肋間神経痛

intercostal neuralgia

マラソン愛好者。走ると胸に痛さを感じていたが、次第に、胸部の表面を触るだけでも痛みが走るようになった。病院を受診したところ、肋間神経痛と言われた。湿布を処方された。痛みが引かないので、鍼灸接骨院を受診。肋骨に沿っている神経を肋間神経と言い、この肋間神経が痛む症状を肋間神経痛といいます。体形や、原因によっても、痛み方は違います。急に電気が走るような痛みやジクジクとした持続する痛み、瘦せ型の人などは表面を触っただけで痛いこともあります。心臓、肺などの、内臓疾患が原因で起こる胸の痛みとは違い、痛む場所や範囲がはっきりしており、肋骨に沿って起こる比較的鋭い痛みです。痛みは上半身の右側か左側のみに起こり、左右両側に起こるのはまれです。原因はさまざまで解明されていないものもありますが、原因がある場合を症候性肋間神経痛、明らかな原因がない場合を特発性肋間神経痛と呼びます。症候性肋間神経痛の原因は、変形性脊椎症・胸椎椎間板ヘルニアなど脊椎に原因がある場合、そして肋骨骨折や肋骨の腫瘍が原因となる場合があります。これらが原因の場合は身体を動かした時、特に上半身を前後に曲げたり、左右に曲げたり廻したりすると痛みを強く感じることがあり、時には息ができないほど痛いこともあります。脊椎や肋骨に原因がない場合に起こる症候性肋間神経痛の代表的は帯状疱疹です。帯状疱疹は、帯状疱疹ウイルスが神経の中を通って皮膚に達して皮疹を起こす疾患ですが、胸部に発症すると肋間神経痛を起こします。帯状疱疹による肋間神経痛は、皮疹の有無に関わらずヒリヒリ、ジクジクとした皮膚表面の持続的な痛みを感じます。肋間神経痛とは、肋骨の間に通っている肋間神経が何らかの影響によって刺激され、上半身に痛みが出る症状です。上半身の左右どちらかに痛みが出ることが多いことも肋間神経痛の特徴です。肋間神経痛は、肋骨と肋骨の間を走っている神経に、何らかの問題があるときに症状が誘発されます。肋間神経痛は、体を動かすと、痛みがでるので日常生活に支障がでやすいです。肋間神経痛の鍼灸治療は、側胸部、前胸部に肋間神経を狙ってアプローチしていきます。また、インナーマッスルが低下すると背骨や肋骨を支えられなくなり、痛みがでたりします。さらに腹圧が低下すると、腹部からお腹を支えることが難しくなったり、血行不良が起こり、これも肋間神経痛の原因になります。今症例では、痛みに沿って刺鍼して、神経痛の症状を改善していきます。また、痛みにより全身に緊張が出やすく、肩や背中が硬くなっていたり、コリがでやすいです。ホームケアとしては、個人差はありますが、お風呂で温めると痛みが軽減すると言われています。湯船で身体を温めると、胸部、肩や背中、腰と温まり、ピンと張り詰めた筋肉や神経も緩んでいいきます。

Marathon enthusiast. He felt pain in his chest when he ran, and gradually, even just touching the surface of his chest area caused pain. He visited the hospital and was told that he had intercostal neuralgia. He was prescribed a compress. The pain did not subside, so he visited an acupuncture and moxibustion clinic. The nerve along the ribs is called the intercostal nerve, and symptoms of pain in this nerve are called intercostal neuralgia. The pain differs depending on the body shape and the cause. The pain can be sudden and electric, persistent, or even painful just by touching the surface, as in the case of a thin person. Unlike chest pain caused by heart, lung, or other internal organ disease, the location and extent of the pain are well-defined, and it is a relatively sharp pain along the ribs. The pain occurs only on the right or left side of the upper body, rarely on both sides. The causes of the pain are varied and unknown, but when there is a cause, it is called symptomatic intercostal neuralgia, and when there is no apparent cause, it is called idiopathic intercostal neuralgia. Symptomatic intercostal neuralgia may be caused by a spinal cause, such as osteoarthritis or a herniated thoracic disc, or by a rib fracture or rib tumor. In the case of these causes, pain may be felt strongly when moving the body, especially when bending the upper body back and forth or turning it from side to side, and sometimes the pain may be so severe that breathing is difficult. The most common symptomatic intercostal neuralgia that occurs when there is no spinal or rib cause is shingles. Shingles is a disease in which the herpes zoster virus travels through the nerves and reaches the skin, causing a skin rash, but when it develops in the chest area, it causes intercostal neuralgia. Intercostal neuralgia caused by shingles is a persistent pain on the surface of the skin that tingles and jiggles regardless of the presence or absence of a skin rash. Intercostal neuralgia is a condition in which the intercostal nerves that run between the ribs are irritated in some way, causing pain in the upper body. Another characteristic of intercostal neuralgia is that the pain often occurs on either side of the upper body. Intercostal neuralgia is triggered when there is some problem with the nerve that runs between the ribs. Intercostal neuralgia can easily interfere with daily life because of the pain that occurs when the body is moved. Acupuncture treatment for intercostal neuralgia is approached by targeting the intercostal nerves in the lateral and anterior thoracic regions. In addition, when the inner muscles are reduced, the spine and ribs cannot be supported, which can cause pain. Furthermore, decreased abdominal pressure makes it difficult to support the abdomen from the abdomen and causes poor circulation, which can also cause intercostal neuralgia. In the present case, acupuncture needles are inserted along the pain to improve the symptoms of neuralgia. In addition, the pain tends to cause tension throughout the body, making the shoulders and back stiff and stiff. As for home care, it is said that warming the body in a bath reduces pain, although this varies from person to person. Warming the body in a bathtub warms the chest, shoulders, back, and hips, and relaxes tight muscles and nerves.