Contents
Neuralgia, or neuralgia, is a condition related to damage to the nerve that carries stimuli to the brain. It is accompanied by pain coming from the area where the nerve signal comes from. One of them is intercostal neuralgia.
What are intercostal neuralgia?
Neuralgia is a condition that manifests itself in sudden and burning pain. Sometimes they are accompanied by tingling and temporary paresis. They are caused by lesions of the nerves. Intercostal neuralgia, also called intercostal neuralgia, causes severe pain in the chest, ribs, and sternum areas. They radiate from one or more thoracic vertebrae along the course of the intercostal nerve through the intercostal space to the anterior midline of the chest.
The radiation pattern of intercostal neuralgia is more horizontal in the upper parts of the chest and more arched in the lower parts. We distinguish between unilateral and bilateral intercostal neuralgia. The cause of the disease is damage to the intercostal nerves, which are responsible, among others, for for innervation of the anterior intercostal area.
Causes of intercostal neuralgia
There are many causes that trigger intercostal neuralgia. The most common are:
- deficiency of B vitamins,
- fractures and injuries,
- pressure on the nerves resulting from, among others from swelling or cancerous changes,
- nerve irritation as a result of choking or sudden movement
- changes in the spine resulting from pressure on the nerves,
- shingles,
- systemic lupus erythematosus,
- RA – rheumatoid arthritis,
- vascular diseases in the form of nodular arteritis,
- osteoporosis,
- Hypothyroidism,
- scoliosis,
- discopathy,
- intercostal muscle inflammation.
People with degenerative diseases such as diabetes and uremia also suffer from intercostal neuralgia. The disease can also cause compression of the intercostal nerve and other diseases such as Lyme disease and connective tissue disease. Intercostal neuralagia also occurs in people who abuse alcohol, are poisoned with carbon monoxide or lead. People who use drugs, e.g. to treat tuberculosis, can also suffer from it, sometimes causing drug-induced nerve damage.
Intercostal neuralgia is sometimes a sign of life-threatening diseases. Crushing pain radiating to the jaw and arms can be a sign of a heart attack; and sharp, stabbing pain behind the breastbone, and sometimes radiating to the neck or left shoulder, may be a sign of pericarditis. Another type of pain is a tear in the chest that radiates between the shoulder blades – this in turn could be a sign of aortic dissection.
When intercostal neuralgia causes acute pain, one-sided and radiating between the shoulder blades, which becomes weaker when placed on the sore side, it may be pleural pain. Intercostal neuralgia can be a sign of peptic ulcer disease and gastroesophageal reflux – dull pain, sometimes appearing in the lower part of the chest, may indicate peptic ulcer disease; while burning, sometimes crushing pain in the area of the sternum is a sign of the aforementioned reflux.
Intercostal neuralgia – symptoms
Patients describing intercostal neuralgia most often say that it is a strong, stinging, shooting, burning and sometimes excruciating pain. Its severity varies – sometimes it causes only slight discomfort, sometimes pain that prevents normal functioning. Intercostal neuralgia can be a consequence of injuries to the spine and the intercostal space. It is worth remembering that not all chest pain has to be intercostal neuralgia.
Treatment of intercostal neuralgia
Usually it is not necessary, because intercostal neuralgia resolves spontaneously. However, when the condition returns, treatment is to remove the cause of the pain. Sometimes treatment is required for the underlying pain causing disease. If intercostal neuralgia is in its acute stage, it can be treated with drugs that reduce muscle tension.
When intercostal neuralgia is extremely troublesome, the patient may be given NSAIDs, paracetamol or opioid analgesics, if the pain is very severe. Doctors recommend that you also use any type of painkiller or warming patch. Warm massages and a stimulating laser are also helpful. Intercostal neuralgia is also treated with antiepileptic drugs such as gabapentin, carbamazepine, pregabalin and tricyclic antidepressants.
Intercostal neuralgia associated with shingles can be treated with low-dose glucocorticoids. Unconventional methods of herbal treatment may also be helpful (black elderberry, chamomile, mint – Mint in the form of freeze-dried organic tea can be found at a favorable price on Medonet Market). If the cause of the nerve damage is diagnosed, e.g. in the form of a tumor compressing the nerve, then surgical treatment is implemented.
For neuralgia, it is worth using Green tea relaxing with lemon balm and verbena in the composition, thanks to which it reduces stress and makes it easier to fall asleep. Chamomile flower also helps with neuralgia, so it’s worth drinking it as a tea.
In order for the nervous system to function properly, it should have B vitamins. iontophoresis, i.e. a procedure in the area of physiotherapy consisting in applying a medicine to the affected area and accelerating it by means of direct current flow. Ionoferase is used primarily in the treatment of bone fusion disorders, after injuries and neuralgia.
Do you suffer from neuralgia? Reach for the VITAMMY Heat Electric Heating Cushion.
Home remedies for intercostal neuralgia
The home treatment of intercostal neuralgia is herbal medicine. Vitamins and herbs bring great benefits in the fight against neuralgia, thanks to which damaged nerves regenerate faster. Herbs, if properly selected, will intensify the effect of painkillers – willow bark, elderberry and noble chamomile are most often used.
For neuralgia, you can also use the Vitammy Thermo 1x Electric Blanket, which soothes pain and improves your mood.
Chest neuralgia – diagnosis
The diagnosis of intercostal neuralgia consists in conducting subjective and physical examinations. Doctors sometimes recommend additional tests when the pain is also felt in the chest – thanks to them, coronary disorders or pulmonary edema can be excluded. Other tests used in the diagnosis of intercostal neuralgia are EKG (electrocardiogram) and X-ray (X-ray and determination of the amount of cardiac tropins).
The pressure of the nerve roots is sometimes invisible. To find out exactly where it occurs, your doctor may order an MRI. Important tests in the diagnosis of costal neuralgia are also tests for diabetes, Lyme disease, blood counts and urinalysis. However, before a therapeutic treatment is established, it is necessary to precisely identify the causes of pain. Your doctor may give you intravenous lidocaine and opioids to ease the pain.
A person with chest neuralgia should not exercise intensively. Doctors recommend that you give up drinking alcohol and using other intoxicants. To relieve the spine, the patient may wear a collar or an orthopedic corset. However, it is worth remembering that the above-mentioned methods of dealing with pain caused by intercostal neuralgia may not bring the expected result if the cause of the ailment is a tumor or nerve damage – in this case surgery will be required.
Neuralgia of the spine
Spinal neuralgia is a common ailment. Neuropathic pain arises in the nervous system. When the nerves are functioning properly, they send pain signals through the spinal cord to the brain. However, as a result of damage to the nervous structure, they can start sending false information about pain. This condition is troublesome, makes it difficult to fall asleep and cannot be treated with ordinary painkillers.
Neuralgia of the spine can be caused by discopathy, which is back pain that mainly affects the neck and loins; if the back pain is accompanied by low back pain, it could be a sign of arthritis. Spinal neuralgia usually involves the entrapment of the sensory upper gluteal nerve and is caused, among others, by excessive tension in the back muscles.
The content of the medTvoiLokony website is intended to improve, not replace, the contact between the Website User and their doctor. The website is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Before following the specialist knowledge, in particular medical advice, contained on our Website, you must consult a doctor. The Administrator does not bear any consequences resulting from the use of information contained on the Website. Do you need a medical consultation or an e-prescription? Go to halodoctor.pl, where you will get online help – quickly, safely and without leaving your home.