Thoracic neuralgia is a serious but benign disease that occurs quite often. However, many people can confuse this ailment with dangerous heart pains that lead to irreversible consequences. Distinguishing dangerous heart disorders from typical intercostal neuralgia is not difficult at all.
Feeling severe pain in the thoracic region, it is recommended to take a good deep breath, and then move. With neuralgia of the chest, the pain will either become less noticeable or intensify. When it does not change its character, we can talk about existing violations of the pulse or blood pressure. It should also be remembered that all heart pains are easily removed with ordinary nitroglycerin.
Neuralgia of the chest has the main symptom, the so-called neuropathic pain, which is caused by problems in the nervous system or any damage. It is she who, in the diagnosis, becomes the key point for differentiating neuralgia or heart disease. The behavior of neuropathic pain is fundamentally different from cardiac pain.
Causes of neuralgia of the chest
Neuralgia of the chest is caused by compression or severe irritation of several intercostal nerves. By nature, such pain can be acute or dull, aching or burning, constant or episodic. It often gets worse even with little activity, such as coughing or sneezing, a sudden movement of the body, or a simple twist of the body. When palpation of specific parts of the body – along the patient’s chest or spine, in the area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe ribs, a person also experiences pain.
Due to a damaged segment of the nerve in a certain area of the body, the patient feels a sharp pain. In some patients, the pain increases significantly when inhaling and, of course, when exhaling, and during the attack itself it is almost impossible to breathe due to discomfort. At the same time, even a slight expansion of the chest responds with a sharp pain in the process of inhalation.
Pain occurs due to pinching of the nerves located in the space between the ribs. With neuralgia of the chest, severe pain, which is the main symptom of the disease, restricts breathing. Experts have proven that this is directly due to the deformation of the intercostal space. The reasons for this may be hernia, transferred infectious diseases or blows in the chest area.
The main area of localization of pain is the intercostal space. But discomfort also occurs in the back, in the lumbar region or under the shoulder blade. this symptom is referred to as “referred” pain, which usually does not indicate the underlying real source of nerve damage. Usually, severe chest pain is often shingles. It is observed along the typical intercostal spaces or in the left or right side of the chest.
Noticeable irritation or severe compression of the intercostal nerves causes a number of other rather unpleasant symptoms. The pain itself in this disease is often accompanied by twitching or a distinct contraction of certain muscles, intense sweating, and there is also a significant change in skin color – unhealthy pallor or severe redness. With neuralgia of the chest, numbness, or, in other words, loss of sensation, manifests itself in the immediate area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbdamage to a particular nerve.
The treatment of this rather unpleasant disease, as a rule, primarily consists in relieving inflammation and pain relief. Thoracic neuralgia today is successfully treated with a combination of medicines, vitamins and special massage. In the case when the root cause of chest neuralgia is an infection, then it is necessary to choose the optimal treatment for this particular disease. At the appointment, the doctor, in addition to the examination, collects all the information about possible strokes, injuries and past infectious diseases of the patient.
If necessary, a chest x-ray is ordered. A specialist can recommend manual therapy, as well as prescribe the intake of B vitamins. Such vitamins can be prescribed both in tablets and in modern injections. The doctor prescribes the choice of suitable anti-inflammatory and painkillers based on the general condition of the person. The long-awaited relief of pain for each patient is the primary reason for visiting a particular medical institution.
Equally important after the treatment of chest neuralgia is proper nutrition, lack of stress and proper rest. Do not forget that only a highly qualified specialist can correctly differentiate this serious disease. It is he who, by the nature of certain pain sensations, will be able to exclude ailments of the cardiovascular system. Timely prescribed treatment will not allow the appearance of various complications.