How to distinguish pain in the heart from neuralgia?

How to distinguish heart pain from neuralgia is important to know in order to ensure proper therapy. Intercostal neuralgia is usually confused with heart pain, as a result of which the patient does not conduct the necessary examinations and takes inappropriate pharmaceuticals. To distinguish these pains is quite simple, it is important only once to understand their features.

Pain in the heart and intercostal neuralgia are similar symptoms that reduce the quality of life. Constant soreness in the chest requires examination and surgical treatment.

The nature of pain in neuralgia

Neuralgic pain syndrome is characterized by prolonged attacks, the pain is aching in nature and is accompanied by burning, numbness or tingling. With inflammation or pinching of the intercostal nerve, the pain radiates to the region of the heart, back, shoulder blade, arm or shoulder.

Pain of a neuralgic nature is caused by:

• diseases of the spine;
• diseases of the central nervous system;
• injuries of a different nature;
• infections localized in the body;
• reduced immunity.

The pain syndrome is prolonged and often increases with coughing, sneezing, sudden movements, walking, deep breathing.

If the pain syndrome does not go away within a few days, it is necessary to seek medical help, since it is the doctor who can accurately distinguish heart pain from neuralgic pain.

To diagnose the cause of neuralgic pain, the following are used:

• myelography;
• radiography;
• CT scan.

Thanks to this, it is possible to identify the main cause that provokes the pathology.

With severe pain, the patient is advised to stay in bed. To eliminate inflammation in the nerve branch, physiotherapy, acupuncture are used, and novocaine blockades of nerve endings are used for pain relief.

To accelerate the therapeutic effect, ointments and gels are prescribed, which:

• increase the elasticity of ligaments and muscles;
• improve mineral metabolism in tissues;
• relax tense areas of muscle tissue.

Massage, therapeutic exercises, manual therapy will help to cope with osteochondrosis. With the development of an intervertebral hernia, conservative treatment is ineffective. Then the doctor prescribes surgery, and only after that he relieves pain from intercostal neuralgia.

Characteristics of heart pain

The pain that occurs directly in the heart muscle is short-term: within a few minutes after taking Nitroglycerin or Validol, it disappears. Intensity in heart disease is not associated with movement, deep breathing.

At the same time, with pathologies of the heart, in addition to pain in the left side of the chest, changes in blood pressure appear and the rhythmic work of the heart is disturbed.

The main causes of heart pain:

• heart attack;
• angina;
• hypertonic disease;
• heart defects.

Pain syndrome is most often a consequence of malnutrition in the heart muscle.

This condition is preceded by a change in the diameter of the vessels of the heart (for example, with narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries). When diagnosing hypertension or heart disease, the pain syndrome occurs mainly during intense physical activity.

With a heart attack, in addition to pain in the chest, there is a lack of breathing, pallor and moisture of the skin. Attempts to take analgesic drugs do not give the expected result. The pain syndrome during a heart attack is easy to distinguish from others, but for this you need to be able to listen to your body.

Angina pain has a gradually increasing character, and then its intensity decreases rapidly. The duration of the attack varies within 1-5 minutes. The pain of a non-coronary nature is different: it is aching, does not depend on the movements of the body in space, physical exertion. This pain has no accompanying symptoms.

How to distinguish neuralgic pain from heart

Most people take neuralgic pain for heart pain, while with real pain in the heart they do not pay due attention to this.

To determine what exactly is the cause of the pain syndrome, you need to know how heart pain differs from neuralgic pain:

1. With heart disease, the pain is short-lived (about 5-10 minutes), and with neuralgia, the pain syndrome can disturb the patient from several hours to several days.
2. With intercostal neuralgia, the patient can point to a specific place or a small area in which the pain syndrome is localized. This is due to the fact that the intercostal nerves are found precisely in the spaces between the ribs and the pain can radiate to the shoulder blade, spine or left half of the chest.
3. Heart pain is very extensive and it will not work to point to a specific point at which the patient hurts the most. As a rule, with angina pectoris, heaviness occurs in the center of the chest (this is where the heart is located, with only a slight shift to the left), and in order to reduce pain, I want to put both palms on my chest. Heart pain may only radiate to the left arm or shoulder.
4. The nature of the pain in neuralgia is stabbing and sharp. It appears suddenly and seems to shoot through. Since the branches of the intercostal nerves lead to most of the internal organs, the pain radiates not only to the heart, but can affect the kidneys and other organs, which is why it is often confused with various diseases. Angina pectoris pain is burning (may be bursting) and has a dull character.
5. The intensity of heart pain is not affected by the movement of the body in space and the depth of breathing. Whereas with neuralgia, pain during movement and inspiration increases or decreases in certain postures.

It is urgent to call an ambulance.

To distinguish the pain syndrome of neuralgia from the heart, it is necessary not only to analyze the nature and localization of pain, but also to recall the personal history of diseases and the features of the epicrisis of the next of kin. Awareness and attention to one's health can prevent most dangerous diseases.