Is heartache a symptom of thoracic osteochondrosis?

Many people over the age of 45 begin to experience pain in the heart area. This symptom puts people in a state of panic because it is not clear what exactly is causing the condition.People often think that serious heart problems have begun and emergency help from a cardiologist may be needed. After having an EKG done and getting completely satisfactory results, one's confusion only increases.What may cause heart pain? And, most importantly, what to do in this situation? The answer is actually quite simple, although not everyone knows the answer. Heart pain is often caused by other medical conditions. This occurs especially in osteochondrosis of the chest. Is suffering of this nature worthy of concern?

How does osteochondrosis appear?

The mechanism is very simple. Throughout life, a person will engage in some kind of physical activity. Most of it "lies" on the spine. To make it easier for the vertebrae to handle the tasks assigned to it, there are intervertebral discs between them. The latter in turn acts as a shock absorber, preventing the vertebrae from rubbing against each other.Intervertebral discs are prone to wear and tear. The main reason is excessive pressure on the spine. Dystrophy of cartilage tissue also leads to its progressive destruction.Microcracks appear on the surface of the cartilage, the tissue is destroyed, and as a result of this process, the vertebrae begin to come into contact. Due to friction, an inflammatory process occurs, which is very painful.Thoracic osteochondrosis causes active wear and tear of the thoracic discs. Due to pathological causes, the patient not only loses endurance, but is no longer able to perform the same amount of physical activity. He started to feel pain, getting more intense each time.To alleviate the patient's condition, specialized treatment is required. If the treatment process is not carried out on time, the patient may experience many health problems. In particular, various pathologies of the cardiac system may occur.

Main symptoms of osteochondrosis

There are some signs that help identify thoracic osteochondrosis in the context of other diseases.

1. First, it’s worth knowing where exactly the source of the pain is. With thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain originates primarily in the chest. It can be sharp, as if squeezing from all sides. It is common to feel difficulty breathing, or even shortness of breath and coughing. Sometimes the pain radiates to the shoulder blade, where there is a dull ache. Unpleasant soreness that "rolls up" after physical exercise; this can also be felt when sitting in an uncomfortable position;
2. Occasionally, osteochondrosis of the chest occurs in the form of numbness in the arms, legs, shoulders, and neck. Even in summer, limbs often freeze for no apparent reason;
3. Headaches and dizziness occur periodically.

These are the main symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis and require attention. All of this pain is caused by thoracic osteochondrosis compressing the blood vessels between the affected vertebrae. It is believed that all these symptoms are more pronounced in women.In addition to these three symptoms, which are considered the main symptoms, it also makes sense to pay attention to the back pain that occurs.This is a mild pain syndrome that occurs in the area of damaged vertebrae.These pains are not severe and sometimes result in 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, this is a wrong feeling. Osteochondrosis of the chest is not related to the digestive organs.Sometimes osteochondrosis of the chest and osteochondrosis of the cervical spine occur simultaneously. You are then likely to feel a clogged sensation in your throat, especially after physical activity.

What is the difference between osteochondrosis and heart pain?

How can you tell the difference between thoracic osteochondrosis and heart disease if their symptoms are very similar in many ways? There are many signs that you should pay special attention to.

nature of pain

First, you need to try to analyze the nature of the pain. Many heart diseases also begin with discomfort in the heart area. In osteochondrosis, the pain is compressive.At the same time, it either grows or subsides, but most of the time it is not released for a long time and is stable. The pulse is often increased, which can be more misleading. Sometimes there is a warm feeling inside the sternum.Patients with cervicosternal osteochondrosis often complain of pain in the lower cervical spine. Muscle weakness in the left hand is sometimes noted, with use of the little finger being particularly problematic. Movement of the arm will not relieve the pain, it will only worsen it.Sometimes the pain radiates to the left side of the body, affecting not only the chest but also the neck, left arm, and sometimes the face. This condition can last for a long time, from a few hours to a few days.Some pain sensations may be similar in nature for both initial angina and a heart attack. The main difference is that patients with osteochondrosis experience increased pain when they inhale. Nitrates or vasodilator tablets, such as vasodilators, can relieve pain caused by heart problems. This approach does nothing to prevent osteochondrosis.But when the anesthetic solution was injected into the VI, VII and I thoracic vertebrae areas of the neck, the pain disappeared. If distilled water is used instead of an anesthetic, a slight stinging sensation will occur in the chest. This is a clear sign that the cause of the pain is osteochondrosis of the chest.

pain duration

This logo also requires careful consideration. If you have a heart problem, the pain in the area won't last long, usually a few minutes. The pain caused by chest osteochondrosis can last for several days.But there's a catch: If the pain doesn't go away for several days and there's obvious general weakness, seek medical attention immediately.The cause of the discomfort is most likely acute myocardial infarction.

Pain area

Equally important is the location of the pain. When suffering from heart disease, the source of pain is concentrated on the left side of the chest, and sometimes the pain radiates to the neck, back of the head, and shoulders. In osteochondrosis, the pain syndrome affects the thoracic, lumbar, and cervical spine.

Related symptoms

Be aware of accompanying symptoms. In most cases, heartache won't go away if your heart rate and breathing don't increase. Occasionally, the veins in the neck may become swollen, as in pericarditis.In osteochondrosis, this symptom will not be observed, but generalized stiffness of movement is likely to be present.

Why does osteochondrosis cause tachycardia and arrhythmia?

Arrhythmias are probably the most common consequence of untreated thoracic osteochondrosis. With this disease, compression of the arteries along the entire spine often occurs.Both skeletal growth and hypertonic muscles produce compression. As a result, the pressure inside the container increases. The body needs more effort to "push" blood through the bend. Against the background of this phenomenon, the heart rate increases. Arrhythmias can manifest themselves in different ways. Alternatively, it may cause sinus tachycardia. But how do you find out what’s causing your tachycardia—heart disease or thoracic osteochondrosis?

• Tachycardia with spinal problems is a common phenomenon. The beat count is approximately 90 beats per minute. This can be observed even in a state of complete rest, while in diseases of the cardiac system a rapid heartbeat occurs with increased physical activity;
• When a person assumes an uncomfortable position, the heartbeat may increase, especially when there is increased pressure on the spine;
• In patients with osteochondrosis, the tachycardia maintains a certain rhythm, and the interval between contractions does not change and is always the same;
• Once targeted treatment for osteochondrosis begins, the tachycardia will begin to disappear and the problem will resolve itself.

If symptoms such as tachycardia are left untreated, the heart muscle may not be able to cope with the increased load.As a result of this neglect, out-of-period contractions may occur.

Osteochondrosis of the chest causes extrasystoles?

This disease can occur bypassing tachycardia. It occurs much less frequently than tachycardia and occurs in advanced forms of osteochondrosis. The disease is also the result of abnormal heart rhythms. It is caused by the heart muscle contracting immediately after normal contractions.A person may not feel sick at all. Sometimes you may feel that your heartbeat has temporarily stopped or, conversely, that it has accelerated. In this case, a very weak pulse will be noticed. It may not be traceable at all.If these symptoms are not paid attention to in time, chronic myocardial hypoxia is likely to develop - one of the most serious diseases characterized by insufficient myocardial oxygen saturation. This is already fraught with more serious problems.For example, insufficient oxygen supply to the brain can also lead to some serious disruptions in central nervous system function.The first signs of extraventricular contractions can be observed only during physical activity. At rest, the heart rate returns to normal on its own. What signs can be used to determine whether premature contractions are present in osteochondrosis?

• The heart beats rapidly and the pulse is almost unreadable;
• Persistent tension in the muscles between the shoulder blades;
• A person often feels dizzy, weak, and dizzy;
• Frequently experience increased fever and sweating;
• Don’t let go of your inner discomfort;
• The increase in heart rate occurs cyclically, is erratic and works on the principle of waves - sometimes intensifying, sometimes almost disappearing;
• Extraventricular ejection of blood greater than normal - This indicator can be determined using a tonometer.

These symptoms can be felt continuously but are most commonly intensified at night or when the patient is in a horizontal position. Basic movements of the limbs can exacerbate symptoms.This feeling can last for several hours. All attempts to stabilize the heart by taking heart medications do not produce positive results. Attempts to determine the cause of heart disease through an electrocardiogram also fail to answer this question. There is no doubt that attempts to anesthetize between vertebrae VI and VII of the cervical spine and vertebrae I of the thoracic spine would produce positive results. The cause of the heart disease in this case was osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine.Cardiac pain may also increase when attempts are made to palpate the thoracic spine.

Consequences of high blood pressure

Many times, thoracic osteochondrosis is closely associated with hypertension. The cause of this duo is compression of the vertebral arteries. This may be caused by muscle spasms, which cause significant swelling of the muscle tissue. Compression of the arteries may also be caused by displacement of the vertebrae - this violation also occurs in thoracic osteochondrosis.The reason is simple, the vertebral arteries are responsible for supplying oxygen and other useful components to the brain and therefore lack the substances necessary for normal function. Brain cells are in a state of starvation.In order to provide the brain with the right amount of nutrients and "push" blood flow through the bend, the body is forced to increase blood flow velocity. Through this mode of operation, the body begins to automatically release substances that help increase blood pressure.

This provides the brain with proper nutrients but can lead to high blood pressure.

If you do not equate osteochondrosis with hypertension and start treating hypertension as a separate phenomenon, then this treatment is unlikely to produce long-term sustainable results. Such experiments only aggravate the situation and further increase problems with the function of the cardiovascular system.How to determine whether hypertension is caused by osteochondrosis?

1. Patients experience dizziness periodically, most commonly when overexerting;
2. Often sleepy, due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, the body tries to "save" nutrients to maintain the normal work of important organs. The sleep state helps conserve energy;
3. Ongoing weakness is also the result of the brain not getting enough oxygen.
4. Disturbance, confusion;
5. "Floaters" appear before the eyes - this symptom is often noticed by patients with hypertension, but they do not know that the cause of this pressure is most likely not a poor condition of blood vessels, but osteochondrosis;
6. Every once in a while, all objects will start to appear ghosted;
7. Vision loss often occurs for the same reason - lack of oxygen;
8. hearing loss;
9. When there is a severe lack of oxygen, fainting may occur - this is the body's protective response.

diagnosis

While it's good to know the signs of illness, the most accurate diagnosis can only be made by a doctor using modern diagnostic tools. The simplest and most economical method is to perform an electrocardiogram. 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 there is another pathology in this disease.If an EKG confirms that the heart is working normally, it makes sense to have an MRI. This method allows you to obtain layer-by-layer images of the entire spine or parts of it. These images allow you to quickly and accurately determine whether a person has a spinal problem.If suspicion of osteochondrosis is confirmed, treatment should be initiated immediately.