It happens that a person goes to the doctor with a heart complaint. The specialist sent him for an examination, but he did not reveal any pathologies. It is good when a cardiologist recommends a consultation with a neurologist. In this case, he can report that it is not heart disease that is to blame, but osteochondrosis.
It turns out that one of the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis is a feeling of pain in the mammary gland or heart. It can be pulling, pain and pressure. In some cases, there is a feeling of warmth in the chest area and a disturbance of the rhythm. Over time, the pain may get worse. In this case, heart medications do not help.
Features of heart pain in osteochondrosis
Many people have a question: can the heart hurt with osteochondrosis? yesPatients often complain of:
- Long persistence of soreness in heart rate and chest.
- Heart pain with osteochondrosis gradually appears.
- Pain sensations are dull and pressing.
- The intensity of the pain in the sternum is low.
- Taking nitrates does not relieve chest pain.
- Patients try to make fewer movements with their upper limbs, as a result of which pain sensations intensify.
Sometimes cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis appear at the same time, in which case additional neck pain appears. The patient may complain of the following:
- Pain in shoulder girdle, face and neck.
- The discomfort covers almost the entire upper part of the chest, affects the muscle tissue of the spine.
- An attack can last several hours or even days.
Sometimes the cause of the reflected pain lies in the compression of the vertebral artery. In this case, the following symptoms appear:
- vertigo;
- deterioration of hearing and vision;
- pressing pain in back of head;
- antihypertensive drugs do not give the desired effect;
- feeling weak;
- dyspnea;
- loss of consciousness;
- rush of blood to the face.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the spine and how the heart hurts in women and men do not differ.
What is the effect of osteochondrosis on the heart? The disease is accompanied by changes in the spine, especially in the area of the spinous processes of the lower cervical vertebrae. Weakness of the little finger and a decrease in the strength of the muscles of the left hand may be felt.
How to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis
How to recognize: is the pain due to pathologies of the heart or osteochondrosis? Solving the problem is not easy: in both cases, the cells can radiate painful and severe pain, and during physical exertion the discomfort intensifies.
Although it is quite difficult to distinguish angina pectoris from thoracic osteochondrosis, there are signs that will help determine the true cause of the pain.
Differences in heart pain in osteochondrosis:
- Long duration of pain: lasts for weeks and months.
- Seizures occur with sudden lifting of the arms and head, tilting and turning, and coughing.
- The pain may increase, decrease and subside when the body is in a comfortable position.
- Many ECG abnormalities are not detected.
- When the chin is tilted to the chest, the pain intensifies, this is a sign of intervertebral hernia.
- In pain, there are no bouts of anxiety and fear.
- Staying in one position for a long time (for example during sleep) can lead to a feeling of pain in the heart.
- Glycerol trinitrate does not help to get rid of pain, for this you need to use only analgesics.
- Heart pains in osteochondrosis with a sharp change in the position of the body instantly intensify, occur when sneezing, coughing, deep breathing and sudden head movements.
- When exposing the spine, the intensity of the pain increases.
- Heart pain in the chest area with osteochondrosis is not life-threatening.
Now let's see how to determine what hurts the heart with angina. In this case, there will be such pains:
- short duration;
- not related to physical activity;
- heart medications help stop or reduce pain;
- pain sensations do not change if the load on the spine is constant;
- the pains have the same intensity;
- pain sensations spread to the arm, jaw and under the shoulder blade on the left side;
- pain can be caused by neuropsychic overstrain;
- the cardiogram reflects the presence of pathologies;
- the patient has a fear of death;
- may cause death to the patient.
The nature of pain in osteochondrosis
Many are interested in how the heart hurts with osteochondrosis. Discomfort is felt not only in the chest, but also in the upper abdomen, in the ribs and near the spine. Movements are limited when staying in the same position for a long time, while the pain intensifies. A short walk helps to get rid of the discomfort.
In addition, there may be pain in the back and in the area of the shoulder blades. It can get worse when you take a deep breath. The degree of discomfort is affected by temperature (lowering) and changes in atmospheric pressure.
Osteochondrosis and pain in the heart worsen when turning the torso. This is due to the increased load on the anterior spinal disc. There is often a syndrome in this area. Inhalation may cause pain in the intercostal space. Tension of the back muscles is possible, accompanied by unilateral spasms.
Sometimes the heart hurts with osteochondrosis, so it may seem that there are problems in the organs of the chest cavity. The disease can be disguised as pain in the intestines and stomach, and in some cases even resemble appendicitis. If measures are not taken, osteochondrosis will spread not only to the heart, but also pathology of the respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems will appear.
The nature of the pain may change. Exacerbations can be replaced by remission, this happens in waves.
Causes of heart pain in osteochondrosis
Distinguishing a heart attack from osteochondrosis is not always easy. In the human body there is a complex complex of transmission of impulses from various systems and organs to the brain and vice versa. This allows him to collect information about all systems and manage their operation. As a result, a connection is formed between the nerve endings and the spinal cord, which are located in the spine. When they are disturbed, the transmission of impulses occurs with a disturbance, the brain reacts incorrectly, there is pain that radiates to the chest area and the heart.
Pain in the heart with osteochondrosis occurs in the following sequence:
- Changes occur in the spine due to injuries.
- The intervertebral disc bulges, this does not affect the annulus fibrosus, which tends to bulge.
- In case of rupture of the annulus fibrosus, the center of the cartilaginous disc enters the brain canal, resulting in herniation.
- osteophytes are formed.
- The vessels and nerves that surround the disc begin to flatten.
- The appearance of a pain syndrome.
In osteochondrosis, the heart rate may increase and tachycardia may occur. Spinal injuries in different areas can give different pain symptoms. Neuralgia is affected by the degree of damage:
- vertebral body only;
- intervertebral discs;
- ligament apparatus;
- paravertebral muscles.
How does osteochondrosis affect the work of the heart? After deformation, the discs press on the nerves of the spine. This leads to pain. Osteochondrosis can cause not only heart, but also cause pathologies of the entire spine. The disease can spread to neighboring departments, leading to the appearance of new symptoms.
Symptoms of heart pain in osteochondrosis
Signs and symptoms of osteochondrosis with pain in the heart often appear against the background of a completely healthy heart system. Often they are stable, but they can appear and increase paroxysmally. In problems with the spine, the pains are dull, deep and pressing, their characteristic is uneven severity. For chest pain with osteochondrosis, glycerol trinitrate does not help, since the cause is not in the heart.
To distinguish pain in the heart from thoracic osteochondrosis, it is important to know that sensations of a different nature may occur. For example, they can spread from the affected area to the muscles of the front of the chest, to which the fifth to seventh cervical roots are connected. In this case, the pain can be felt in the upper left part of the body, sometimes even affecting part of the face. At the same time, vascular disorders are not diagnosed, the ECG does not detect abnormalities. This happens even at the peak of pain.
How does thoracic osteochondrosis affect the heart and the human body?
One of the manifestations of osteochondrosis is squeezing or pinching of blood vessels. This leads to a narrowing of the "channels" through which the blood passes. In order for the organs to continue to receive it in the required amount, the heart must work more actively. This means that the number of contractions increases per minute. As a result, blood pressure rises. This is the effect of osteochondrosis on the heart.
Violations in the work of the circulatory system lead to the appearance of pain in the heart with thoracic osteochondrosis and oxygen starvation of the brain. As a result, the above symptoms appear. The reaction, speed of thinking, emotional state, orientation in space and memory depend on the work of the heart, as well as problems with vision or hearing.
Due to all these consequences, it becomes difficult to determine whether the heart hurts or it is thoracic osteochondrosis.
Diagnosis
How to determine that the heart hurts from osteochondrosis? There are special procedures that will help determine the form and extent of the disease. When the disease worsens, it is better to consult a doctor. Doctors can advise you to undergo a differential diagnosis, which allows you to determine what is the cause of the disease - the heart or the spine. It may include the following procedures:
- Electrocardiogram. When recording an ECG, it will be possible to immediately identify cardiac pathology. If the results are normal, then it will become obvious that the cause of the pain is neuralgia or osteochondrosis.
An ECG is a mandatory diagnostic procedure for the formation of chest pain.
- ultrasound. It is carried out in patients with suspected infectious lesions of the heart. It is used as an additional method.
- Radiography. X-ray examination is prescribed for patients suspected of osteochondrosis. Photographs will allow to determine the destructive destruction of the joints. In heart problems they will not suffer.
- CT and MRI. They can help if X-rays are inconclusive. These methods will more accurately determine the lesion. Magnetic resonance will help to diagnose osteochondrosis and heart pathology.
Treatment
Rest and bed rest will help relieve the pain of osteochondrosis. The surface should not be too soft or hard. The pillow is chosen in such a way that the neck does not bend. You can ease the pain if you place a non-hot heating pad under it.
Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis is carried out in the following ways:
- Medicines:
- vasodilators;
- neurotropic drugs;
- diuretic drugs;
- analgesics;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- chondroprotectors;
- sedatives.
- Physiotherapy. The patient undergoes procedures in which the affected area is affected with an electric field and currents of different frequencies. This will help start the mechanism of natural tissue regeneration.
- The use of turpentine, ointments containing snake or bee venom, as well as pain relievers. They activate the release of heat in the muscles, improve the condition of the nerve roots, expand the blood vessels.
- Acupuncture. With the help of needles, energy meridians and active points are affected.
- Manual therapy. Thanks to them, degenerative processes in the spine are corrected and the intervertebral joints are affected.
- Back massage will not allow you to get the desired effect. The muscles are located around the spinal discs, it is almost impossible to reach them. The effect gives an extremely deep and acupressure massage. Before this procedure, it is recommended to take painkillers.
- At home, you can use warm pads and warm compresses to reduce muscle tone.
Manual therapy and acupressure should only be performed by a qualified orthopedist, neuropathologist or traumatologist who has undergone special training and received the relevant certificate.
Taking heart medication is usually the first and most effective treatment for a given condition. When used with other methods, the results can be greatly improved. Armed with knowledge, it's time to start the treatment!
self-medication errors
Often, patients with complaints of chest disease make a serious mistake in self-medication - they take drugs if there are contraindications for them. For example, the older generation likes to use NSAIDs from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives. However, it cannot be used for problems with the stomach lining. They are characteristic of people over 50 years old.
So, we looked at the difference and what are the differences between the symptoms of angina pectoris and osteochondrosis, and also got acquainted with the methods of diagnosis and treatment. Cooperate with qualified doctors and follow their instructions. Be persistent and consistent and you will be able to fight this painful and dangerous disease! Remember that it can be very dangerous. So much so that the patient is released from military service.