Neurological diseases >>>> Intercostal neuralgia

Intercostal neuralgia.

Intercostal neuralgia can cause a lot of trouble if you do not understand what exactly a person is facing, feeling attacks of almost unbearable pain in the chest or back when inhaling or in various positions of the trunk. Intercostal neuralgia is often confused with a heart attack. But it is the correct diagnosis that makes it possible to make an appropriate diagnosis and timely treat the disease.

Signs of intercostal neuralgia that distinguish it from cardiac pathology:

Chest pain with intercostal neuralgia is observed day and night, while maintaining a long period of time.
When the position of the body changes (turns, bending, and others), when inhaling, when coughing, when sneezing, with pressure on the chest, the pain syndrome increases.
The pain may be shingles.

In addition to the symptoms of intercostal neuralgia, which distinguish it from a heart attack, there are a number of symptoms that resemble a heart attack: pain radiates to the collarbone, under the scapula.

The causes of intercostal neuralgia are compression of the nerve roots of the intercostal nerves in the places where they exit from the spinal column. Compression of nerve branches can occur:

due to the inflammatory process that caused tissue edema and pressure on the nerves;

due to stretching of the back muscles during excessive physical exertion or, on the contrary, their excessive tone;

due to myositis caused by a draft (or other kind of hypothermia), infection;

with osteochondrosis;

with curvature of the spinal column (with scoliosis, kyphosis, etc.);

with a sedentary lifestyle.

Intercostal neuralgia treatment depends on the severity of the victim's condition. For intercostal neuralgia that leaves room for movement, you can use rubbing or warming procedures to relax muscle tension. A warm heating pad (a bag of heated salt) is applied to the places closest to the painful focus. The skin opposite the place of compression can be lubricated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Intensive rubbing and massage give good results. In difficult cases, intercostal neuralgia is treated with injections of anti-inflammatory drugs into the lesion and blockade with painkillers in the area of pain syndrome, it involves wearing a corset that temporarily restricts the mobility of the spine, carrying out physiotherapy sessions for unloading certain areas of the spinal column.

Intercostal neuralgia is not life-threatening, but it can cause a lot of trouble during a long period.