Intercostal neuralgia: causes, symptoms

Chest pain may occur due to intercostal neuralgia. This occurs when the intercostal nerve is irritated or pinched. As a result, the person experiences severe pain. The disease occurs mainly in older people, but young people who lead a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle or go swimming can also experience this problem. Even children are no exception in this case. In childhood, intercostal neuralgia can be diagnosed at the time of intensive growth.

Causes of intercostal neuralgia

Intercostal neuralgia is not classified as a separate disease, since it develops against the background of another illness. There can be many causes of pinched or irritated peripheral nerves. To finally get rid of the disease, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the root cause.

Among the main factors influencing the development of intercostal neuralgia, the following reasons can be identified:

1. A tumor process in the spinal cord; the tumor can be single or multiple.
2. Chronic poisoning with harmful substances.
3. Inflammatory processes in the chest area.
4. Demyelination is a pathological process in which selective damage to the myelin sheath occurs in the peripheral nervous system.
5. Lack of B vitamins in the body, this can happen due to digestive dysfunction.
6. Spinal diseases such as osteochondrosis, spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis, intervertebral hernia.
7. Diabetes mellitus.
8. Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, lichen or herpes.
9. Diseases of the ribs or pathologies in which the chest is deformed.
10. Aortic aneurysm in the thoracic region.
11. Inflammatory process in the pleura of the lungs.
12. Allergy.
13. Multiple sclerosis.

A person can live with these diseases for a long time without knowing they exist, despite the fact that most of them pose a serious threat to life. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose the root cause of intercostal neuralgia and eliminate it in a timely manner.

The following circumstances can serve as a direct impetus for the disease:

1. Hypothermia of the body, especially the neck and chest.
2. Injuries of the thoracic spine.
3. Toxic effects on the body, including alcohol.
4. Errors in nutrition, lack of vitamin B.
5. Hormonal imbalances.
6. Changes in the body due to age.
7. Overstrain of the back muscles as a result of physical activity, carrying heavy objects, staying in one position for a long time, etc.
8. Stressful situations.
9. Infections that can affect the nerves.
10. Long-term use of medications results in the accumulation of toxic substances in the body.
11. Menopause in women and the change in hormonal levels.

Symptoms of intercostal neuralgia

The main symptom of the disease is chest pain between the ribs. It can manifest itself in different ways - be sharp and shooting, or, conversely, long-lasting and aching. The pain gets worse when coughing or sneezing. A person has to choose a special body position to relieve pain.

At a doctor's appointment, when palpating the painful area, the pain may intensify and the doctor can easily determine its direction. Many patients say that they do not feel pain, but a burning sensation, tingling, and in the later stages of neuralgia, numbness in this area.

If intercostal neuralgia occurs on the left, patients often confuse the disease with angina pectoris. Since the pain in this place is burning, it radiates to the left shoulder and arm. The main difference between angina pectoris and intercostal neuralgia is that the pain does not intensify during coughing, sneezing and breathing and goes away after the person takes nitroglycerin or its substitute.

But in any case, the doctor’s task is to determine the correct cause of the pain, therefore, for the purpose of prevention, the person is still prescribed an ECG. This is also due to the fact that myocardial infarction can be confused with neuralgia, for which nitroglycerin also does not help.

With neuralgia in the lower part of the ribs, a sensation of pain in the kidneys is created, reminiscent of renal colic. They manifest themselves as a sudden condition in the lumbar region, reminiscent of contractions that reverberate in the groin and lower extremities.

In this case, you also shouldn’t delay; it’s better to conduct a timely examination and start proper treatment. Sometimes this condition in its symptoms resembles such pathologies as pleurisy, aortic stenosis, tumors in the mediastinum.

Treatment of intercostal neuralgia

The treatment process has two main goals:

1. Alleviating a person’s condition by eliminating pain.
2. Treatment of the underlying disease against which neuralgia developed.

Most often, the patient is treated on an outpatient basis. Depending on the severity of neuralgia, a person is recommended to stay in bed for the first 3-7 days. The surface of the bed should have a flat and hard surface; it is advisable to purchase an orthopedic mattress for these purposes. If the bed net sags, this can negatively affect the patient's condition.

The most commonly prescribed medications are the following:

1. Anti-inflammatory drugs. They have an analgesic effect and fight inflammation. These medications may be prescribed as injections, tablets, or suppositories.
2. Muscle relaxants - relieve spasm in striated muscles.
3. Sedatives to relieve tension in the nervous system.
4. Vitamin complexes that include group B. They are necessary to restore damaged nerves and to improve the transmission of impulses between them.

For local treatment, various ointments and gels are prescribed that have an analgesic effect and relieve inflammation. An important role is played by physiotherapy and some traditional methods of treatment, which must be prescribed by a doctor.