Lesions of the peripheral nerves and disorders in their functions are quite common. The disease is accompanied by intense, acute pain in the area of innervation of the nerve fiber and throughout its length. The treatment of neuralgia must be approached competently and with extreme caution, as this affects the extremely complex system of our body. This article will provide information on how this disease manifests itself and how to deal with it at home.
What is neuralgia?
Peripheral nerve receptors transmit information about the state of individual systems and organs to the brain and spinal cord. As a result of squeezing the nerve site in a certain place, the information entering the necessary departments is distorted and the person feels a sharp pain.
Our body is equipped with so-called tunnels for the passage of nerves. In places of narrowing of these channels there is a possibility of infringement. It is in such areas of the body that pathology most often begins to progress. The pathogenesis of the disease directly depends on the degree of irritation of the nerve process. This is one of the criteria by which neuritis is usually classified. Doctors distinguish a number of specific nerves, which the disease affects in the first place, they include:
- intercostal;
- dorsal;
- occipital;
- glossopharyngeal;
- trigeminal;
- sciatic.
A neurology specialist usually examines the symptoms and treats neuralgia. By etiology, the disease is divided into primary and secondary. It is important that the diagnosis is made correctly, since the treatment of these varieties is significantly different. The cause of the disease varies considerably. Primary arises as an independent disease, the secondary is a nerve infringement, provoked by inflammatory processes of nearby tissues or a previous pathology.
Causes and general symptoms
Factors contributing to the development of diseases associated with nerve damage include:
- frequent hypothermia;
- pathology of the spine;
- injuries
- excessive physical activity;
- osteochondrosis;
- tumors.
What is important to know about the treatment of neuralgia and the symptoms it shows? The fact is that in each case, the ailment makes itself felt in different ways. It all depends on which nerve was damaged. Nevertheless, we will try to describe the general signs of the disease: immediately after the infringement of the nerve fiber, there is a paroxysmal pain, which is preceded by a lumbar sensation; along with this, the area of innervation swells and turns red, sometimes twitching and cramps are observed in the muscles. In any case, treatment for a neuralgic disorder should consist of several sequential measures.
Diagnostics
If there are signs indicating this disease, you need to urgently seek help from a specialist. Before proceeding with the treatment of neuralgia, you should undergo a complete medical examination. It includes both instrumental examinations and laboratory ones. Sometimes a neuralgic disease is determined solely by the presence of damaged structures surrounding the nerves or large neoplasms of a compressive nature. These can be various tumors or protrusions of the spinal disc. If after CT, MRI and examination of the tests no other diseases were found, then the diagnosis is neuralgia.
The use of medicines
Treatment of neuralgia in the acute stage is carried out using a drug regimen. Pain caused by lesions of the nerve roots, which can be caused by hernial protrusions, muscle cramps, tumors and various diseases of the spine, can not be left to chance. Neuralgic diseases require immediate treatment. In applying an integrated approach to the administration of drugs, several goals are pursued:
- relieving acute pain;
- regulation of metabolism in nerve fibers;
- stabilization of the condition through the use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory and sedatives;
- strengthening the protective functions of the body as a whole;
- taking measures to prevent relapse;
- replenishment of the necessary minerals and vitamins for the body.
To eliminate the pain, drugs are used in the form of capsules, gels, ointments, tablets and injection solutions. A variety of analgesics allows each patient to choose the most convenient option for themselves. The following funds are considered popular: Spazmalgon, Baralgin, Analgin, Bral, Tempalgin. They are allowed to use the first three days.
An important role is given to non-steroidal agents, since they maintain the optimal temperature in the patient's body. Thanks to their pronounced effect, attacks of the neuralgic syndrome are successfully eliminated and the general condition improves. Typically, drugs such as Diclofenac, Ketoprofen, Voltaren, and Piroxicam are prescribed. Local ointments are rubbed twice a day.
In complex therapy, there are drugs that relieve muscle cramps related to the group of muscle relaxants. With their help, muscle tissue relaxes, and the pressure on the damaged nerve fiber decreases. Such funds include Midokalm, Clonazepam, Sirdalud, Tizanidine, and Baclofen.
Vitamin complexes, mainly of group B, are prescribed as fortifying agents. They have beneficial effects on the peripheral nervous system and brain. The list of effective drugs included: "Neurobion", "Mexidol", "Milgama", "Actovegin".
If you follow all the doctor’s recommendations and he approved the use of alternative methods in your case, then you can continue the treatment of neuralgia at home. Let us consider in detail what non-traditional methods can be used for certain types of disease.
How to deal with neuralgia on the back of the head at home?
There are several factors that contribute to the onset of the disease. The causes may be prolonged muscle spasms, injuries and even minor irritations of nerve endings. Symptoms, as a rule, proceed as follows: a spontaneous attack of pain, sometimes expressed in a lumbago, spreads to the back of the head, upper neck and behind the ears. The localization of the lesion can be either unilateral or bilateral.
To achieve a resolving and improving blood circulation effect with neuralgia of the occipital nerve, treatment can be carried out using warming compresses. For this purpose, turpentine (1 spoon) and one egg white will be needed. The components must be mixed until smooth, applied to the linen fabric in a small layer and applied to the neck. After a burning sensation, the dressing is held for another 10 minutes, and then removed. Procedures should be carried out in the morning and in the evening.
There are still ways to help the patient withstand the path to recovery. In the course of phytotherapeutic studies, a sufficient list of medicinal herbs has been formed that are time-tested and able to cope with such an ailment as occipital neuralgia. Natural treatment does not require much effort, and it is easy to carry out. The only condition is that you need to be able to organize yourself. Here are some recipes:
- The product, prepared on the basis of willow, is able to relieve debilitating pain. It is always necessary to have crushed dry bark of a plant. So it will be easier to determine its dosage. For 250 ml of water, 100 g of the therapeutic mass is taken and placed in a container. The contents should be brought to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes over low heat. The broth must be filtered. Take every 4 hours during the day 15 ml (1 tablespoon).
- Take a glass of honey and lemon (grated with the skin), mix thoroughly until a homogeneous consistency. Then pour in the finished mass an additive from crushed apricot kernels of elite varieties (20 grams). Use for 45 days, morning and evening, 18 grams (dessert spoon with a slide).
Breast neuralgia
A type of disease, in particular, having a secondary etiology. This means that its occurrence occurs against the background of other pathological changes that, to some extent, have already developed in the human body.
The thoracic region is the part of the body in which a mass of negative processes can occur. Establishing a diagnosis of such an insidious disease on your own would be a gross mistake. In the area of the ribs, the nervous system is highly branched, so pain can be given to the areas of the stomach, shoulder blades, heart and lower back.
As with other types of such pathologies, the main symptom manifests itself as a sudden pain syndrome. The patient does not leave a feeling of stiffness in the chest. A aching, burning pain is felt at the pinch point, which intensifies with any activity of the chest: coughing, sneezing, sigh.
If you choose the right medicine of natural origin, you can get an excellent effect at home, without wasting time going to the hospital (during remission). In the treatment of breast neuralgia, the following methods are used:
- Brew immortelle in the usual way - one spoon of dry chopped herbs in a glass of hot boiling water. Insist, divide into three parts and take during the day.
- Squeeze the juice from the rhizome of horseradish or black radish and rub it with a light movement of the hands into the innervation site of the affected nerve.
- Pour boiling water over flaxseeds, let it brew for 5 minutes. Then put the warm mass on the tissue and attach to the inflamed area. Cover with cellophane from above and wrap it with a woolen shawl.
- A bath using sea salt is very useful to combine with a sage broth. You need to pour 8 tablespoons of sage 0.5 liters of slightly hot water and leave for an hour. Ready solution to use in two passes. Immediately before the procedure, pour salt into the bath (4 tbsp. L.). To feel relief, it will be enough to conduct 10 therapeutic measures for 5-10 minutes daily. Like immortelle herb, sage has a calming and anti-inflammatory effect.
Intercostal infringement of nerve fibers
This is a very common and alarming form of the disease. The following describes the symptoms and treatment of neuralgia on the left side.
The signal of this ailment is girdle pain with various fluctuations in etiology and strength. Sometimes it is sharp and cramping, and sometimes aching and continuous. Covers the heart, subscapular part and sternum. It may be accompanied by hypertension, angina pectoris, tachycardia and cardiac arrhythmias. Statistics show that lesions affect the left side more. The disease is confused with diseases of the gallbladder, pneumonia and with a heart attack. For this reason, experts pay special attention to proper diagnosis.
In complex therapy, treatment of intercostal neuralgia on the left involves visiting additional events. To normalize the mobility of the spine and the relaxation of muscle tissue, a vacuum, acupressure or classic massage is prescribed. The effect of medications is good to combine with warming with ultraviolet radiation, magnetotherapy, physical therapy, ultrasound. It is important to remember that such measures are permissible only in the phase of remission.
Your doctor may find it advisable to wear a supportive corset. It will help reduce pain attacks and ease the load on pinched nerves.
As an external remedy, rubbing with fresh juice of horseradish and black radish, as well as tincture of valerian, is recommended. It is useful to use chamomile and peppermint tea. Doctors often recommend that their patients use the dry heat method. Painful parts of the body just need to be wrapped with products from pure wool, for example, a scarf. At home, it is easier to apply this method of treatment - neuralgia of the left side will be much faster, because the patient will be less in the cold and drafts.
Inflammation of the spinal nerves
Both the causes and symptoms of neuralgic disorders of the back are very numerous. It can begin against the background of such driving factors as the entry of viruses into the nerve membranes, severe intoxication of the body, aortic aneurysm, trauma and so on. One of the common causes that medical professionals highlight is tunnel syndrome. The etiology of neuralgia depends on the narrowing (length and width) of the channel conducting the nerve fiber. In this regard, the symptoms of the disease are caused by such negative changes: blood circulation inside the channel is disturbed, the fixation of scar tissue increases, and the pressure in the tunnel rises.
With neuralgic pathologies of the back, pain of various origins is observed: neuropathic, psychogenic, irritative (reflex), possibly with muscle-tonic convulsions. Apparently, the ailment is quite serious.
If you went to the hospital for qualified help, all the necessary measures were taken and the danger was over, then you can apply some non-traditional methods in your home environment to consolidate the effect.
The following recipes can be used to treat back neuralgia:
- Prepare a thick infusion or decoction of geranium leaves. Use it as a base for compresses when warm. Wrap the area that has undergone the procedure with a woolen scarf. Fresh leaves, which are wrapped in cheesecloth, are applied to the painful focus and insulated.
- You can create an ointment based on a medicinal plant and pork fat. An aqueous solution of birch buds or lilacs is preliminarily prepared, when it is well infused, it is mixed with fat in equal proportions. Ready external means need to rub problem areas several times a day.
- Garlic oil is famous for its effective healing properties. To enhance the effect, it must be combined with vodka. One tablespoon of the finished pharmacy tincture of garlic is mixed with 400 ml of vodka. The medicine is well used for the prevention of diseases.
Trigeminal nerve damage
The trigeminal nerve (mixed) is located in the face and is responsible for its sensitivity and chewing function of the muscles. It has a peculiar structure with three branches. The first branch innervates the orbital zone, the second - the upper lip, nostril and cheek, the third - the gum, lower jaw and lip. The danger of the disease is that in the end it can lead to paralysis of the face or the development of asymmetry. We will analyze one by one, because of which there is a neuralgia of a nerve, symptoms and treatment.
Causes: head and face injuries, hypothermia, increased cholesterol, herpes zoster, gout, aneurysm, inflammation of the oral cavity, tumors, herpes.
Symptoms: painful sensations, numbness, muscle contractions, loss of sensation, reflex changes.
Treatment of neuralgia with folk methods:
- If the nerve is caught, you need to warm your legs before a night's rest and drink soothing herbal drinks, such as chamomile, lemon balm and motherwort. A glass of boiling water pour one tablespoon of dry grass and leave to infuse for an hour. This dose is designed for two doses. The interval between drinking tea and eating should be at least 20 minutes.
- For oral administration, you can prepare alcohol tincture from hops. You need to take one part of the cones of the plant and fill with three parts of vodka. In ½ cup of water add 10 drops of medicine and drink. Such a solution is good to take in the morning and in the evening an hour before bedtime.
- A compress from the marshmallow roots helps a lot. For this purpose they need to be insisted. Dry powder mass from the roots of the plant is poured with a glass of hot water, left for 8-10 hours. Before use, the infusion needs to be heated. A warm compress is applied for a couple of hours. To achieve a result, this must be done regularly throughout the week.
Conclusion
After familiarizing yourself with the symptoms and treatment of neuralgia at home, do not forget about official medicine. Medicinal plants serve only as auxiliary measures in the fight against an ailment that can cause critical complications.