries a person more if he feels that his heart is aching again. What to do - call a doctor or take valerian? Doctors are called when the most serious ailments of the heart are present - ischemia, a serious attack of angina pectoris or aneurysm. If you don’t know how these diseases manifest themselves, or if your heart suddenly aches for no reason, although this did not happen before, it is better to play it safe and call an ambulance.
Features of cardiac ischemia
This is a common disease, the main sign of the disease is chest pain on the left side. Coronary disease usually develops much faster in women than in men. The main reason is the narrowing of the lumen in the coronary artery, through which the heart receives new blood.
The development of the disease is paroxysmal. At times the pain subsides, then they increase with renewed vigor during the period of exacerbation. Small disturbances are manifested by rapid fatigue after any physical exertion, a person feels: aching heart. And if you listen to the heartbeat, it will be quickened even in a calm state. Based on these signs, ischemia can be determined:
- sweating increased;
- weakness;
- dyspnea;
- aching heart pain can give in the left hand.
If the doctor does not examine and prompt in time how to treat your heart, the risk of heart attack increases many times. After all, a heart attack is nothing more than a complete cessation of blood flow to the heart due to blockage of blood vessels.
Sometimes physical activities disproportionate to the capabilities of the heart lead to metabolic disorders in it. This is also one of the factors that increase the risk of myocardial infarction.
Aortic aneurysm
High blood pressure and atherosclerotic plaques in the vessels lead over time to aneurysm. Aortic aneurysm is an expansion of the site of the vessel. Slow delamination of the walls of the aorta with blood threatens that the wall will not withstand the pressure and rupture. Then a person needs emergency surgery on the aorta.
Pain with aneurysm occurs behind the sternum and gives back. She is not stitching, but stupid, and lasts a long time. Other symptoms include shortness of breath and problematic swallowing. If the wall begins to tear, then the pain is strong, piercing. The patient faints, and doctors urgently need to be called.
Cardialgia treatment
It depends on the diagnosis. And to diagnose any heart disease is possible only after several studies. When the cause of the pain is VSD or intercostal neuralgia, the cardiologist will not help. As for cardiological problems, here, depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor may prescribe medication. But any therapy should be accompanied by a transition to proper nutrition. Otherwise, treatment with pills will be useless.
Serious changes in the vessels of the heart during ischemia with drugs cannot be fixed. When the blockage of the vessels is confirmed on the coronography, an operation is prescribed. The essence of the operation is to restore normal blood flow using stenting or coronary angioplasty.
These modern treatments completely eliminate the risk of complications during surgery. Damage to tissues is minimal. After surgery, it is advisable to conduct another study to verify the effectiveness of stenting.