Pain sensations accompanying coughing - a frequent unpleasant phenomenon. In addition to physical discomfort, the patient is worried about anxiety, whether this is a sign of a serious complication. Partly the experiences are justified, since the pains in the chest are of different nature, intensity, are explained by a variety of factors, are treated differently.
Possible causes of pain
More often when coughing, it hurts in the chest due to overstrain of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm. Cough jerks strain the respiratory muscles, excessive load irritates muscle fibers, accumulates lactic acid, pain occurs. Similar symptoms are intercostal neuralgia, bruises and injuries of the chest. The cause of the pain syndrome can be colds, complicated by inflammation of the trachea, bronchi.
Significant pains occur with pneumonia, involvement in the inflammatory process of the pleura or mediastinum aggravates the patient's condition. Cough with pain in the chest can indicate specific( tuberculosis, sarcoidosis of the lungs) and tumor diseases. The cause of pain often becomes spasm of the bronchi( asthmatic bronchitis, bronchial asthma).Painful syndrome, worsening with cough, is accompanied by cardiac pathology( pericarditis, myocarditis, angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction).
Intercostal neuralgia
The symptomatology of the disease is diverse, manifested by severe pain, tingling, burning in the chest, areas of numbness or hypersensitivity of the skin are possible. Unpleasant sensations dramatically increase the deep breath, cough. Neuralgia of the chest often resembles the symptoms of angina, gastritis, bronchitis. To provoke the disease can:
- heavy labor;
- weight lifting;
- sharp turn of the trunk;
- long stay in an uncomfortable position;
- injury;
- cold;
- supercooling;
- stress;
- osteochondrosis of the spine.
Neuralgic syndrome develops due to muscle spasm and subsequent irritation of the intercostal nerves. There are two signs that help to recognize this disease. First: you can find the position of the body, in which pain is not felt. Second: cautious pressing with your fingertips along the intercostal spaces reveals a patch of sharp soreness along the lower edge of the rib, where the nerve passes.
Catarrhal diseases
Cough accompanying respiratory infections, provokes pain in the chest in the middle, according to the projection of the trachea. Cough movements irritate the respiratory muscles, resulting in soreness at the bottom of the thoracic cavity, where the diaphragm is attached, intercostal spaces hurt. Pain syndrome is often so pronounced that it makes breathing difficult.
Pleurisy
Inflammation of the pleura is manifested by tingling, pulling pains, which are significantly worse when coughing. Dry pleurisy creates a feeling of friction under the ribs, soreness increases with a slope on the healthy side. Exudative pleurisy may be asymptomatic for a while, but the accumulation of effusion presses the lungs, leading to shortness of breath. A characteristic sign is the severity, lagging of the sick half of the thorax during breathing.
Pneumonia
Inflammation of the lung tissue is accompanied by a temperature reaction, coughing, sputum discharge. With a dry cough it hurts in the chest closer to the sternum, as the bronchi covered with spongy sputum suffer. The development of a moist component somewhat facilitates the departure of sputum, but there are thrusts on the side of the inflammation focus. Symptomatology essentially depends on the vastness of the defeat of the respiratory organs( segmental, lobar, total pneumonia).
Breast Injury
The situation, when even with a minor cough hurts in the chest, requires the exclusion of traumatic damage to the ribs, sternum, pleura. The patient could forget about the bruise, while cracks, bone fractures for a long time are manifested by pain symptoms. A thorough examination will reveal the changes from the soft tissues, careful pressing will detect a lesion focus. Bone fragments are capable of traumatizing the lung, possibly the development of pneumothorax. Heart Diseases
Cough can be accompanied by pain, when there is a concomitant cardiac pathology. Painful coughing movements provoke pericarditis, myocarditis. Sensations are exacerbated by physical exertion, dyspnea arises, the patient can not take a deep breath. Pressing pain behind the breastbone, burning is a dangerous symptom, often indicative of the development of an attack of angina pectoris. If the pain is given under the scapula, the supraclavicular area, the left arm, emergency care is required, since acute myocardial infarction is manifested in this way.
Lung cancer
Oncological pulmonary pathology lasts for a long time with unobtrusive symptoms, manifesting gradually increasing weakness, fatigue. Only the involvement of bronchial structures and the pleura causes coughing, pain in the chest. Squeezing the bronchus with the tumor leads to atelectasis below the level of obstruction, respiration is disturbed, hypoxia of the internal organs begins. Tumor intoxication is manifested by nausea, vomiting, dizziness. Possible development of pulmonary hemorrhages, acute anemia.
Why does the chest hurt when coughing
Pain localization often helps to determine the source, cause. The causes of the painful syndrome are numerous:
- overwork of the respiratory muscles from frequent coughing movements;
- inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, drying of the respiratory epithelium;
- irritation or inflammation of the pleura;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- sprouting, squeezing the bronchus with a tumor;
- traumatic injuries of the chest and thoracic cavity;
- is an inflammatory or ischemic heart disease.
In the middle
Painful sensations in the center of the chest during coughing are more often due to catarrhal tracheitis or bronchitis. Another cause is the inflammatory mediastinum process, mediastinitis, including tuberculosis. Stupid pulling pains behind the sternum, giving in the back, causes esophagitis( inflammation of the esophagus), neurasthenia is manifested like a symptomatology.
Behind the sternum
Acute burning behind the breastbone often indicates a cardiac pathology, although the same sensations can manifest as esophagitis, heartburn. A distinctive feature of pain in angina pectoris, myocardial ischemia is a sharp weakness, rapid pulse, the presence of reflex fear. Aching pains on the center of the chest when coughing rather talk about tracheitis, spreading them to nearby departments - about bronchitis.
Right
A common cause is intercostal neuralgia. Cough becomes painful, the patient takes a forced position, which at least partially alleviates the condition. The common soreness of the right half of the thorax requires the exclusion of pleurisy, the tuberculosis process. Pain with a cough will be accompanied by a right-sided hotbed of pneumonia. Stitching, "shooting" the nature of pain is accompanied by traumatic injury of the ribs.
Left
In addition to intercostal neuralgia, pleurisy, pneumonia, left-sided pains are caused by pericarditis, myocarditis, angina. Alertness should cause a feeling of burning, squeezing in the heart, lack of air, palpitation, tachycardia. Such a symptomatology is typical for ischemic lesions of the heart muscle, may indicate a developing myocardial infarction.
To which doctor should
? The main task for painful coughing is to establish and eliminate the cause. With respiratory infections, tracheitis, bronchitis should consult a therapist( the child - to the pediatrician).Suspicion of chest damage requires examination by a traumatologist, surgeon. The neurologist will find out the source of intercostal neuralgia. With pain behind the sternum, in the area of the heart, you need to call an emergency or visit a cardiologist. Further X-ray and laboratory examination will clarify the diagnosis, prescribe the appropriate treatment.
What to take if a chest cuff is hurt while coughing
Treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, since the pain syndrome with a cough has a different origin. Having established the respiratory character of the disease, the specialist will advise antiviral drugs, more often these are interferon derivatives. You may need antipyretic, anti-inflammatory( Paracetamol, Ibuprofen) and antihistamines. With bronchitis, the attending physician takes into account the nature of the inflammation. Dry, unproductive cough requires the use of expectorants, diluted sputum funds: "ATSTS", "Lazolvan", "Bromgeksin", "Ambroxol".
Treatment of intercostal neuralgia involves a set of measures, the purpose of which is to eliminate irritation of the intercostal nerves. Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, most often the non-steroid group "Indomethacin", "Fenacetin", "Phenylbutazone".Vitaminotherapy is indicated, massage, acupuncture may be needed. Drug treatment of pneumonia, chest injuries, cancer, heart pathology is strictly individual, taking into account all the features of the disease and the patient.