It just so happened that someone went to the doctor for a heart problem. Experts sent him for examination, but found no symptoms. That's fine when a cardiologist recommends consulting a neurologist. In this case, he may report that it is not a heart attack, but osteochondrosis.
It turns out that one of the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis is a painful sensation in the breast or heart. It can be pulling, pain and compression. In some cases, there is warmth and rhythm disturbance in the chest area. The pain may get worse over time. In this case, heart medications won't help.
Features of heart pain in osteochondrosis
Many people have a question: can osteochondrosis hurt the heart? Yes. Patients often complain of the following:
- Long-lasting heartbeat and chest pain.
- Gradually, there is pain in the heart of osteochondrosis.
- Pain is boring and pressing.
- Sternal pain is low in intensity.
- Receiving nitrates does not eliminate chest pain.
- The patient tries to reduce the movement of the upper extremity, and as a result, the pain becomes worse.
Sometimes cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis occurs at the same time, in which case there is additional pain in the neck. Patients may complain of the following:
- Shoulder girdle, face and neck pain.
- The discomfort extends to almost the entire upper chest area, affecting the musculature of the spine.
- An attack can last for hours or even days.
Sometimes reflex pain is caused by compression of the vertebral arteries. In this case, the following symptoms appear:
- Dizziness;
- Deterioration of hearing and vision;
- pain in the back of the head;
- Antihypertensive drugs do not have the desired effect;
- feeling of weakness;
- Difficulty breathing;
- loss of consciousness;
- Blood rushed to his face.
Symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis, as well as the degree of heart pain, did not differ between women and men.
How does osteochondrosis affect the heart? The disease is accompanied by changes in the spine, especially in the area of the spinous process of the lower cervical spine. Weakness in the pinky finger and decreased muscle strength in the left hand may be felt.
How to differentiate between heart pain and osteochondrosis
How to Identify: Is the Pain Caused by Cardiac Disease or Osteochondrosis? Fixing the problem isn't easy: in both cases, the cells emit pain and severe pain, and the discomfort is exacerbated during physical activity.
While it can be difficult to tell the difference between angina and thoracic osteochondrosis, there are some signs that can help determine the real cause of the pain.
Differences in Osteochondrosis Heart Pain:
- Pain is long lasting: they last for weeks and months.
- Seizures can occur with sudden arm and head lifting, tilting and turning, and coughing.
- When the body is in a comfortable position, the pain gradually diminishes and subsides.
- Multiple ECG violations were not detected.
- The pain increases when the chin is tilted toward the chest, which is a sign of an intervertebral hernia.
- With pain, there are no episodes of anxiety and fear.
- Holding one position for long periods of time (for example, during sleep) can cause heart pain.
- Glycerol trinitrate will not help you get rid of the pain, you just need an analgesic for that.
- Cardiac pain in osteochondrosis is exacerbated immediately with sharp changes in body position, and they occur with sneezing, coughing, deep breathing, and sudden head movements.
- Pain increases in intensity when exposed to the spine.
- Chest heart pain with osteochondrosis is not life-threatening.
Now let's see how to determine the damage angina pectoris does to the heart. In this case, there is pain like this:
- short duration;
- not related to physical activity;
- heart medications to help stop or reduce pain;
- Pain does not change if the load on the spine is constant;
- Pain of the same intensity;
- Pain that spreads to the left arm, jaw, and under the shoulder blade;
- Pain may be caused by neuropsychiatric hypertonicity;
- ECG reflects the presence of pathology;
- The patient is afraid of death;
- May cause patient death.
The nature of osteochondrosis pain
Many people are interested in the damage that osteochondrosis can do to the heart. Not only the chest discomfort, but also the upper abdomen, ribs and near the spine. Staying in the same position for long periods of time limits movement and pain increases. Walking a short distance can help get rid of discomfort.
Additionally, there may be pain in the back and shoulder blade area. It gets worse when you take a deep breath. The level of discomfort is affected by changes in temperature (lowering) and atmospheric pressure.
Rotating the trunk can worsen osteochondrosis and heart pain. This is due to the increased load on the anterior disc. Syndromes are often present in this area. Pain in the intercostal space may occur when you breathe in. The back muscles may be tense, with unilateral spasms.
Sometimes the heart hurts with osteochondrosis, so there seems to be a problem with the thoracic organs. The disease can masquerade as bowel and stomach pains, and in some cases can even resemble appendicitis. If no action is taken, osteochondrosis can radiate not only to the heart, but also to lesions of the respiratory, cardiovascular, and digestive systems.
The nature of pain may change. Aggravation can be replaced by mitigation, and it happens in waves.
Osteochondrosis Causes Heart Pain
Distinguishing between a heart attack and osteochondrosis isn't always easy. In the human body, there is a complex transmission of impulses from various systems and organs to the brain and vice versa. This allows him to gather information about all systems and manage their work. As a result, connections are formed between the nerve endings located in the spine and the spinal cord. When they are violated, the transmission of impulses is violated, the brain does not respond properly, and pain radiates to the chest and heart.
Heart pain with osteochondrosis occurs in the following order:
- The spine changes due to injury.
- Intervertebral disc herniation does not affect the annulus fibrosus that is prone to herniation.
- In the event of a ruptured annulus fibrosus, the center of the cartilaginous disc enters the brain canal, causing a herniation.
- Osteophytes form.
- The blood vessels and nerves around the disc begin to flatten.
- Emergence of pain syndrome.
With osteochondrosis, the heartbeat may become more frequent and tachycardia may occur. Injuries to different areas of the spine can produce different pain symptoms. Neuralgia is affected by the degree of damage:
- vertebral body only;
- intervertebral disc;
- ligament device;
- Paraspinal muscles.
How does osteochondrosis affect heart function? When deformed, the intervertebral disc compresses the spinal nerves. This can cause pain. Osteochondrosis affects not only the heart but also the entire spine. The disease can spread to adjacent departments, causing new symptoms to appear.
Symptoms of Osteochondrosis Heart Pain
Signs and symptoms of osteochondrosis with heart pain usually occur in the context of a completely healthy heart system. Usually they are stable, but may appear and increase paroxysmal. In the case of spinal problems, the pains are dull, deep, and pressing, and they are characterized by an unsharp severity. For chest pain with osteochondrosis, glycerol trinitrate will not help because the cause is not in the heart.
In order to differentiate between cardiac pain and thoracic osteochondrosis, it is important to know that sensations of different natures may occur. For example, they can spread from the affected area to the muscles in the front of the chest, where the roots of the neck from fifth to seventh are connected. In this condition, pain is felt in the upper left area of the body, sometimes affecting part of the face. At the same time, no vascular disease was diagnosed and no abnormalities were detected on the electrocardiogram. This can happen even during peak periods of pain.
How does thoracic osteochondrosis affect the heart and the human body?
One of the manifestations of osteochondrosis is pinching or pinching of blood vessels. This results in a narrowing of the "channels" through which blood passes. In order for the organ to continue to receive it in the right amount, the heart has to work more actively. This means that the number of contractions per minute will increase. As a result, blood pressure rises. This is how osteochondrosis affects the heart.
Work against the circulatory system can cause pain in the heart, along with thoracic osteochondrosis and lack of oxygen to the brain. As a result, the above symptoms appear. Reaction, speed of thinking, emotional state, spatial orientation, and memory depend on the work of the heart, as well as vision or hearing problems.
With all these consequences, it can be difficult to determine whether it is a heart injury or thoracic osteochondrosis.
diagnosis
How to determine if the heart is injured due to osteochondrosis? There are special procedures that can help determine the form and extent of the disease. When the disease worsens, it is best to consult a doctor. Your doctor may recommend a differential diagnosis so you can determine the cause of the disease - heart or spine. It may include the following procedures:
- Electrocardiogram. Cardiac disease can be instantly identified when an electrocardiogram is recorded. If the results are normal, then it is clear that the cause of the pain is neuralgia or osteochondrosis.
An electrocardiogram is a mandatory diagnostic procedure for the formation of chest pain.
- Ultrasound. It is suitable for patients suspected of having cardiac infectious lesions. It is used as an additional method.
- radiography. X-rays are prescribed for patients with suspected osteochondrosis. Pictures will allow the destructive destruction of the joint to be determined. With heart problems, they don't suffer.
- CT and MRI. They can help if X-rays are inconclusive. These methods will more accurately identify lesions. Magnetic resonance imaging will help diagnose osteochondrosis and heart disease.
treat
Rest and bed rest will help relieve osteochondrosis pain. The surface should not be very soft or hard. The neck does not bend when choosing a pillow. You can reduce the pain if you put a non-hot heating pad under it.
Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis is done by:
- drug:
- vasodilators;
- neurological drugs;
- diuretics;
- analgesics;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- chondroprotective agent;
- sedative.
- physiotherapy. During the procedure the patient undergoes, the affected area is subjected to electric fields and variable frequency currents. This will help initiate the mechanism of natural tissue regeneration.
- Use turpentine, ointments containing snake or bee venom, and pain relievers. They activate the release of heat in muscles, improve the condition of nerve roots, and dilate blood vessels.
- acupuncture. With the help of needles, energy meridians and active acupuncture points are affected.
- Manipulative therapy. Thanks to them, degenerative processes in the spine are corrected and have an effect on the intervertebral joints.
- A back massage won't get you the results you want. The muscles are located around the discs and it is nearly impossible to reach them. The effect gives a particularly deep acupressure. Before this procedure, pain medication is recommended.
- At home, you can use warm heating pads and compresses to reduce muscle tension.
Manual therapy and acupressure may only be performed by qualified orthopaedic surgeons, neuropathologists or trauma surgeons with special training and appropriate certification.
Taking heart medication is often the first and most effective treatment for the disease. When used with other methods, the results can be greatly improved. Armed with knowledge, it's time to start therapy!
self-medication mistakes
Often, patients who complain of thoracic spine disease make a serious mistake in their self-treatment — they take medication if there is a contraindication. For example, the older generation likes to use NSAIDs in phenylacetic acid derivatives. However, it cannot be used for gastric mucosal problems. They are typical for people over the age of 50.
Therefore, we looked at the differences and differences between the symptoms of angina and osteochondrosis, and became familiar with the methods of diagnosis and treatment. Work with a qualified doctor and follow their instructions. With perseverance and consistency, you will be able to overcome this painful and dangerous disease! Remember, this can be very dangerous. So much so that patients could be released from military service.