Painful sensations in the heart area force patients to visit a cardiologist. Anxiety, irritability and fear for one's own life arise. But not all unpleasant signs are directly related to heart problems. Thoracic osteochondrosis - symptoms, sensation - pain in the heart also causes pain in the heart just as often as diseases of this organ.
When the vertebrae are affected, regardless of the stage of pathology, pain can often occur behind the sternum, closer to the back or even to the diaphragm. And the mechanism of the unpleasant symptom has several features.
Mechanism of symptom development
Cardiac interruptions in osteochondrosis cannot occur on their own, they arise only as an echo of the underlying disease:
- Thinning of the intervertebral structures. The distance between bone elements and cartilage decreases, which leads to restriction of the nerve roots. This creates painful sensations that often radiate to the heart during destructive processes in the thoracic or cervical spine.
- Changes in the heart muscle. Due to the disease, sensations spread throughout the heart muscle, the so-called "echoes" of pain.
- Involvement of the upper limbs in the process. The effects of osteochondrosis on the heart may be due to excessive muscle tension in the arms. This causes pain to be transmitted to the heart muscle, but the ECG shows no abnormalities.
- Changes in the structure of the lumbar spine. The position of the abdominal organs shifts, leading to increased stress and changes in heart rate.
- Muscle cramps and changes in blood circulation. Heart pain in osteochondrosis occurs in response to changes in blood flow in the large arteries of the back. The heart rate increases because blood has to be pumped through a narrower passage.
- Severe destruction of the intervertebral discs. Nerves become pinched, causing pain in the heart area. Hypoxia gradually develops. It also involves the functioning of the brain, changing the normal functioning of internal organs.
- Due to compression of the arteriesand nerve fibers, high pressure can occur. Because of this, painful sensations appear in the heart.
Based on certain symptoms, you can distinguish pain in the heart from manifestations of osteochondrosis.
Signs of osteochondrosis with painful sensations
Many patients develop cardiac syndrome - pain in the heart due to osteochondrosis of the thoracic region.The symptoms have the following characteristics:
- pressing, boring pain in the heart;
- gradually increasing discomfort, muted, not too pronounced;
- The pain lasts a long time, covers the chest and causes palpitations.
- there is no strong intensity of pain due to the destruction of the cartilage between the vertebrae;
- Almost always, a symptom such as a feeling of warmth behind the sternum helps to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis;
- Heart medications (nitrates) do not help relieve pain;
- When a person begins to move their upper limbs, the pain increases.
If the cervical spine is involved in the process, pain occurs in the vertebral area.
Some patients note that the pain is of a different nature: the discomfort extends along the left side of the sternum, affects the muscles, sometimes it spreads to the shoulder, neck and face, and the attack can last for several days.
If compression of the vertebral artery occurs, additional symptoms appear: weakness, dizziness, pimples, and in severe cases the patient loses consciousness. With heart pain, hearing and vision are also impaired and blood rushes to the face. If someone takes medication for high blood pressure, it will not help them.
Differences in pain
There are several ways to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis; the most important method is to conduct an MRI and ECG examination.In addition, you should know what happens between the vertebrae when there is damage to the thoracic cartilage and what does not happen when there is heart disease:
- The pain is moderate, increasing and lasting for a long time. In heart attacks, the symptoms are more severe;
- if you press your chin to your chest, the pain of osteochondrosis increases;
- If the pain increases with movement and physical activity, it is osteochondrosis.
- Heart pain always causes panic, fear and anxiety.
Neuralgia in itself is harmless, but it can worsen when the body is tilted in different directions or when making sharp turns. You can relieve pain with painkillers.
Severe heart disease and osteochondrosis
You need to know how the heart hurts with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, especially to distinguish neuralgia from life-threatening conditions. In chronic ischemic heart disease, pain occurs very acutely within 3-5 minutes. Urgent sensations prevent breathing, and after taking nitrates, the symptoms disappear immediately.
If the risk of myocardial infarction is high, you need to remember that in this condition a person may lose consciousness, experience nausea and acute chest pain. The pain of osteochondrosis never manifests itself so acutely.
However, with VSD (dystonia), the symptoms can be similar. But unlike heart pain in osteochondrosis, with this pathology a person feels tachycardia, bradycardia, a feeling of anxiety, gets tired quickly and feels constant weakness. The pain is usually aching and dull, with osteochondrosis it is compressive.
heart palpitations
With osteochondrosis, the heart can not only hurt, but also be plagued by angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmias and tachycardia. This happens due to spasm and compression of the artery.With osteochondrosis the following features occur:
- increased heart rate at rest, increased rhythm during exercise;
- gentle rhythm without interruptions;
- wave-like heat attacks;
- Tachycardia may be accompanied by presyncope.
Symptoms disappear if high-quality treatment of the disease is carried out.
Extrasystole
Extrasystole is a condition in which the feeling of a second cardiac arrest occurs. 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 "break" in the work of the heart muscle. Surprisingly, such short breaks are vital for the organ.
Such "breaks" happen to people regardless of age, weight and daily physical activity.
Pressure in osteochondrosis
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis often include high blood pressure. But this pathology may have other reasons. With osteochondrosis, arteries, veins and blood vessels are compressed and the nutrition of the brain and other organs deteriorates.
To solve this problem, patients start taking medications that stop blood flow to the brain again. There is a lack of oxygen and nutrients. A person is tormented by symptoms such as weakness, drowsiness, pain and dizziness, pale skin and nausea.
Dealing with painful sensations
Having managed to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis, the treatment of diseases should be differentiated. If all symptoms are accompanied by damage to the thoracic spine, medications to relieve heart pain cannot be taken.
Therapy is intended to eliminate or minimize the causes of osteochondrosis. It has been proven that regular, systematic treatment helps relieve tension, spasms and tension of nerve fibers.Since the heart and osteochondrosis are closely related, treatment during an exacerbation should begin with the spine:
- The person should not move much, bed rest is recommended.
- To relieve acute pain, NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids are prescribed.
- Local medications are also used, which help relieve pain in 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 for restoring the vertebrae and relieving spasms, tension and swelling of the surrounding tissues.
- In addition, exercise therapy and sports are prescribed, which are useful for osteochondrosis of the thoracic region.
- In addition, you can use folk recipes - baths and compresses - which 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 proteins are essential for repairing damaged tissue. A balanced diet also helps you lose weight.
The best way to find out whether you have osteochondrosis or heart disease is to undergo a medical examination. Using X-rays and a simple ECG, you can understand what sensations are associated with a particular disease.