Many people over the age of 45 begin to experience heart pain. This symptom puts a person in a state of panic, because it is not clear what exactly caused this state.
It is often believed that serious heart problems have begun and emergency help from cardiologists may be needed. Having done a cardiogram and obtaining a completely satisfactory result, a person's perplexity only increases.
What could be causing heart pain? And above all, what to do in such a situation? The answer is actually simple, although not everyone knows it. Heart pain is often caused by other illnesses. This situation occurs especially with thoracic osteochondrosis. Is it worth paying attention to pain of this nature?
How does osteochondrosis appear?
The mechanism is quite simple. Throughout their life, a person engages in a certain amount of physical activity. Most of it "rests" on the spine. To make it easier for the vertebrae to cope with the tasks assigned to them, intervertebral discs are placed between them. These, in turn, act as shock absorbers, preventing the vertebrae from rubbing against each other.
Intervertebral discs tend to wear out. The main reason is too much stress on the spine. Poor nutrition of cartilaginous tissues can also lead to their gradual destruction.
Microcracks appear on the surface of the cartilage, the tissues are destroyed, and as a result of this process, the vertebrae begin to touch each other. As a result of friction, an inflammatory process occurs, which is quite painful.
With thoracic osteochondrosis, active abrasion of the intervertebral discs of the thoracic spine occurs. Due to the pathology, the patient not only loses endurance, but is no longer able to perform physical activity in the same volumes. He begins to suffer from pain, which becomes more intense each time.
To alleviate the patient's condition, specialized treatment is necessary. If the therapeutic course was not carried out on time, the patient may experience a number of health problems. In particular, various pathologies of the cardiac system can occur.
Main symptoms of osteochondrosis
Certain signs will help identify thoracic osteochondrosis against the background of other diseases.
- First of all, it is worth understanding where exactly the source of the pain is. In thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain mainly comes from the chest. It can be sharp, as if pressed from all sides. We often feel a feeling of difficulty breathing and even shortness of breath accompanied by coughing. Sometimes the pain radiates to the shoulder blade area, where there is a dull aching sensation. Unpleasant pains can "come up" after physical exercise, they are also felt after an uncomfortable sitting position;
- Sometimes thoracic osteochondrosis can appear in the form of numbness in the arms, legs, shoulders and neck. Limbs often freeze even in summer, when there is no reason for this;
- Headaches and dizziness occur periodically.
These are the main signs of thoracic osteochondrosis that you should pay attention to. All of these painful conditions are the result of compression of the blood vessels between the affected vertebrae due to thoracic osteochondrosis. It is believed that in women all these symptoms are more pronounced.
In addition to these three symptoms, considered the main ones, it is also wise to pay attention to the back pain that appears.This is a mild pain syndrome that occurs in damaged vertebrae.
These pains are not intense, sometimes causing a feeling of muscle stiffness. In this case, there is a feeling that the source of the pain is in the stomach, liver or pancreas. In fact, it's a false feeling. Thoracic osteochondrosis has nothing to do with the digestive organs.
Sometimes thoracic osteochondrosis develops in parallel with the cervical form. It is then entirely possible to feel a lump in the throat, especially after physical activity.
What are the differences between osteochondrosis and heart pain?
How to distinguish thoracic osteochondrosis from heart disease, if in many respects the symptoms are very similar? There are a number of signs you should pay close attention to.
Nature of pain
First of all, you should try to analyze the nature of the pain. Many heart diseases also start with discomfort in the heart. With osteochondrosis, the pain is compressive.
At the same time, it either grows or retreats, but most often it does not let go for a long time and remains stable. The pulse often increases, which is even more misleading. Sometimes you feel a feeling of heat inside the sternum.
With cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, the patient often complains of pain in the lower cervical vertebrae. Sometimes weakness in the muscles of the left hand is noted, the use of the little finger is particularly problematic. Moving the arms does not bring relief, but only makes the pain worse.
Sometimes the painful sensation spreads throughout the left quadrant of the body, affecting not only the chest, but also the neck, left arm, and sometimes the face. This condition can last for quite a long time, from a few hours to several days.
In cases of incipient angina and heart attacks, some painful sensations may be of a similar nature. The main difference is that with osteochondrosis, the pain intensifies when you inhale. A tablet of a nitrate group dilator or vasodilator will relieve pain caused by heart problems. This method will not help with osteochondrosis in any way.
But when the anesthetic solution is injected into the area of the VI, VII vertebrae of the neck and the I thoracic vertebra, the pain disappears. If distilled water is given instead of an anesthetic, a slight tingling sensation appears in the chest. This is a clear sign that the cause of the pain was thoracic osteochondrosis.
Duration of pain
This sign also deserves special attention. If you have heart problems, pain in this area does not last long, usually a few minutes. While the painful sensation caused by thoracic osteochondrosis can last for several days.
But there is also a catch here: if the pain does not disappear for several days and there is obvious weakness throughout the body, immediately consult a doctor.
It is quite possible that the cause of the malaise is an acute myocardial infarction.
Location of pain
The location of the pain is equally important. In the case of heart disease, the source of pain is concentrated in the left side of the chest, sometimes the pain radiates to the neck, back of the head and shoulder. In the case of osteochondrosis, the pain syndrome affects the thoracic, lumbar and cervical spine.
Associated symptoms
Pay attention to the accompanying symptoms. In most cases, heart pain does not go away without an increase in heart rate and breathing. Sometimes the veins in the neck can swell, for example in cases of pericarditis.
With osteochondrosis, such a symptom is not observed, but general stiffness of movements may well appear.
Why do tachycardia and arrhythmia occur in osteochondrosis?
Arrhythmia is perhaps the most common consequence of untreated thoracic osteochondrosis. With this disease, compression of the artery that runs along the entire spine often occurs.
Compression can come from both bony growths and hypertonic muscles. As a result, the pressure inside the vessels increases. The body needs more effort to "push" blood through the elbow. Against the background of this phenomenon, the heart rate increases.
Arrhythmia can manifest itself in different ways. Alternatively, it can lead to sinus tachycardia. But how to find out exactly the cause of tachycardia - heart disease or thoracic osteochondrosis?
- Tachycardia with spinal problems is a constant phenomenon. The number of beats is approximately 90 per minute. It is observed even in a state of complete rest, while in diseases of the cardiac system, rapid heartbeat occurs with increased physical activity;
- The heart rate can increase when a person takes an uncomfortable position, especially if the spine is experiencing increased stress at this time;
- With osteochondrosis, the tachycardia maintains a certain rhythm, the interval between contractions does not change, it is the same all the time;
- As soon as targeted treatment of osteochondrosis begins, tachycardia begins to disappear, the problem eliminates itself.
If a symptom such as tachycardia is left unattended and treatment is not started in a timely manner, the heart muscle may not be able to cope with the increased load.
As a result of such negligence, extrasystole may develop.
Extrasystole due to thoracic osteochondrosis?
This disease can occur by bypassing tachycardia. It occurs much less frequently than tachycardia and occurs in advanced forms of osteochondrosis. The disease is also a consequence of an abnormal heart rhythm. It is caused by premature and accelerated contraction of the heart muscle, which immediately follows normal contraction.
A person may not feel bad at all. Sometimes you may feel like your heart has stopped for a moment or, on the contrary, speeded up. In this case, a very weak pulse is noted. It may not be traceable at all.
If you do not pay attention to these symptoms in a timely manner, it is likely that chronic myocardial hypoxia will develop - this is one of the most serious diseases characterized by insufficient oxygen saturation of the heart muscle. And this already poses more serious problems.
For example, insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain, which will also lead to a number of serious disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system.
The first signs of extrasystole are only observed during physical activity. At rest, the heart rate returns to normal on its own. What signs can be used to determine the presence of extrasystole in osteochondrosis?
- Rapid heartbeat with barely legible pulse;
- The muscles between the shoulder blades are constantly tense;
- A person often feels dizzy, weak and dizzy;
- There is often a feeling of increased heat, sweating increases;
- Don’t let go of the feeling of internal discomfort;
- The increase in heart rate occurs periodically, it is unstable and works on the principle of a wave - sometimes intensifying, sometimes almost extinguishing;
- The extrasystolic ejection volume exceeds the norm - this indicator can be determined using a tonometer.
These symptoms can be felt all the time, but they most often intensify at night or when the patient is in a horizontal position. Basic movements of the limbs intensify the symptoms.
This feeling can last for several hours. Not all attempts to stabilize the heart by taking heart medications give a positive result. Trying to identify the causes of heart disease with an ECG also doesn't answer the question.
Whether attempts at anesthesia between the VI and VII vertebrae of the cervical spine and the I vertebra of the thoracic spine gave a positive result, there is no doubt about it. The cause of heart disease in this case was precisely thoracic osteochondrosis.
When trying to palpate the thoracic vertebrae, heart pain also increases.
Hypertension as a result
Very often, thoracic osteochondrosis goes hand in hand with high blood pressure. The reason for this duo is compression of the vertebral artery. This can occur due to muscle spasms, leading to significant swelling of the muscle tissue. The reason for compression of the artery can also be the displacement of the vertebrae - such a violation also occurs with thoracic osteochondrosis.
For the simple reason that it is the vertebral artery that is responsible for supplying the brain with oxygen and other useful components, there is a lack of substances necessary for normal functioning. Brain cells are in a state of starvation.
In order to provide the brain with the appropriate amount of nutrition and "push" blood flow through the elbow, the body is forced to increase the speed of blood flow. With this mode of operation, the body begins to automatically release substances that contribute to increasing blood pressure.
This allows good nutrition to the brain, but leads to hypertension.
If you do not draw a parallel between osteochondrosis and high blood pressure and start treating hypertension as an independent phenomenon, such treatment is unlikely to give a lasting long-term result. Such experiences can only aggravate the situation, adding other problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
How to determine hypertension caused by osteochondrosis?
- Periodically, the patient experiences dizziness, most often during moments of overwork;
- Frequent drowsiness, due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, the body tries to "conserve" nutrients to keep vital organs functioning. Sleep state saves energy;
- Constant weakness is also a consequence of the brain not receiving enough oxygen;
- Disruption, confusion;
- The appearance of "floaters" before the eyes - this symptom is often noted by people suffering from high blood pressure, not knowing that the cause of this pressure most likely lies not in the poor condition of the blood vessels, but in theosteochondrosis;
- Periodically, all objects begin to see double;
- Deterioration of vision often occurs, the reasons are the same: little oxygen;
- Hearing impairment;
- With a significant lack of oxygen, fainting may occur - this is the body's protective reaction.
Diagnostic
Knowing the signs of diseases is good, but the most accurate diagnosis can only be made by a doctor using modern diagnostic tools. The simplest and most affordable way is to take an ECG. This study will allow us to quickly determine whether the cause of pain in the heart region is a malfunction of the cardiovascular system or whether this disease has another pathology.
If the ECG confirms that the heart is working properly, it makes sense to prescribe an MRI. This method allows you to obtain a layer-by-layer image of the entire spine or its parts. These images will allow you to quickly and accurately determine whether a person has spinal problems.
If suspicions of osteochondrosis are confirmed, treatment should be started immediately.