Back and chest pain periodicallybother most people. Some people think they have osteochondrosis, while others even grab heart medications, mistakenly believing that their heart hurts. However, most often the cause of such, sometimes very intense, pain is nothing other than intercostal neuralgia. Almost everyone has heard of such a disease, but only a few know what it is. Below we will talk about what intercostal neuralgia is, how it manifests itself and what the treatment should be. After all, only by knowing the enemy in person can you count on defeating him. In fact, with intercostal neuralgia, pathological irritation or compression of the nerves located between the ribs occurs. At the same time, a person experiences severe pain, which brings a huge number of very painful minutes to a person. Doctors classify intercostal neuralgia as a group of the most unpleasant diseases. And it is very important to seek medical help from a doctor in a timely manner, because, as mentioned above, very often due to pain in the chest, a person confuses intercostal neuralgia with heart attacks. And as a result, they begin to treat something completely different from what is really necessary. And the loss of time can lead to quite serious complications.
Symptoms of intercostal neuralgia
This disease can make itself knowna whole range of specific symptoms that can be observed both comprehensively and selectively. Everything depends on the individual characteristics of each person's body. And it is precisely on this that the extent to which these symptoms will be expressed depends. Doctors classify such symptoms as:
- Pathological unusual sensations from the skin.
A person can periodically or, what occursmuch less often, constantly experience a burning, numbness or tingling sensation in various areas of the skin. By the way, which area of the skin will be affected depends only on which nerve is affected by intercostal neuralgia.
- Stress of the muscles of the back.
A person suffering from intercostalneuralgia, there is often a strong tension in the back muscles. Moreover, most often such tension persists throughout the exacerbation of the disease. And the person simply cannot relax.
- Increased sweating.
Excessive sweating is also characteristica sign that the patient has encountered intercostal neuralgia. Most often, increased sweating is observed in the area of the feet, hands and armpits. However, this symptom of intercostal neuralgia can only be considered in combination with other signs.
- Painful sensations.
An almost inseparable companion of the intercostalneuralgia are painful sensations. The intensity of painful sensations can be very different - from mild to very intense. But in any case, the following feature is characteristic of painful sensations caused by an attack of neuralgia - when coughing, sneezing or physical exertion, the pain increases several times. These are the main symptoms characteristic of intercostal neuralgia. However, there are also secondary symptoms of this disease, which are taken into account when making a diagnosis, but cannot be considered independent symptoms of intercostal neuralgia. Such symptoms include:
- Increase in blood pressure.
- Dizziness.
- Weakness in the body and trembling in the hands.
The first thing a doctor needs to do isexclude diseases that can cause similar pain. For example, intercostal neuralgia can be confused with heart pain. However, in this case, drugs for relieving heart pain do not alleviate the patient's condition. And if the pain with intercostal neuralgia is localized in the lumbar region, it is often confused with pain caused by various kidney diseases. And such "deceptive" pains can occur in absolutely any organ, since the nerves reach all body systems. It is never possible to predict in advance how exactly intercostal neuralgia will manifest itself in a particular person. Therefore, if a person experiences pain of unknown origin, it would be much more reasonable not to try to guess what exactly hurts, but to immediately call an ambulance. After all, in any case, acute pain always indicates serious health problems. And you should not joke with your health.
Causes of development of intercostal neuralgia
Of course, almost all people who have encountered this disease are interested in the question of what causes intercostal neuralgia to develop. There are quite a few such reasons:
- Age changes. Doctors note a clearly traced trend - elderly people have intercostal neuralgia more often than young people.
- Diabetes mellitus and beriberi.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Diseases of the spine and ribs, including various types of tumors.
In addition to these factors, the development of intercostalneuralgia is often caused by a cold or muscle strain. In addition, general fatigue, hypothermia or stress also significantly increase the risk of developing intercostal neuralgia. And perhaps another factor that very often causes intercostal neuralgia is an advanced form of osteochondrosis.
Treatment of intercostal neuralgia
Intercostal neuralgia cannot be ignored. And the intense pain is unlikely to allow this. The essence of neuralgia treatment is as follows:
- Removal of pain and other manifestations of intercostal neuralgia.
- Elimination of pinching and (or) inflammation of the affected nerve.
- Elimination of the root cause of the disease, which, in fact, leads to the development of intercostal neuralgia.
That is why the treatment of intercostal neuralgiashould be comprehensive - only in this case it will be truly effective. As a rule, at the first symptoms of the disease, the use of B vitamins, massage and physiotherapy give a very good effect. In the event that intercostal neuralgia is in the acute stage, the patient is prescribed strict bed rest. Please note - the sleeping place should be sufficiently hard and absolutely flat. If the pain is unbearable, the doctor will perform a novocaine blockade - for this, the nerve is injected with novocaine, as a result of which it loses sensitivity. After this, the patient is prescribed such physiotherapeutic procedures as UHF, sollux, electrophoresis. The course of treatment is selected strictly individually, taking into account the characteristics of the course of the disease in each specific patient. If all the recommendations and prescriptions of the attending physician are followed, the treatment of neuralgia is usually quite effective. We recommend reading:
