It happens that a person goes to the doctor with a heart complaint. The specialist sends him for an examination, but does not reveal any pathology. It is good when the cardiologist recommends a consultation with a neurologist. In that case, he can report that the culprit is not heart disease, 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 thoracic region and a rhythm disturbance. Over time, the pain can get worse and worse. In this case, heart medications do not help.
Characteristics of heart pain in osteochondrosis
Many people have a question: can the heart hurt with osteochondrosis? Yes. Patients often complain of the following:
- Prolonged persistence of heart and chest pain.
- 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 move their upper limbs less, because of which pain sensations intensify.
Sometimes cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis appear at the same time, in this case there is additional pain in the neck. The patient may complain of the following:
- Pain in the shoulder girdle, face and neck.
- The discomfort extends to almost the entire upper part of the chest, affecting the muscle tissue of the spine.
- An attack can last several hours or even days.
Sometimes the cause of reflected pain lies in compression of the vertebral artery. In this case, the following symptoms appear:
- dizziness;
- deterioration of hearing and vision;
- pressing pain in nape of neck;
- antihypertensive drugs do not give the desired effect;
- feeling weak;
- dyspnea;
- loss of consciousness;
- a 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 impact 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 emit painful and intense 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: they last for weeks and months.
- Attacks occur with sudden lifting of arms and head, leaning and turning, as well as with coughing.
- The pain can wax and wane and disappear when the body is in a comfortable position.
- No abnormalities were detected in multiple ECGs.
- When the chin is tilted towards the chest, the pain intensifies, this is a sign of an intervertebral hernia.
- With pain, there are no attacks 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 that you have to use only analgesics.
- Heart pain in osteochondrosis with a sharp change in body position instantly intensifies, occurs when sneezing, coughing, deep breathing and sudden head movements.
- When the spinal column is exposed, the intensity of the pain increases.
- Heart pain in the thoracic region with osteochondrosis is not life-threatening.
Now let's see how to determine what hurts the heart with angina. In this case, such pains will appear:
- short duration;
- not related to physical activity;
- heart medications help stop or reduce pain;
- the feeling of pain does not change if the load on the spine is constant;
- pains have the same intensity;
- the pain spreads 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;
- can cause the death of 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 part of the abdomen, in the ribs and near the spine. Movements are limited by 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 (decrease) and atmospheric pressure changes.
Osteochondrosis and heart pain are aggravated by turning the torso. This is due to the increased load on the anterior spinal disc. There is often a syndrome in this area. During inhalation, pain may occur in the intercostal space. Back muscle tension is possible, accompanied by unilateral spasms.
Sometimes the heart hurts in osteochondrosis, so it may seem that there are problems in the organs of the chest. The disease can be disguised as pain in the intestines and stomach, and in some cases it can even resemble appendicitis. If nothing is done, osteochondrosis will not only radiate to the heart, but pathology of the respiratory, cardiovascular and digestive systems will also appear.
The nature of the pain may change. Exacerbations can be replaced by remission, this happens in waves.
Causes of pain in the heart with osteochondrosis
It is not always easy to distinguish a heart attack from osteochondrosis. In the human body there is a complex complex of impulse transmission 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 violated, the transmission of impulses occurs with a violation, the brain reacts incorrectly, pain appears that radiates to the chest and heart.
Heart pain with osteochondrosis occurs in the following sequence:
- As a result of injuries, changes occur in the spinal column.
- The intervertebral disc protrudes, this does not affect the fibrous ring, which is prone to protrusion.
- In the case of rupture of the fibrous ring, the center of the cartilaginous disc enters the cerebral canal, resulting in a herniation.
- osteophytes are formed.
- The vessels and nerves surrounding the disc begin to flatten.
- Occurrence of pain syndrome.
In osteochondrosis, the heartbeat may become more frequent and tachycardia may occur. Spinal injuries in different areas can produce different pain symptoms. Neuralgia is affected by the degree of damage:
- vertebral body itself;
- intervertebral discs;
- ligament apparatus;
- paravertebral muscles.
How does osteochondrosis affect the heart? After deformation, the discs compress the spinal nerves. This leads to pain. Osteochondrosis can cause not only the heart, but also pathologies of the entire spinal column. The disease can spread to neighboring departments, which leads to the appearance of new symptoms.
Symptoms of pain in the heart with osteochondrosis
Signs and symptoms of osteochondrosis with heart pain often occur against the background of a completely healthy heart system. They are often stable, but can appear and increase paroxysmally. In the case of problems with the spine, the pains are dull, deep and pressing, their characteristic is a dull intensity. For chest pain with osteochondrosis, glycerol trinitrate does not help, because the cause is not in the heart.
To distinguish heart pain from thoracic osteochondrosis, it is important to know that sensations of a different nature may appear. For example, they can spread from the affected area to the muscles of the front of the chest, to which cervical roots from the fifth to the seventh 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 reveal abnormalities. This happens even at the height 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 right 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.
Disturbances in the work of the circulatory system lead to pain in the heart with osteochondrosis of the chest and starvation of the brain with oxygen. As a result, the above symptoms appear. Reaction, speed of thinking, emotional state, orientation in space and memory depend on the work of the heart, as well as vision or hearing problems.
Because of all these consequences, it becomes difficult to determine if the heart hurts or if it is thoracic osteochondrosis.
Diagnostics
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 EKG, 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 chest pain.
- ultrasound. It is performed in patients with suspected infectious lesions of the heart. It is used as an additional method.
- Radiography. X-rays are prescribed to patients with suspected osteochondrosis. The images will make it possible to determine the destructive destruction of the joints. With 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 imaging will help diagnose osteochondrosis and heart pathology.
Treatment
Rest and bed rest will help relieve pain in osteochondrosis. The surface must be neither soft nor hard. The pillow is selected in such a way that the neck does not bend. You can ease the pain by placing 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;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- chondroprotectors;
- sedatives.
- Physiotherapy. The patient undergoes procedures in which the affected area is affected by an electric field and currents of variable frequency. This will help to trigger the mechanism of natural tissue regeneration.
- Use of turpentine, ointments containing snake or bee venom, as well as painkillers. They activate the release of heat in the muscles, improve the condition of the nerve roots, and expand blood vessels.
- Acupuncture. With the help of needles, energy meridians and active points are influenced.
- Manual therapy. Thanks to them, degenerative processes in the spinal column are corrected and they act on the intervertebral joints.
- A back massage will not allow you to achieve the desired effect. The muscles are located around the spinal discs, they are almost impossible to reach. The effect gives an extremely deep and acupressure massage. It is recommended to take pain medication before this procedure.
- At home, you can use warm heating 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 obtained the appropriate certificate.
Taking heart medication is usually the first and most powerful treatment for the disease. When used with other methods, the results can be greatly improved. Armed with knowledge, it's time to start treatment!
errors in self-medication
Often, patients with complaints of thoracic spine disease make a serious mistake during 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 typical for 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 got acquainted with the methods of diagnosis and treatment. Cooperate with qualified doctors and follow their instructions. Be persistent and consistent and you will succeed in defeating this painful and dangerous disease! Remember, it can be very dangerous. So much so that the patient can be exempted from military service.