There are situations in which people develop pain in the chest area, a tingling sensation and burning sensation. Frightened that these are heart problems, they begin to take a large number of medicines. But do not immediately panic, because these symptoms are inherent in another, but less dangerous pathological condition: intercostal neurosis. How to treat this disease and what causes its appearance, we will consider in the article.
Definition
Intercostal neurosis is a common disease that can occur at any age, but mainly occurs in adults. It is characterized by pinching or irritation of the intercostal nerves. This condition is manifested by unpleasant symptoms, which are often confused with manifestations of heart disease, therefore it is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as possible to exclude dangerous complications.
Causes of occurrence
In most cases, a pinched nerve is associated with muscle spasm or inflammation, which can occur for various reasons. Consider the most common of them:
- Injury to the spine or trauma to the chest.
- Osteochondrosis.
- Some infectious diseases.
- Drafts.
- Weight lifting.
- Work in an uncomfortable position.
- Sudden sudden movements.
- Severe hypothermia.
- Excessive exercise.
- Long stressful situations.
- Metabolic disease.
- Lack of vitamin B in the body.
- Diabetes.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of intercostal neurosis include the following conditions:
- Constant or periodic pain in the ribs. It can be aching, sharp or dull.
- With sudden movements, pain may intensify. For example, when coughing.
- Pain can be given to the area of the shoulder blades or lower back.
- Increased sweating.
- Muscle twitching, redness or pallor of the skin of the affected area may be observed.
- When you click on some parts of the chest, painful sensations appear.
- At the site of damage to nerve fibers, a feeling of numbness may occur.
There are external signs of this pathological condition:
- The man is tense.
- With sudden movements, there is an increase in pain.
The difference between pathology and heart disease
Despite the fact that the signs of intercostal neurosis and heart disease are very similar, there are some features that allow you to make a more accurate diagnosis. Let's consider them in more detail.
With intercostal neurosis, the pain is almost constant, it intensifies with sudden movements. This is due to pinching and irritation of the nerve endings.
The intensity of heart pain does not depend on the intensity of movements and the uncomfortable position of the body. It passes or significantly weakens when taking nitroglycerin. In this case, changes in heart rate and blood pressure are observed.
Diagnostics
To determine or confirm the diagnosis, a set of diagnostic measures is carried out, which include laboratory and instrumental methods. These include:
- The doctor’s appointment, at which the medical history is collected, specifies the time of the first pain, their duration and intensity, the presence of injuries and lifestyle.
- Neurological examination.
- Analysis of urine and blood.
- ECG, which will confirm or exclude the presence of heart disease.
- X-ray with which the patient's lungs are examined.
- Ultrasound examination of the heart.
Treatment methods
When confirming the diagnosis, the treatment plan is prescribed by the attending physician individually in each case, depending on the provoking factor and the general condition of the patient. In intercostal neurosis, symptoms and treatment are interrelated, since eliminating the cause of the disease is of great importance. As a rule, an integrated approach to therapy is used, including drug treatment, physiotherapy and, in especially severe cases, surgical intervention.
The conservative method involves taking the following categories of drugs:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs, which can be in the form of tablets, suppositories, or injections.
- Painkillers, including blockade.
- Antispasmodics.
- Vasodilating drugs that help improve blood circulation.
- Injections of ascorbic acid.
- Anticonvulsants that help normalize muscle tone.
- Reception of B vitamins, which strengthen nerve fibers.
- Sedatives.
With this disease, great importance is given to physiotherapy. These include:
- Electrophoresis with novocaine.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Amplipulse.
- UHF therapy.
- Thermal treatments.
- Ultraphonophoresis.
- Reflexology.
- Manual methods for osteochondrosis.
The following procedures can be used to relieve spasms, which receive a lot of praise:
- Acupuncture.
- Hot stones.
- Hirudotherapy.
- Acupressure.
- Yoga classes.
Folk remedies
In the treatment of intercostal neurosis, folk remedies have proven themselves well as adjuvant therapy. But it is important to remember that traditional medicine is not recommended without consultation with your doctor because of possible allergic reactions.
There are a large number of recipes that can be used for various manifestations of this pathological condition. Consider the most common of them:
- Sedatives. These include plants with a sedative effect - mint, motherwort, chamomile, valerian.
- Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect is achieved with ointments based on honey and pepper. Applying a napkin dipped in hot saline to the source of pain may also help.
- There are many positive reviews regarding medicinal baths. When various herbs are added, it has a relaxing and anti-inflammatory effect on the body. In this regard, sage, lavender, eucalyptus have established themselves well.
It should be remembered that traditional medicine only supplements the main treatment.
Preventative measures
Intercostal neurosis can be prevented if the development of its provoking conditions is not allowed. Preventive measures include the following:
- Healthy lifestyle.
- Proper nutrition.
- Hardening.
- Strengthening immunity.
- Prevention and timely treatment of pathologies of the spine.
- Quality therapy for chest injuries.
- Lack of stress.
- Moderate physical activity.
- Avoidance of drafts.
- Daily healing exercises.
- Scheduled visit to the doctor.
Possible complications
Running intercostal neurosis can lead to serious consequences. These include:
- Circulatory disorder, in which muscle cramps and disorders of the work of many organs can occur.
- Heart muscle dysfunction.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Depression.
- The risk of developing chronic neurosis, in which respiratory failure occurs.
- Hypertensive crisis.
Forecast and Conclusion
In this article, we briefly described the symptoms of intercostal neurosis and treatment with folk remedies. At the first signs of the disease, it is recommended to consult a doctor who will prescribe diagnostic measures to exclude other diseases, and, based on their results, will draw up an effective treatment plan. With the timely elimination of the cause of the disease, the prognosis in most cases is positive. But if this is not done, then serious complications can occur that worsen the patient's quality of life.