Painful sensations in the region of the heart force patients to consult a cardiologist. Anxiety, irritability and fear for one's life arise. But not all unpleasant signs are directly related to heart problems. Even thoracic osteochondrosis - symptoms, sensation - causes pain in the heart with the same frequency as diseases of this organ.
Pain behind the sternum, closer to the back or even the diaphragm, when the vertebrae are affected, can occur frequently, regardless of the stage of the pathology. And the mechanism of the unpleasant symptom has several features.
Symptom development mechanism
Interruptions in the heart during osteochondrosis cannot occur by themselves; they develop only as an echo of the underlying disease:
- Thinning of intervertebral structures. The distance between the bone elements and the cartilage is reduced, which leads to restriction of the 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.
- Changes in heart muscle. Due to the disease, sensations spread throughout the heart muscle, the 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 shows no abnormalities.
- Changes in the structure of the lower back. The position of the abdominal organs changes, resulting in increased stress and changes in heart rate.
- Muscle spasms and changes in blood circulation. Heart pain with osteochondrosis occurs in response to changes in blood flow in the large arteries of the back. The heart rate increases as blood has to be pumped through a narrower passage.
- Severe destruction of intervertebral discs. The nerves become compressed, which causes pain in the heart region. Hypoxia develops gradually. It also covers the functioning of the brain, as a result of which the normal functioning of internal organs changes.
- Due to compression of the arteriesand nerve fibers, high pressure may appear. Because of this, painful sensations arise in the heart.
You can distinguish pain in the heart from the manifestations of osteochondrosis by certain symptoms.
Signs of osteochondrosis with painful sensations
Cardiac syndrome - pain in the heart due to osteochondrosis of the thoracic region - develops in many patients.Symptoms will have the following characteristics:
- pressing, dull pain in the heart;
- gradually increasing discomfort, muffled, not very pronounced;
- the pain persists for a long time, covers the chest, causes palpitations;
- there is no acute intensity of 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 the upper limbs, the pain intensifies.
If the cervical spine is involved in the process, pain will be felt in the vertebral region.
Some patients note that the pain is of a different nature: discomfort covers the left side of the sternum, affects the muscles, sometimes 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, spotting, and in severe cases, the patient loses consciousness. In addition, with pain in the heart, hearing and vision decrease, and blood rushes to the face. If a person takes medications for high blood pressure, they do not help them.
Differences in pain
There are several ways to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis, the main method is to perform an MRI and ECG examination.Additionally, you should know what happens with damage to the thoracic cartilage between the vertebrae and what doesn't happen with heart disease:
- the pain is moderate, increases and persists for a long time. In heart attacks, the symptoms are more severe;
- if you press your chin to your chest, the pain from osteochondrosis will intensify;
- if the pain intensifies with movement and exercise, this is osteochondrosis;
- With heart pain, panic, fear and anxiety always arise.
Neuralgia itself is safe, but it can intensify when the body is tilted in different directions or when making sharp turns. You can ease the 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. Sensations of a pressing nature do not allow breathing, and after nitrates, the symptoms disappear immediately.
If the risk of myocardial infarction is high, it is necessary to remember that in this condition a person may lose consciousness, feel nausea and sharp pain in the chest. The pain of osteochondrosis never manifests itself so acutely.
But with VSD (dystonia), the symptoms can be similar. But, unlike pain in the heart in osteochondrosis, with this pathology a person feels tachycardia, bradycardia, a feeling of fear, gets tired quickly and feels constant weakness. The pain is usually dull and dull, and in osteochondrosis it is compressive.
Palpitations
With osteochondrosis, the heart can not only hurt, but also be bothered by angina pectoris, arrhythmia and tachycardia. This occurs due to spasms and compression of the artery.With osteochondrosis, the following features appear:
- increased heart rate at rest, increased pace during exercise;
- smooth rhythm without interruptions;
- wave-like heat attacks;
- tachycardia may be accompanied by pre-syncope.
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. In osteochondrosis, this complication causes real panic. However, this unusual condition is the norm for the human body. It is true that most people do not notice such a process.
Extrasystole is a kind of "respite" in the work of the heart muscle. Surprisingly, these short breaks are vital for the organ.
These "breaks" happen to people regardless of age, weight and daily physical activity.
Pressure in osteochondrosis
Among the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis is often hypertension. But this pathology may have other reasons. In 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, and as a result, blood stops flowing to the brain again. Oxygen starvation and lack of nutrients develop. A person is tormented by symptoms such as: weakness, drowsiness, pain and dizziness, pale skin, nausea.
Dealing with painful sensations
After it is possible to distinguish heart pain from osteochondrosis, the treatment of the diseases must be differentiated. If all symptoms are associated with damage to the thoracic spine, no medication can be taken to relieve heart pain.
Therapy should remove the causes of osteochondrosis or minimize them. It has been proven that regular and systematic treatment helps to relieve tension, spasms and tension in nerve fibers.Since the heart and osteochondrosis are closely linked, treatment should begin with the spine during an exacerbation:
- The person should not move too much; bed rest is recommended.
- To relieve acute pain, NSAIDs or glucocorticosteroids are prescribed.
- Local medicines are also used, which are good for relieving pain caused by 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, relieving spasms, tension and swelling of the surrounding tissues.
- Therapeutic exercises and sports useful 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 proteins are essential for repairing damaged tissue. A balanced diet also helps you lose excess weight.
The best way to determine whether osteochondrosis or your heart is bothering you is to have a medical examination. With the help of X-rays and a simple ECG, you can understand what sensations are related to a particular disease.