Intercostal neuralgia is a symptom of compression or irritation of the spinal nerve.

The pain from this is very strong and excruciating.

Due to its symptoms, this disease can be confused with other diseases of the spine and heart.

Most often, neuralgia occurs in young people over 30 years of age and in the elderly, very rarely in children.

Irritation or compression of the nerves running from the spine to the intercostal space

Intercostal neuralgia occurs when the nerves running from the spine along the intercostal space are irritated or compressed.

The nature of the pain caused can be different: aching, dull, sharp and burning. It may be constant, or it may appear from time to time.

• Increased pain from physical activity.
• A painful point between the ribs can be felt during examination.
• The pain is not relieved by nitroglycerin and can last for hours or days.

Causes of intercostal neuralgia

• Wearing tight underwear.
• Shingles (herpes stuck).
• Performing physical activity without special training.

These are just the most common reasons that lead to neurological disease. But they all have one thing in common: the pain is caused by pinching the spinal nerve root in thoracic region spine or pinched or irritated intercostal nerves in the intercostal space.

It should be noted that the cause of spasms can be stress, poisoning, consumption large quantity alcohol, diabetes mellitus and lack of vitamins B. In women, the disease occurs during menopause, due to changes in the spine, against the background of hormonal disorders.

Osteochondrosis - as a cause of neurology

Very rare occurrence. This department inactive and the load on him is very small.

The development of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, as well as other parts of the spine, can be a metabolic disorder, lack of necessary vitamins and microelements, lack of physical activity.

For these reasons, a hernia forms on the spine intervertebral disc or osteophytes, in turn, they compress the nerve endings of the spine.

Neuralgia, which developed against the background of osteochondrosis, is not an independent disease, but only a symptom of osteochondrosis.

When a nerve is pinched, the pain goes along the entire nerve and gradually surrounds the person, although it does not have a clear localization.

Sensitivity disturbances may appear - numbness or burning along the affected nerve. Due to unclear localization of pain and the inability to understand exactly where it hurts, doctors may make an incorrect diagnosis.

A person may undergo a course of treatment that is completely unnecessary for him, only because of an incorrect diagnosis. For example, pain may occur in the heart area and radiate under the shoulder blade. Such symptoms can be mistaken for angina pectoris.

It is not the symptom that needs to be treated, i.e. intercostal neuralgia, and the cause itself is osteochondrosis. First of all, you need to remove the pain, and only then begin to treat the disease.

The patient is recommended to spend several days at rest and take a course of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Also, the drugs quickly relieve pain and reduce swelling due to their anti-inflammatory effect. After the pain stops, I proceed directly to the treatment of osteochondrosis.

Symptoms muscular-tonic syndrome may be the presence of muscle tightness.

They arise as a result of innervation and contraction of individual muscle fibers.

These are the places where pain is most concentrated - trigger points.

Muscular-tonic syndrome can occur due to prolonged exposure to static tension and irritation of the roots of nerve endings. All this entails the inclusion of a protective mechanism that limits the pathological zone.

With prolonged spasm, venous stagnation forms and edema develops, which stretches the fibrous capsule and irritates the receptors.

The first stage of treatment for the syndrome is to identify and treat the cause of the pain itself.

The second stage is the elimination of trigger points existing in the muscles. And the third stage, changing the lifestyle, so that the static load changes to dynamic.

Hypothermia is a condition that occurs after a decrease in body temperature below 36.6 degrees.

Due to hypothermia, inflammation of the intercostal nerves is possible.

Pain during inflammation of a pulling nature near the affected nerve, which can radiate to nearby tissues in the form of attacks.

Sometimes muscle nerve atrophy may occur, and several cases of paralysis have been recorded.

Mild nerve inflammation may go away on its own within a few weeks. In cases of severe inflammation, use hormonal drugs- prednidazole.

Wearing tight underwear for women

In women, there is a risk factor for intercostal neuralgia such as wearing tight underwear.

Thin girls are especially susceptible to this disease, because due to their thinness they have a small subcutaneous fat layer and for this reason the nerves are located quite close to the skin.

The pain occurs due to mechanical compression of the nerve by the hard underwires of the bra.

If the cause of intercostal neuralgia is inflammation of the tissues surrounding the nerve or the nerve itself, caused, for example, by a virus herpes simplex, then the pain will be of a constant burning nature and rashes will appear on the skin at the site of pain.

After treatment, the virus does not disappear from the human body, but continues to reside in the spinal nodes.

During a decrease in immunity and other factors that can trigger the activity of the virus, a vesicular rash may occur, or as it is otherwise called herpes zoster.

Pain can occur both before and after the rash occurs. Sometimes a rash may not appear at all.

Intercostal neuralgia can occur even after infectious diseases have been cured.

First of all, a course of immunosuppressive therapy, a course of painkillers and antiviral drugs.

A correct and timely diagnosis greatly facilitates and shortens the course of treatment of the disease.

The first stage is pain relief

First of all, the patient needs painkillers. Usually, doctors prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for these purposes. The choice of such drugs in pharmacies is huge; you should not take anything on your own. Only a doctor can prescribe correct and correct treatment.

For severe pain, injections of drugs such as ketonal, ketorol and others are prescribed. The course of treatment with painkillers lasts from 5 to 10 days.

The second stage is the use of ointments and injections (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)

The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of ointments or injections. Prescribed drugs such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, indomethacin, piroxicam and others. These drugs are taken systematically by the hour, without waiting for the next manifestation of pain. This group of drugs is prescribed with special precautions and is strictly prohibited for people with gastrointestinal diseases. People with such diseases successfully use a drug such as Flexen. The drug is available in the form of capsules and injections. The capsules are made in such a way as to completely eliminate contact with the gastric mucosa. Injections, in turn, are prepared right before injection into the muscle, which eliminates the need for stabilizers and preservatives.

The third stage of treatment is vitamin therapy

B vitamins (B1, B6 and B12) are prescribed. Experienced doctors prescribe intramuscular injection vitamins according to this scheme: B1 - according to even numbers, and B6 - according to odd numbers. Sometimes doctors prescribe multivitamins. To relieve muscle spasms, muscle relaxants (sirdalud, clonezepam and tizanidine) are prescribed. Practice prescribing sedatives if necessary.

For very acute pain, blockades are made using novocaine or lidocaine. The pain relief effect is very fast, but this procedure Not suitable for everyone. It all depends on the individual tolerance of the administered substances.

The fourth stage - physiotherapeutic methods

Most often prescribed: currents, electropheresis and phonopharesis medicines, ultraviolet irradiation. Acupuncture, cauterization and laser therapy have a good effect on intercostal neuralgia.

Prevention

An essential method of preventing neuralgia is.

Focus your exercises on developing and increasing the mobility of the spine. Avoid drafts and hypothermia. Don't stay in uncomfortable positions for a long time. Strong physical activity is contraindicated for older people.

Watch your posture, do not lift or carry heavy objects. Avoid mono-diets and fasting.

Take multivitamins, and in particular vitamin B. You should also treat diseases that can provoke neuralgia: diabetes, atherosclerosis and vascular disease. Timely diagnosis and treatment of spinal pathologies.

Under poor working conditions ( sedentary work or a strong load on the spine), a work-rest regime should be observed. Try to avoid colds and infectious diseases.

Most often, pain in the chest is mistaken for a heart attack, various diseases spine or organs gastrointestinal tract, although these may be manifestations of intercostal neuralgia. The pathology occurs due to pinching or irritation of the intercostal nerve and manifests itself in the form of acute pain. Intercostal neuralgia has strictly defined symptoms and treatment that every person needs to know about. In our article we will try to understand the causes of damage to the intercostal nerves, clinical manifestations, principles of diagnosis and treatment of the abnormal process.

To understand the cause of this pathology, you first need to know what intercostal neuralgia is, the symptoms and treatment of this condition.

Damage to the intercostal nerves serves as a definite warning of serious diseases of the body structures. Intercostal neuralgia is characterized by pinching, irritation or inflammation peripheral nerves located in the narrow intercostal space. It is characterized by acute pain, which significantly worsens a person’s quality of life: performance decreases, irritability appears.

Pinched intercostal nerve is not a “terrible” diagnosis, but it has similarities with the symptoms of more serious diseases. Intercostal neuralgia can affect older people, as well as young people who tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle or engage in professional swimming.

This pathology in children is observed only in in rare cases, for example, during a period of intensive growth.

Irritation of nerve tissue indicates that some pathological change is occurring in the body. There are many reasons for the development this process. Therefore, consultations with a neurologist and diagnostics in this matter are extremely important in order to diagnose accurate diagnosis patient and start treatment in a timely manner.

Most common reasons intercostal neuralgia are:

It is necessary to correctly identify the causes of intercostal neuralgia and fight not only its symptoms, but also eliminate the root cause of its development.

Main symptoms

The main symptom of intercostal neuralgia is pain syndrome. Moreover, there is always an immediate acute pain. Nerve inflammation can take you by surprise because it can appear suddenly. A person begins to experience severe discomfort, it becomes difficult for him to perform everyday duties.

The pain may intensify with emotional conversation, coughing, or turning the body. Even in a state of rest, a person does not feel better. High pain intensity may persist for 4-7 days.

The skin in the area where the irritated nerve is located usually loses sensitivity. But if you feel the affected area, the pain can sharply intensify.

Secondary symptoms of intercostal neuralgia may be:

• pallor skin or, conversely, redness;
• increased sweating;
• involuntary muscle contraction;
• loss of consciousness (at low pain threshold possible for some people).

Most often, pain occurs in the chest and spreads along the ribs. Depending on the root cause of intercostal neuralgia, pain can spread beyond chest, and this misleads the doctor in correct positioning diagnosis.

Inflammation of the nerve in the intercostal space provokes pain from all sides. In addition, the pain can spread beyond the affected area: to the lower back, back, shoulder blades.

You can independently distinguish the pain of a pinched intercostal nerve from cardiac pain. It is necessary to take one of the heart medications, according to the instructions: Validol, Nitroglycerin or Corvalol. If after some time there is no relief, it means intercostal neuralgia. In this case it is necessary diagnostic test in a specialized institution to determine the cause of the pathology.

It will not be difficult for a neurologist to establish a diagnosis of intercostal neuralgia. Judging by the patient’s symptoms, complaints and palpation (feeling), he will be able to determine treatment tactics.

To establish the primary source of the pain syndrome, following methods diagnostic study:

• X-ray of the chest organs (survey);
• MRI of the spine;
• Ultrasound of organs abdominal cavity.

Treatment methods

Treatment of intercostal neuralgia occurs in two directions:

• relief of the patient's condition, reduction pain;
• treatment of the underlying disease against which intercostal neuralgia occurred.

In most cases, intercostal neuralgia is treated on an outpatient basis. The first few days the patient must comply bed rest. To do this, you need to properly arrange the bed: it must be firm. Also use an orthopedic mattress or place a backboard under a regular mattress.

The treatment regimen consists of the following points:

• drug therapy;
• physiotherapy and exercise therapy;
• acupuncture;
• manual massage;
• traditional medicine.

First of all, the specialist will help the patient reduce the pain of intercostal nerve entrapment and may prescribe the following medications.

1. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Diclofenac, Meloxicam), they will relieve pain and provide direct action on inflammatory process in the body. These products have several dosage forms: injection solutions, tablets, ointments, suppositories.
2. Muscle relaxants (Sirdalur, Tolperil), which reduce the severity of spasm of muscle fibers.
3. Sedatives based on herbal ingredients(Sedasen, Persen, Novo-Passit).
4. B vitamins (Neurobion, Neurorubin). Vitamin B restores damaged nerve structures and improves the passage of impulses through them.
5. Painkillers. Good effect provide ointments based on bee and snake venoms: Apizartron, Viprosal.

Physiotherapy and exercise therapy

Electromagnetic and magnetic fields, UV rays, infrared radiation, ultrasound, electrophoresis and other physiotherapeutic methods.

Medicinal physical culture(physical therapy) is most effective when the nerve is pinched between the ribs. On an individual basis, the specialist selects a set of activities for the patient, taking into account the severity of the pathology, the patient’s well-being and the symptoms of the disease.

Manual massage

To speed up recovery, the attending physician may advise the patient to undergo additional manual therapy. One of common methods its implementation is massage. Using his fingers, the specialist will influence the intercostal spaces, as well as the spine if neuralgia occurs due to diseases of the spine.

Manual therapy can help improve metabolic processes and blood flow in the affected tissues, relax muscles and normalize the conduction of nerve impulses.

Acupuncture

Sometimes with intercostal neuralgia, acupuncture can significantly alleviate the patient's condition.

This method of treatment helps to quickly eliminate pain and relieve muscle imbalance.

Folk remedies

Most often, mustard plasters or pepper patch. They warm up well soft fabrics and have a beneficial effect on the blood circulation process.

You can also use special ointments at home, herbal infusions, compresses that have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.

1. Glycerin and honey. The ingredients must be taken in equal quantities, mixed and applied to the affected areas. Use once every two days.
2. Chamomile and peppermint. Fill hot water 1 tbsp each dry herbs mint and chamomile. Leave to infuse for approximately 1 hour. Strain the infusion and drink it throughout the day. The course of treatment lasts no longer than 5 days.
3. Indoor geranium. Pick a few leaves of the plant, put them on a linen or cotton napkin and bandage them to the sore area, wrap them on top down scarf. The compress must be kept for 40 minutes.
4. Turpentine and Vaseline. Mix turpentine and petroleum jelly until smooth in a 1:2 ratio. Gently rub the resulting mixture into the area of ​​intercostal neuralgia.
5. Geranium and lemon balm. Pour boiling water over these ingredients and let it brew for a while. This decoction must be consumed regularly in the form of tea until the intercostal neuralgia completely disappears.

Please remember that self-medication may pose a potential threat to your health. Before use folk remedies for intercostal neuralgia, you should consult your doctor, as there is a possibility of intolerance to individual components. In addition, the manifestation of pain along the way intercostal nerve may indicate more serious problems in the body.

If the diagnosis was made correctly and all the doctor’s instructions were followed, then full recovery person. To reduce the likelihood of intercostal neuralgia, it is necessary to promptly treat primary diseases, as a result of which pathology occurs.

Preventive measures for intercostal neuralgia consist of following the well-known rules:

• monitor your diet, it should be rational;
• avoid hypothermia of various kinds, stress;
• take care of your health;
• treat internal diseases musculoskeletal system;
• ensure correct posture;
• exercise regularly;
• treat infectious diseases at the first manifestations.

Conclusion

Intercostal neuralgia is quite common pathological condition. A timely visit to a neurologist will help prevent serious complications and identify the root cause of inflammation/pinching of the intercostal nerve.

One of the most common reasons chest pain is intercostal neuralgia. This is a disease that occurs when the intercostal nerve is irritated or pinched, the main symptom of which is acute pain. As a rule, intercostal neuralgia affects elderly and old age. This disease also occurs in young people (especially in people who lead sedentary image life, as well as in swimmers) and even sometimes in children (mainly during the period of intensive growth). About why it develops this pathology what are clinical manifestations, the principles of diagnosing and treating it, we will discuss in our article.

What is the intercostal nerve

Less commonly, intercostal neuralgia can develop against the background of the following diseases:

• food poisoning (acute gastroenteritis);
• spondylopathies;
• diseases of the ribs and chest deformities;
• allergic diseases;
• toxic (alcoholic) polyneuropathy;
• diabetes mellitus;
• organ diseases digestive tract, causing a deficiency of B vitamins in the body ( chronic gastritis, colitis, hepatitis, peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum);
• thoracic aortic aneurysm.

Microtraumas caused by regular excessive physical activity, especially in combination with hypothermia, can also lead to intercostal neuralgia.

Clinical manifestations of intercostal neuralgia

Main symptom of this disease is pain along the intercostal space. The intensity of pain can vary: from sharp, acute, severe, shooting (more often) to constant, medium intensity. The pain intensifies when the patient moves, when coughing and sneezing, and even when breathing. Often a person takes a forced position: leans towards the affected side in order to minimize the range of movements in it. Some patients, when coughing, laughing or sneezing, press their palm firmly against the affected intercostal space for the same purpose: to reduce the range of movements in this area so that there is less pain.

Very often, the pain with intercostal neuralgia intensifies under the fingers of the doctor performing palpation: he easily probes the direction of the pain along the nerve. It is worth noting that patients can characterize their sensations not only as pain, but also as burning, tingling, and late stages diseases - such as numbness in the intercostal space.

When the intercostal nerve on the left is damaged, the pain often imitates the sensations of angina pectoris: patients evaluate the pain as burning, with irradiation (spread) in left hand, shoulder blade, spine. However, angina pain still does not depend on movements, coughing, laughter, etc., and, moreover, decreases after the patient takes nitroglycerin tablets or its analogues. However, in order not to miss such an important cardiac pathology, in doubtful cases the doctor prescribes an ECG for the patient. It is important not to confuse intercostal neuralgia with myocardial infarction, because the pain with it is also not reduced by nitroglycerin. Therefore, if pain suddenly arises in the heart area, you should not tempt fate, hoping for the best, but you need to play it safe: call an ambulance medical care and undergo an electrocardiogram.

In some cases, when the nerves of the lower ribs are affected, the nature of the pain may resemble the sensations of renal colic(sudden sharp pains V lumbar region cramping in nature, radiating to the leg or groin). In such cases, you should also not delay, but it is important to immediately seek help from specialists. Remember that it is still better to be vigilant regarding your health.

Less commonly, intercostal neuralgia can copy the manifestations of diseases such as pleurisy, stenosis of the thoracic aorta, and mediastinal tumors.

Diagnostics

The doctor will make a diagnosis of typical intercostal neuralgia without much difficulty based on the patient’s complaints, medical history and life history, as well as based on the results of an objective examination:

• will attract attention upon inspection possible redness or pale skin over the affected nerve;
• upon palpation, the patient will note pain along the affected intercostal space;
• heart examination (palpation, percussion, auscultation) will not show any pathological changes this organ.

If a specialist has doubts about the nature of the patient’s pain syndrome, he will prescribe additional methods studies that will help confirm or refute a particular diagnosis:

• plain radiography of the chest organs;
• Ultrasound of the abdominal organs and retroperitoneal space.

Treatment of intercostal neuralgia

Therapy for this pathology, as a rule, is carried out in 2 directions: alleviating the patient’s condition by reducing, or better yet, relieving pain, and treating the disease against which the neuralgia arose.

In the vast majority of cases, the patient is treated on an outpatient basis. For the first 3-7 days of the disease (depending on its severity), the patient is prescribed bed rest. Moreover, his bed should be flat, hard, with an orthopedic mattress or a shield placed under a regular mattress. Staying on a bed with a sagging net is strictly contraindicated: it can only worsen the patient’s condition.

General drug treatment

A patient with intercostal neuralgia may be prescribed drugs from the following groups:

Local treatment

First of all, in this section I would like to note dry heat to the affected area. However, it must be a source of indirect heat, such as a knitted item or woolen scarf. Applying hot objects to the affected area is not only unhelpful, but even harmful. With minor heating, local blood flow in the area is activated, but as it cools, the opposite effect will be noted: increased swelling and increased pain.

Ointments and gels containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also be used. These are drugs such as dolobene, DIP-relief, fastum-gel and others.

Other ointments or solutions that do not contain NSAIDs, but include anesthetics and reflex substances, also have analgesic effects. These are drugs such as menovazine, capsicam, finalgon - they can also be used to treat intercostal neuralgia.

Relatively new dosage form for the treatment of this pathology and others inflammatory diseases musculoskeletal system are transdermal patches. They are impregnated with one or more anti-inflammatory and analgesic substances, which, after adhering to the affected area, are slowly released and have a long-lasting effect directly on the affected nerve. One such drug is Voltaren. A patch with a special composition can also be used, which does not contain NSAIDs, hormones and other usual substances, but has a pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect - nanoplast forte.

Non-drug treatment

When acute symptoms intercostal neuralgia has been eliminated, methods will help to quickly restore the functions of the affected areas non-drug treatment, namely:

• therapeutic massage (improves metabolic processes in the paravertebral muscles, tones them, reduces swelling, relieves pain);
• physical therapy (exercises to strengthen the muscle corset spinal column prescribed by a doctor for a specific patient);
• manual therapy (it normalizes the connections between the vertebrae and eliminates pinched nerves);
• acupuncture;
• physiotherapy (magnetic therapy, laser therapy, electrophoresis, UHF).

Traditional medicine recipes

Methods will help alleviate the condition of a patient with intercostal neuralgia traditional medicine, but always in combination with traditional treatment by an appointed specialist.

• To reduce pain, you should lubricate the affected area with freshly squeezed radish or horseradish juice.
• You can also prepare a rue tincture for analgesic purposes (2 tablespoons of the raw material, pour 250 ml of boiling water and leave for 14 days). During intense pain, apply compresses to the affected area.
• A lotion made from steamed wormwood will also relieve pain (steam the wormwood, then grind it into a paste, add sea ​​buckthorn oil and apply to the painful area).
• If the patient has geranium growing at home, you can use it. Tear off a leaf and rub it on the affected area, wrap it warmly.
• A gauze compress moistened with flax seed infusion should be applied to the area of ​​the affected nerve.
• You can prepare an ointment using Vaseline and aspen buds. Grind the buds, add Vaseline in a ratio of 1 part Vaseline to 4 parts buds. Rub into areas of greatest pain 2-4 times a day.
• The patient will feel better after warm bath With sea ​​salt and sage.
• Can be taken orally healing decoction(chamomile flowers, lemon balm leaves, tincture of valerian officinalis, orange peels, honey) - it will strengthen nervous system generally.
• Traditional medicine can also be purchased ready-made at a pharmacy. Such a remedy is pepper plaster. Before using it, you need to degrease the affected area with alcohol, dry it well, then apply a patch and wait for the effect. After some time, the skin under the patch will begin to burn. You cannot endure it forcefully; this way you can seriously burn your skin. If intense burning occurs, the patch should be removed.

Prognosis and prevention

With a timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of both the intercostal neuralgia itself and the underlying disease, complete recovery is noted.

It is easy to understand that, due to the many causes of the disease, methods specific prevention it doesn't exist. To reduce the likelihood of its occurrence, you should promptly treat diseases that may result in intercostal neuralgia, as well as avoid stress, avoid excessive physical exertion and hypothermia.

Occurs due to irritation nerve root in the thoracic region, accordingly, neurotic pain will correspond to the root that is involved in the process. The diagnosis should be taken extremely seriously, as it is possible to miss quite serious illnesses, hiding behind similar symptoms, such as myocardial infarction, pneumonia and some others.

Pathology occurs both at a young age and in the elderly; it is extremely rare that a diagnosis can be made in children, since they rarely have factors contributing to the development of the disease. Often there is a provoking factor that triggers chain reaction symptoms, for some it is physical activity, for others it is hypothermia, for women it is carrying a child in their arms or pregnancy.

The nature of pain in neuralgia of the intercostal nerves

In order to distinguish a symptom and find out which part of the body is experiencing pain, it is enough to conduct several tests. Since intercostal neuralgia affects the nerve roots coming from the spine, one should remember their main function.

The spine performs the main function of movement in this area, therefore, with the next attack, the pain will intensify with movements in the chest. Usually there is unbearable pain, severely limiting movements in the body. When you try to straighten up, the pain intensifies, forcing you to remain in a half-bent position.

Since the ribs are attached to the spine, any movement of them also causes pain. This is especially noticeable when taking a deep breath. Additionally, some patients notice that they have my back hurt in the area of ​​the shoulder blades the day before the attack.

Pain occurs more often on one side left or right, above/below the chest lasts short time, But residual symptoms there are still for a long time. In the case of this disease, this does not matter much, since pinching of the nerve root can occur on any side and height of the ribs. It is extremely rare that symptoms occur in the upper chest, more often at the level of the heart, which causes additional concern in patients. Pain in the heart or abdomen quite often accompanies neuralgia; this localization only indicates the affected nerve.

Photo of the area where intercostal neuralgia hurts

It should be understood that if there is pain in the chest area, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the organs that are located in this region, namely the lungs and heart.

If the pain comes from the heart, it will not increase with movement, but rather with some physical activity. For example, while walking, when the heart rate increases and blood pressure, comes to the heart more blood, its work increases and signs of problems with the cardiovascular system will appear.

If the problem is in the lungs, the pain will not change in any way when changing position, and much more often it occurs when exhaling.

Intercostal neuralgia is also not characterized by skin rashes, itching, etc. If, a couple of days after an attack of pain, characteristic pimples appear on one side of the body, this may indicate shingles.

Pain in the mammary gland in women may also indicate a disease, but to rule out other problems, a consultation with a mammologist may be recommended.

Classic picture. What kind of pain occurs with intercostal neuralgia:

How to relieve an attack of pain

It should be understood that during an attack the patient will not be able to take any fast-acting medicine. Pills or even injections will not have time to act on the nervous system so quickly. Various ointments, are not able to eliminate such intense symptoms, even if used regularly. There is a factor that causes nerve pinching and it needs to be addressed immediately.

To alleviate the condition, it is better to lie down on a flat surface, it could be a bed, a bench or the floor. The patient should be reassured and given some time to rest. After lying flat without moving, the symptoms usually begin to go away, but this does not last long.

In emergency situations, pain can be controlled with strong analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

To get rid of intercostal neuralgia, you should consult a vertebrologist, who will send you for examinations and find out the cause of the infringement.

Further, a course of spinal correction may be recommended to completely eliminate the problem. Special exercises should not be performed to relieve pain until the cause is clear, as you can harm yourself. To eliminate severe pain in the ribs, you need to eliminate various displacements in the costovertebral joints, and then monitor the optimal loads on the back.