There are situations in which people experience pain, tingling and burning sensations in the chest area. Fearing that these are heart problems, they begin to take a large number of drugs. But do not immediately panic, because these symptoms are also inherent in another, but less dangerous pathological condition: intercostal neurosis. How to treat this disease and what causes it to appear, we will consider in the article.
Definition
Intercostal neurosis is a common disease that can occur at any age, but mostly occurs in adults. It is characterized by pinching or irritation of the intercostal nerves. This condition is manifested by unpleasant symptoms that are often confused with manifestations of heart disease, so it is recommended to see a doctor as soon as possible to rule out dangerous complications.
Causes of occurrence
In most cases, a pinched nerve is due to muscle spasm or inflammation, which can occur for a variety of reasons. Consider the most common of them:
- Spine injury or chest injury.
- Osteochondrosis.
- Some infectious diseases.
- Drafts.
- Weight lifting.
- Working in an uncomfortable position.
- Sudden jerky movements.
- Severe hypothermia.
- Excessive exercise.
- Prolonged stressful situations.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Lack of vitamin B in the body.
- Diabetes mellitus.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of intercostal neurosis include the following conditions:
- Persistent or intermittent pain in the ribs. May be aching, sharp, or dull.
- With sudden movements, pain may increase. For example, when coughing.
- Pain may radiate to the shoulder blades or lower back.
- Excessive sweating.
- You may experience muscle twitching, redness, or pallor in the affected area.
- When you press on some areas of the thoracic region, painful sensations appear.
- A feeling of numbness may occur at the site of damage to the nerve fibers.
There are external signs of this pathological condition:
- The man is tense.
- Sudden movements cause increased pain.
Distinguishing pathology from heart disease
Despite the fact that the signs of intercostal neurosis and heart disease are very similar, there are some features that allow a more accurate diagnosis. Let's take a closer look at them.
With intercostal neurosis, the pain is almost constant, it intensifies with sudden movements. This is due to pinching and irritation of nerve endings.
The intensity of heart pain does not depend on the intensity of movements and uncomfortable body position. It passes or significantly weakens when taking nitroglycerin. At the same time, 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:
- An appointment with a doctor, during which an anamnesis of the disease is collected, the time of the appearance of the first pains, their duration and intensity, the presence of injuries and lifestyle are specified.
- Neurological examination.
- Urine and blood tests.
- An ECG to confirm or rule out heart disease.
- X-ray used to examine a patient's lungs.
- 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. Atintercostal neurosis, symptoms and treatment are interrelated, since the elimination of the cause of the disease is of great importance. As a rule, an integrated approach to therapy is used, including medication, physical therapy and, in especially severe cases, surgery.
The conservative method involves taking the following categories of medicines:
- Anti-inflammatory medicines, which can be in the form of tablets, suppositories or injections.
- Painkillers, including blockades.
- Anspasmodics.
- Vasodilatory drugs that help improve circulation.
- Ascorbic acid injections.
- Anticonvulsants to help normalize muscle tone.
- Intake of B vitamins that strengthen nerve fibers.
- Sedative drugs.
In this disease, great importance is given to physiotherapy. These include:
- Electrophoresis with novocaine.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Amplipulse.
- UHF therapy.
- Heat treatments.
- Ultraphonophoresis.
- Reflexology.
- Manual methods for osteochondrosis.
The following procedures can be used to relieve spasms, which receive a lot of accolades:
- Acupuncture.
- Hot stones.
- Hirudotherapy.
- Acupressure.
- Yoga.
Folk remedies
In the treatment of intercostal neurosis asauxiliary therapy, folk remedies have proven themselves well. But it is important to remember that traditional medicine is not recommended for use without consulting 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 hot saline washcloth to the source of the pain may also help.
- There are many positive reviews about therapeutic baths. When adding various herbs, it has a relaxing and anti-inflammatory effect on the body. In this regard, sage, lavender, eucalyptus have proven themselves well.
It should be remembered that traditional medicine only supplements the main treatment.
Preventive measures
Intercostal neurosis can be prevented if the development of conditions provoking it is not allowed. Preventive measures include the following:
- He althy lifestyle.
- Proper nutrition.
- Hardening.
- Strengthening immunity.
- Prevention and timely treatment of spinal pathologies.
- Quality therapy for chest injuries.
- No stress.
- Moderate exercise.
- Avoid drafts.
- Daily therapeutic exercises.
- Scheduled doctor's visit.
Possible Complications
Launched intercostal neurosis can lead to serious consequences. These include:
- Impaired blood circulation, which can cause muscle spasms and disorders of the work of many organs.
- Heart muscle dysfunction.
- Sleep disorders.
- Depression.
- Risk of developing chronic neurosis, in which breathing problems occur.
- 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 in order to exclude other diseases, and based on their results, an effective treatment plan will be drawn up. 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 may occur that worsen the patient's quality of life.
