Symptoms

Intercostal neuralgia is characterized by severe pain that occurs in an arc between the ribs. The pain is described as both seizure-like and long-lasting and of very high intensity. In some cases, the pain can be so severe that breathing difficulties and even mortal fears occur. Coughing or pressing often intensifies the symptoms. In addition to the symptoms of intercostal neuralgia, other accompanying symptoms, such as discomfort in certain parts of the body or skin symptoms, can help the treating physician to find the causative disease that is responsible for intercostal neuralgia.

Diagnosis

Intercostal neuralgia is a specific symptom which can be caused by a number of different diseases. In order to find out which disease is responsible for the symptoms in an individual case, a doctor should be consulted, who can make a final diagnosis after a thorough examination. For this purpose, the description of the complaints in terms of duration, type and any accompanying symptoms is of particular importance. A physical examination by the physician as well as further imaging diagnostics can also help to find out the disease causing the complaints.

Duration

The individual duration of intercostal neuralgia may vary. It depends mainly on the disease which is responsible for the appearance of the symptom. Depending on the injured structure, the symptoms can last from a few days to months.

For example, intercostal neuralgia, which occurs in the context of a rib injury, lasts several weeks until the injury has healed. Pain caused by an infection usually subsides much earlier.In order to shorten the duration of pain, it is essential that the correct diagnosis is made and a therapy for the disease can be initiated. With the help of the right therapy and targeted measures, the duration of the pain can usually be significantly shortened.

The therapy of an intercostal neuralgia depends in principle on the underlying disease which is responsible for the symptoms. However, since in very many cases no cause for the occurrence of the symptoms can be found despite comprehensive diagnostic examinations, the therapy of the symptoms is often the main focus. Nevertheless, it is essential to have an intercostal neuralgia clarified by a physician so that the correct diagnosis can be made if necessary and a suitable therapy can be initiated.

In general, coughing and sneezing can aggravate the symptoms, which is why it is recommended, especially when coughing occurs, to take an expectorant medication and thus reduce the coughing irritation. Pain-relieving drugs from the NSAID group, such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, can also help to relieve the pain. If these drugs are not sufficient to control the pain, stronger painkillers from the opioid group or muscle relaxants can be taken.

In some cases, the drugs can be injected directly under the skin or into the painful muscle with a syringe. Another approach that can help to treat intercostal neuralgia besides drug therapy is physiotherapy or massage therapy. Electrotherapy can also help to successfully treat the symptoms of intercostal neuralgia.

If a cause has been found that could most likely be responsible for the occurrence of intercostal neuralgia, it is important to treat it as soon as possible. In case of an infection, it should be treated symptomatically and, if possible, causally with medication. For example, if shingles, i.e. an infection with the varicella zoster virus, has been diagnosed, so-called virustatics can help to stop the reproduction of the virus and thus fight the infection.

The situation is different for diseases that affect the muscle or bone apparatus. As a rule, no causal therapy can be recommended even after these diseases have been diagnosed. After a few weeks, however, the injury heals by itself.

During this time, symptomatic therapy can help to reduce the symptoms. Diseases of the internal organs which are responsible for the occurrence of intercostal neuralgia can take different courses. In some cases, medication and rest can achieve an improvement, while other diseases may not be treatable at all.