Neuralgia in the heart: symptoms and treatment

Intercostal neuralgia is a very painful and unpleasant condition. It is caused by irritation of nerve fibers or by squeezing them. Neuralgia in the heart, the symptoms of which are most often detected in patients of the older generation, is associated with age-related changes in the condition of their vessels. In children, pathology is relatively rare. Next, let us examine in more detail what neuralgia is in the heart region. Symptoms and treatment will also be described in the article.

General information

Pathology often accompanies pain in the heart. Neuralgia is a syndrome that appears reflexively. This condition, as was said above, is the result of action on the nerve endings. Often the pathology develops against a background of an osteochondrosis in the started stage. This is due to squeezing the roots of the intercostal nerves, which produce intervertebral hernias.

Causes of development

Neuralgia in the heart can appear due to various pathologies. In particular, they include spondylitis, hormonal spondylopathy, progressive kyphosis, Bekhterev's disease, and neoplasms localized in the spine. An attack can provoke hypothermia, a cold, infection or poisoning, trauma or psychological stress. In addition to the above, the factors that increase the likelihood of the appearance of the disease include strong physical exertion, which a person is exposed to without the necessary heating or unaccustomed. Among the main reasons that can cause intercostal neuralgia in the heart, are called infections, cooling, overexertion and intoxication.

Other factors

Quite often in the course of clinical practice, neuralgia in the heart region develops as a result of herpetic lesion. Often the pathology acts as a specific response to irritation, which is directed at the nerve trunks. This, in turn, is the result of the course of pathological processes in the region of neighboring organs and tissues. To such conditions, in particular, include diseases of the spine and ribs, pleurisy, deformation of the chest and others. A generalized intoxication variant also corresponds to such a reason as the use of a number of drugs. Against the backdrop of such drug therapy there is a pinch of nerves. With prolonged use of certain drugs, complications often occur, which are caused by the disintegration of the drug components in the patient's body. In general, experts note that staying in conditions of high content of toxic compounds, inhaling metal salts contribute to the acceleration of nervous system damage, the concomitant syndrome of which is often neuralgia in the heart.

Clinical picture

Signs of neuralgia in the heart are not so difficult to distinguish from other pathologies. Manifestations are neuropathic in nature. The main sign of neuralgia is pain in the heart. This manifestation is due to those or other pathologies associated with the nervous system and its components, as well as actual damage to them. Despite the neuropathic nature, pain can express itself in different ways. For example, it can be stinging, dull, aching or sharp. At the same time, some patients can complain about episodic manifestation, and others - to its constant presence. With an increase in motor activity, the intensity of pain increases. This can occur with a sharp turn of the body, sneezing, loud conversation.

Features of the clinical picture

Soreness can appear when you feel some parts of the body. To them, in particular, can be attributed the area of the spine, thorax. There may be discomfort when feeling the intercostal area. It should be noted that this manifestation, regardless of its location, can not be permanent. This is due to the fact that the necrosis of the nerve root occurs with time. This brings, undoubtedly, calming down the patient. However, this fact does not relieve the pathology.

Other manifestations

In addition to the above, neuralgia in the region of the heart can be accompanied by sufficiently tangible muscle contractions or twitchings. Some patients experience increased sweating, probably a discoloration of the skin - it can either turn pale or blush. It is also often noted tingling of the skin or numbness in some areas. Pain is characterized by patients as "girdling". This is due to its development along the intervals of the bone elements of the sternum. There are also external signs of neuralgia in the heart. So, for example, some patients can stay in the so-called antalgic pose. It looks like this: the body is bent towards the healthy side. So the patient stretches the intercostal spaces. This helps reduce pressure and reduce irritation of nerve endings. As a result, this manipulation reduces soreness. In this tactic, an additional role belongs to psychological fear. It is associated with waiting for an attack of pain. As a consequence, the patient seeks to stay in this position for the longest possible time.

Difference from cardiovascular pathologies

Here a special role belongs to the definition of the nature of pain. It is a careful analysis of the patient's condition that can reveal its cause. It should be noted that, despite the fact that soreness is the main manifestation of both neuralgia and cardiovascular pathologies, its nature is different in different cases. So, in the first case the state differs in duration. The pain in most cases is constant, continuing for a relatively long time. Accordingly, it can not be eliminated using traditional means, such as, for example, "Nitroglycerin". If we talk about any cardiovascular disease, the pain is most often short-lived and intermittent. When taking the same "Nitroglycerin", it is usually suppressed. In addition, pain in cardiovascular pathologies is not enhanced during the movement of the trunk. Along with this, there is a change in pressure and rhythm. Neuralgia in the heart, the treatment of which will be described below, is not accompanied by these manifestations. Pulse and pressure remain normal.

Neuralgia in the heart: treatment

Therapeutic measures should be directed mainly at eliminating the main manifestation. From pain can be eliminated in the case when the effect, its provoking, completely eliminated. In the presence of displacement of certain elements of the spine, a specialist can appoint procedures that facilitate their placement in place. This, in particular, massage and physiotherapy. In some cases, the doctor can appoint a visit to the chiropractor. All manipulations should be carried out by a qualified doctor. Otherwise, the risk of serious complications, up to disability, is high. As an additional measure, osteopathy is used. In the course of procedures, the position of each irregularly distributed segment of the spine is restored. This contributes to the speedy normalization of blood and lymph flow, which favorably affects the state of nerve endings, muscle fibers and the body as a whole. With neuralgia, reflexology is also recommended. It can be supplemented by therapeutic physical training with a specially designed complex of exercises. As an auxiliary means, various kinds of external (local) medicines can be used in the form of ointments, gels with analgesic effect (Diclofenac, Capsicum, etc.). In especially severe cases, the doctor may prescribe analgesics ("Ketorolac", "Lornoxicam", etc.) orally (orally).