What is radiating pain? At the root of the phenomenon lies the formation of uncomfortable sensations, which can be localized in various parts of the body, which are removed from the place of the actual development of the pathological focus. For example, radiating pain in the abdomen with infringement of the intestine can be given to the back. The same thing often happens when a stone passes through the urinary tract.
The principle of the formation of radiating pain
Any pain develops as a result of the transmission of a signal about the development of the pathological process to receptors that are in the internal organs and in the skin. This happens due to the release of special chemicals from damaged or destroyed cells. The latter, getting into the blood, move towards the nerve synapses located along the entire length of the spinal cord.
Next, the impulses are redirected to the brain. If at the same time special C-fibers of the autonomic nervous system are excited, radiating pain develops, in which unpleasantsensations are perceived by a person in a place remote from the true source of the problem.
Trigger points
There are so-called trigger points on the human body. It is in these areas that radiating pain is formed. You can detect them by pressing or pricking during acupuncture. These points are active in absolutely he althy people. However, they become most sensitive in people who suffer from diseases of the abdominal organs, the cardiovascular system. With such ailments, radiating pain can form under the shoulder blade, as well as along the entire length of the spine.
The most common types of radiating pain
With the development of radiating pain syndrome, the following trigger points are most often activated:
- In the shoulder area - in the presence of liver pathologies, ulcerative colitis, cholelithiasis, spleen rupture, pneumonia.
- In the head area - such radiating pain can be caused by hypothermia of the throat, for example, as a result of eating cold food. Often, headaches develop after prolonged exposure to a strong freezing wind.
- In the area of the upper limbs - with cardiovascular diseases.
- In the spine - people with acute appendicitis sometimes feel severe discomfort not in the abdominal cavity, but in the lower back. Radiating low back pain can also be felt in diseases of the stomach.
Diagnostic features
How do doctors know that a person is worried about radiating pain? First of all, specialists resort to palpation, in other words, pressing on the main trigger points on the body. If necessary, the patient is referred to a neurologist, who resorts to special tests and tests aimed at determining the real source of the pain.
The final conclusion about the presence of radiating pain is made based on the results of the analysis of the composition of urine and blood. If there is a suspicion of a shift in uncomfortable sensations as a result of the development of pathologies of organs and systems, patients may be assigned the following studies:
- ECG;
- chest x-ray;
- heart echocardiography;
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs and peritoneum;
- undergoing a thorough examination by a surgeon, neurologist, cardiologist, and other highly specialized doctors.
Elimination of radiating pain
It is usually quite difficult to establish the objective cause of the shift of discomfort from the focus of the disease to other parts of the body, since radiating pain can occur as a result of the formation of a wide variety of pathologies. Therefore, before resorting to specific actions aimed at alleviating the patient's well-being, an accurate diagnosis is required. That is why, if radiating pain is suspected, specialists resort to such a wide range of diagnostic procedures, which we have already discussed above.
In general, to relieve pain, doctors can prescribe to patientsthe following drug groups:
- general pain pills;
- means, the effect of which is aimed at vasodilatation;
- muscle relaxants, which lead to stress relief from the heart muscle and adjacent tissues;
- drugs that activate metabolic processes.
In closing
As you can see, radiating pain is diagnosed and eliminated by a variety of methods. To help the doctor remove discomfort, the patient needs to track how the syndrome is formed, what exactly it manifests itself in. All this information is communicated to a specialist. If the results of the preliminary examination confirm the absence of pathology at the site of pain, the exact cause is determined through the use of instrumental diagnostic methods.
