What is scalene syndrome? You will learn the answer to this question from the materials of this article.
basic information
Syndrome of the anterior scalene muscle is a combination of a number of pathological signs, including a feeling of thickening or tightening in the muscle tissues and their spasm. Also, this state is characterized by secondary compression of nerve bundles and blood vessels in the space between the rib and the above muscle.
Development reasons
Most often, scalene muscles undergo various pathologies due to the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine. Sometimes the syndrome under consideration is formed due to some kind of trauma or abnormal arrangement of the neck or ribs (for example, congenital). Such a violation often develops in adolescents who are actively involved in sports, since their muscles are constantly traumatized.
It should be noted that the stair muscles very often undergo anomalies due to irritation of the roots of C7-C6 or sympathetic nerve fibers. A characteristic sign of this syndrome is pain in the neck, which subsequently spreads along the ulnar part of the upper limb.
The development of such a violation can lead to carpal muscle hypotrophy. In this case, the patient’s hand loses sensitivity and is constantly numb.
The main symptoms of the disease
When densified, the scalene muscles cause pain that spreads from the shoulder to the tips of the fingers. There is also a disappearance of the sensitivity of the upper limb. Sometimes such unpleasant sensations are able to spread to the back of the head (including when turning the head) and pass into the sternum.
With the development of the disease, the patient's blood supply to the pulse decreases, and blood pressure also decreases. It should be noted that such a syndrome is characterized by blueness of the hand and its numbness, especially in the place of compression.
When examining a patient by palpation, the anterior scalene muscles may be excessively tense.
Other signs of the disease
How else is the pathology under consideration manifested? With a constant and prolonged violation of blood flow in the muscles, connective tissue transformations begin, which are an irreversible process.
In the presence of the syndrome in question, the anterior scalene muscle can cause a painful spasm of a reflex nature. Typically, this symptom appears as a result of the impact of cervical osteochondrosis on the roots of the spine.
How is it diagnosed?
It is quite difficult to identify the syndrome of scalene muscles at the first examination of the patient. This is due to the fact that the signs of such a pathology very much depend on the characteristics of the human body. In addition, many symptoms of this disease are similar to those of other diseases.
The staircase muscles of the neck, or rather their disorders, are quite easily confused with cervical osteochondrosis and trauma of the rotator cuff. But thanks to a physical examination, experienced specialists can still find out when the development of this disease began, at what stage it is and so on.
It should also be noted that some doctors diagnose the syndrome in question according to some external signs (for example, by swelling of the arm, its insensitivity, cyanosis, etc.). Also in the shoulders of the patient there is a restriction in the range of movements.
When diagnosing this syndrome, the following procedures are often performed: an angiogram and an electromyogram. Such methods allow you to examine the clamped part of the blood vessels.
What tests should be taken to detect the presence of the disease in question? Ladder muscle syndrome is often diagnosed based on laboratory data. For this purpose, completely different tests can be assigned to the patient, including a general urine and blood test. In the latter case, specialists determine the level of glucose and hormones.
Syndrome treatment
Ladder muscle syndrome can be treated in various ways:
- Physiotherapy. In the treatment of this disease, physical activity is of great importance. According to experts, there are such exercises that significantly improve the patient's posture, and also correctly distribute the load on his muscles. In addition, physiotherapy exercises help to increase the motor volume of the shoulder, strengthen muscles and reduce pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that are between the clavicles and ribs.
- Manual therapy allows you to mobilize the spine and ribs, significantly increasing the motor volume of the shoulder joint.
- In the treatment of pathology of the scalene muscle, blockages are very often used, which, by the way, help well in the differential diagnosis of this disease. In this case, only a doctor with extensive experience in conducting such procedures should do the injections.
- Acupuncture. In the process of such a therapeutic procedure, the needles are introduced into certain active points, which helps to restore impulse patency along the nerves and reduce pain.
It should also be noted that massage is an excellent method of treating the disease in question. Such procedures can relieve tension in the muscles, as well as relieve stress. In addition, massage improves blood circulation in muscle tissues, which get rid of toxic metabolic products.