Treatment of intercostal neuralgia - from bed rest to acupuncture

Intercostal neuralgia - is pain spreading along the trunk and branches of the intercostal nerve (intercostal nerves located between the ribs) as a result of compression or irritation. The cause of intercostal neuralgia may be injury, poisoning, infection (influenza, herpes zoster) and allergic diseases, diseases of the nervous system (multiple sclerosis, polyradiculoneuritis) and spine (low back pain, herniated discs), hypothermia with a decrease in the body's defenses (immune system), excessive tone back muscles.

Contributing factors for the development of this disease are heart disease and diabetes Diabetes - threatening and incurable disease Which lead to insufficient supply of oxygen nerves, alcohol (a toxic effect of alcohol on the nerves), the lack of B vitamins, which is common in chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and several other reasons.

Signs

When intercostal neuralgia attacks appear burning pain along the intercostal spaces. Pain may increase with a deep breath or any other movement of the trunk, including when coughing or sneezing. The patient himself can probe the direction of pain along the nerve. Along with the pain may come numb the skin over the affected nerve. Intercostal nerves are branches directed to the various organs and tissues, so the pain can give the heart and under the shoulder blade, simulating cardiac pain, and in the lower back (sometimes can be confused with kidney pains).

Although extensive myocardial infarction accompanied by severe pain, which are enhanced by the respiratory movements and not removed nitroglycerin, so if there was such a pain the first time and you can not determine its origin, an urgent need to call an ambulance.

How to diagnose

To understand why there was pain, seek medical attention. In addition to the examination the doctor will appoint an additional examination in order to identify the causes of intercostal neuralgia. It can be various X-ray examinations (radiography, imaging - X-ray examination of tissue layer by layer, myelography - X-ray examination of soft tissue of the spinal cord, CT), magnetic resonance imaging (research with the help of electromagnetic waves), and methods of functional diagnostics.

How to treat

Treatment of intercostal neuralgia - is the removal of pain and treat diseases caused by nerve injury.

In the first week of the disease better than bed rest, and lay better on a hard surface. For pain relief administered painkillers and sedatives make novocaine blockade (nerve injecting novocaine). Well help physiotherapy (solux, infrared and ultraviolet rays, UHF, electrophoresis with novocaine, and so on), acupuncture sessions Acupuncture - the ancient traditions in the service of modern science .

External used pain relievers and anti-inflammatory ointment, which relax muscles, improve metabolism, increase the elasticity of the ligaments, causing increased blood flow to the problem area. After applying the ointment chest need to wrap up.

Ointments containing bee venom, reduce pain, slow down the inflammatory processes have distracting effects. Ointments based on snake venom activate the immune system.

Distracted procedure can also use a pepper patch containing painkillers.

To restore the correct physiological position of the thoracic and cervical spinal column offers courses massage therapy Massage Therapy - when it is needed? , Manual therapy Chiropractic: the main thing - to choose the competent expert , Physical therapy.

If conservative treatment fails, then surgical treatment (such as degenerative disc disease, or herniated disc, cause seizures intercostal neuralgia).

Intercostal neuralgia - an unpleasant disease, but the most important thing - is to find and eliminate the cause, caused it, so you should always consult a doctor and undergo a comprehensive examination.

Treatment of vascular headache

Vascular headache may have different origins. Thus, an increase in blood pressure prescriber reducing mental stress (e.g., tranquilizers) and drugs that lower blood pressure.

If low blood pressure Blood pressure - dangerous if his swing?   - Means of raising blood pressure. You can take medications that have caffeine in their composition (eg tsitramon or pentalgin).

And elevated, and low blood pressure shows the drugs that improve the supply of oxygen to the brain. It nootropics such as piracetam. This drug is taken for a long time, rates for one-two months.

Treatment of muscular headaches

Muscular headache may occur in the neuroses - disorders of the central nervous system of a chronic nature. In the treatment of such patients are important non-drug methods: psychotherapy, reflexology (Chinese method of treatment effects on specific points on the body), physiotherapy and spa treatment methods. For the normalization of the mental state and stress relieving such patients sedatives are assigned to the various components of action: the temper and irritability Irritability - you try to control my temper   - Causing inhibition of the nervous system, lethargy - stimulates the nervous system and so on. Correct prescribing this type of muscle spasms of the head and, accordingly, a headache.

Treatment liquorodynamic headache

Liquorodynamic headache occurs when such serious diseases such as tumors, abscesses (abscesses, limited capsule), brain injury, meningitis and others. Such diseases are treated only in hospital where the patient is chosen individual treatment.

Neurological Headache

Headaches neuralgic character can be caused by many different disease processes that lead to chronic irritation of the nerve or ganglion. The appearance of pain contribute to local changes in blood circulation, hypothermia, infectious and allergic diseases, and others.

Treatment of neuralgia must be complex. Used primarily drugs that inhibit the spread of nerve impulses from the centers of pain (antiepileptics), they can be used only on prescription and is very long - at least six months.

To remove the headache is also used pain relievers: aspirin, analgin, Voltaren Voltaren - relieve inflammation and pain   and others. The analgesic effect is enhanced by the combination of several drugs or a combination of them with sedatives.

Reflex therapy headache

Reflexology - Chinese method of treatment, in which the impact on the various points on the surface of the body to normal state of internal organs and systems. On point can be influenced by special needles, balls, massage, burn them with wormwood, cigarettes and so on.

Methods reflexology Reflexology - a policy of non-drug therapies   contribute to reducing the rate of pain impulses and increases the activity of the central antipain system.

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation

To remove the headaches mainly vascular and muscular type physical therapy method applied transcutaneous electrical stimulation, which restricts the passage of pain signals and activates the central antipain system.

Psychotherapeutic treatments for headaches

With the help of psychotherapeutic techniques can learn to regulate any function of the body. So, there is a method of biofeedback (BFB) in which the person is taught to adjust the tension of skeletal muscle tone and blood circulation in blood vessels and so on.

To do this, the patient first talk about the role of the individual stages of treatment and works to ensure that he was actively involved in the treatment. The first stage of treatment - autogenous training (four weeks). After that start directly to the method of biofeedback sessions. During the training a person learns to arbitrarily reduce the pulsation of the temporal artery vascular headaches and relax the muscles of the head with muscle pains. The full course lasts two weeks BOS (two to three sessions per day).

Headache is diverse, it can cause a person endless suffering. To save yourself a headache, it is necessary not just to see a doctor for treatment, but also to take an active role in treatment. The man laid a lot of self-regulation mechanisms, using them in conjunction with the treatment prescribed by your doctor, you can achieve very good results.

Galina Romanenko