Painful sensations in the heart force patients to consult a cardiologist. Anxiety, irritability and fear for one's life arise. But not all unpleasant signs are directly linked to heart problems. Even thoracic osteochondrosis - symptoms, sensations - causes pain in the heart as often as diseases of this organ.
Pain behind the sternum, closer to the back or even the diaphragm, when the vertebrae are affected, can often occur, whatever the stage of the pathology. And the mechanism of the unpleasant symptom has several features.
Mechanism of symptom development
Cardiac interruptions during osteochondrosis cannot occur on their own, they develop only as an echo of the underlying disease:
- Thinning of intervertebral structures. The distance between bone elements and cartilage is reduced, resulting in restriction of nerve roots. As a result, painful sensations are formed, which, in the presence of destructive processes in the thoracic or cervical spine, often radiate to the heart.
- Heart muscle changes. As a result of the disease, sensations travel throughout the heart muscle, so-called "echoes" of pain.
- Involvement of senior members in the process. The effect of osteochondrosis on the heart may be due to excessive muscle tension in the arms. As a result, pain is transmitted to the heart muscle, but the ECG does not show any abnormalities.
- Changes in the structure of the lumbar region. The position of the abdominal organs changes, leading to increased stress and changes in heart rate.
- Muscle spasms and changes in blood circulation. Heart pain associated with osteochondrosis occurs in response to changes in blood flow in the large arteries of the back. The heart rate increases because blood must be pumped through a narrower passageway.
- Severe destruction of intervertebral discs. The nerves are pinched, leading to pain in the heart region. Hypoxia develops gradually. It also covers the functioning of the brain, which changes the usual functioning of internal organs.
- Due to compression of the arteriesand nerve fibers, high pressure may appear. As a result, painful sensations appear in the heart.
You can distinguish heart pain from the manifestations of osteochondrosis by certain symptoms.
Signs of osteochondrosis with painful sensations
Cardiac syndrome - heart pain due to osteochondrosis of the thoracic region - develops in many patients.The symptoms will have the following characteristics:
- pressing and annoying pain in the heart;
- Discomfort gradually increasing, dull, not too pronounced;
- the pain persists for a long time, covers the chest, causes palpitations;
- there is no severe pain due to the destruction of the cartilage between the vertebrae;
- Almost always, a symptom such as a feeling of heat behind the sternum helps to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis;
- heart medications (nitrates) do not help relieve pain;
- if a person begins to move his upper limbs, the pain intensifies.
If the cervical spine is involved in the process, pain is felt in the spinal region.
Some patients note that the pain is of a different nature: the discomfort covers the left side of the sternum, affects the muscles, sometimes extends to the shoulder, neck and face, and the attack can last for several days.
In case of compression of the vertebral artery, additional symptoms appear: weakness, dizziness, spotting, and in severe cases the patient loses consciousness. In addition, with heart pain, there is a decrease in hearing and vision and blood rushes to the face. If a person takes blood pressure medications, they don't help.
Pain differences
There are several ways to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis; the main method is to undergo an MRI and ECG examination.Additionally, you need to know what happens when there is damage to the thoracic cartilage between the vertebrae and what does not happen when there is heart disease:
- the pain is moderate, increases and persists for a long time. In the event of a heart attack, the symptoms are more serious;
- if you press your chin to your chest, the pain from osteochondrosis will intensify;
- if the pain intensifies with movement and exercise, it is osteochondrosis;
- Heart pain always leads to panic, fear and anxiety.
Neuralgia itself is harmless, but can intensify when the body is tilted in different directions or during sharp turns. You can relieve pain with painkillers.
Severe heart disease and osteochondrosis
You need to know how much the heart suffers from osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, especially in order to distinguish neuralgia from life-threatening conditions. In chronic ischemic heart disease, pain occurs very acutely, within 3 to 5 minutes. Pressing sensations do not allow breathing, and after nitrates the symptoms disappear immediately.
If the risk of myocardial infarction is high, you need to remember that in this state a person may lose consciousness, experience nausea and sharp chest pain. The pain of osteochondrosis never manifests itself so intensely.
But with VSD (dystonia), the symptoms can be similar. But unlike heart pain associated with osteochondrosis, with this pathology a person suffers from tachycardia, bradycardia, a feeling of fear, quickly gets tired and feels constant weakness. The pain is usually aching and dull, and with osteochondrosis it is compressive.
Palpitations
With osteochondrosis, the heart can not only hurt, but also be bothered by angina, arrhythmia and tachycardia. This occurs due to spasm and compression of the artery.With osteochondrosis, the following features appear:
- increased resting heart rate, increased pace during exercise;
- smooth rhythm without interruptions;
- wave heat attacks;
- tachycardia may be accompanied by presyncope.
Symptoms disappear if quality treatment of the disease is carried out.
Extrasystole
Extrasystole is a condition in which there is a sensation of a second cardiac arrest. With osteochondrosis, this complication causes real panic. However, this unusual condition is the norm for the human body. True, most people do not notice such a process.
Extrasystole is a kind of "respite" in the work of the heart muscle. Surprisingly, these short pauses are vital for the organ.
Such "breaks" happen to people, regardless of their age, weight and daily physical activity.
Pressure in osteochondrosis
Among the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis is often high blood pressure. But this pathology can have other reasons. With osteochondrosis, arteries, veins and blood vessels are compressed, and the nutrition of the brain and other organs deteriorates.
Patients begin taking medications to resolve this problem, which again prevents blood from flowing to the brain. A lack of oxygen and a lack of nutrients develop. A person is tormented by symptoms such as: weakness, drowsiness, pain and dizziness, pale skin, nausea.
Managing painful sensations
After it was possible to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis, the treatment of diseases should be differentiated. If all symptoms are associated with damage to the thoracic spine, no medication can be taken to relieve heart pain.
Treatment should eliminate the causes of osteochondrosis or minimize them. Regular and systematic treatment has been proven to help relieve tension, spasms and strains of nerve fibers.Since the heart and osteochondrosis are strongly linked, treatment should begin with the spine during an exacerbation:
- The person should not move much, bed rest is recommended.
- To relieve acute pain, NSAIDs or glucocorticoids are prescribed.
- Local medications are also used, which are effective in relieving pain due to osteochondrosis.
- Physiotherapy helps in the early stages of the disease, but is rarely used to relieve pain. Only during the recovery period after an exacerbation.
- Manual therapy is a very effective method of restoring the vertebrae, relieving spasms, tension and swelling of the surrounding tissues.
- Useful exercise therapy and sports for osteochondrosis of the thoracic region are also prescribed.
- Additionally, you can use folk recipes - baths and compresses - they are very relaxing and have a positive effect on the emotional state of patients.
- An equally important diet in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Adequate amounts of plant foods, healthy fats, and protein are essential for repairing damaged tissues. A balanced diet also helps you lose weight.
The best way to determine whether osteochondrosis or heart disease is bothering you is to undergo a medical examination. With the help of x-rays and a simple ECG, you can understand what sensations are related to a particular disease.