Pain in pneumonia has different intensity and localization depending on the stage of the disease and the location of the inflammatory process. The causes of pain in the lungs with pneumonia are pathogenic processes in the tissues that have arisen due to the activity of bacteria-pathogens. In addition, with pneumonia, the so-called radiating pain may appear when areas and organs located next to the inflammation begin to hurt. And the symptomatology characteristic of pneumonia in the form of intense coughing negatively affects the muscles, which also leads to soreness in different parts of the body.
Causes
The development of complications is also associated with the emergence of a new type of pain in pneumonia. Often, pneumonia is accompanied by complications in the pleura. In this case, the pain is due to the following reasons:
- the formation of pleural adhesions;
- the presence of dry pleurisy causes the appearance of severe pain in the lesion focus (from one lung or both), aggravated by breathing;
- the presence of wet pleurisy explains the appearance of pain in the side.
Localization
Localization of pain in the lungs makes it possible to diagnose the nature of pneumonia:
- Pain on the left or right with a high degree of probability indicates the presence of unilateral pneumonia (left-sided or right-sided).
- Pain in the chest with pneumonia, covering the lungs completely, qualifies as a bilateral disease.
- Pain radiating to other areas of the patient’s body (abdomen, ribs, shoulder blades) helps to determine the location of the focus in a specific area of the right lung: the lower, middle or upper lobe. Also of the left lung: lower or upper lobe. It should be noted that each lobe has a number of smaller segments, the defeat of which can be identified in detail using hardware diagnostics.
In addition, the current stage of the disease directly affects the extent of the pain syndrome in pneumonia. Launched pneumonia is characterized by the presence of a sharp girdle pain or pain radiating to a large number of areas of both the front of the body and the back.
Diagnostic procedures
Diagnostics includes various categories of procedures. First of all, in the doctor’s office, an examination of the sternum is carried out, which includes:
- Visual inspection. In this case, it means visual observation of the patient’s breathing process. Lungs with pneumonia work unevenly. The difference in movements between the right and left lungs with unilateral pneumonia is clearly visible, since the affected area lags behind in movements during inhalation and exhalation.
- Percussion, in which the doctor uses his hands (without tools) to tap. This helps to determine if there is exudate in the lungs (instead of air). A dull, short echo when tapped indicates fluid accumulation.
- Instrumental listening to the lungs. The presence of the same exudate makes it difficult for the patient to breathe and becomes weakened with wheezing. The doctor fixes these deviations with a stethophonendoscope.
Based on the results of the examination, the doctor prescribes the passage of laboratory tests:
- UAC;
- OAM;
- microscopic examination of sputum, which allows you to most reliably identify the presence of classical or atypical pneumonia caused by atypical pathogens.
In addition, hardware diagnostics are prescribed, which allows you to finally exclude other diseases of the lungs or diseases of other organs. Often it is necessary to differentiate other diseases (appendicitis, heart disease) with pneumonia, since the radiating pain manifests itself in nearby organs very actively. In this case, the following are assigned from hardware diagnostics:
- X-ray or fluoroscopy – classic versions of X-ray exposure;
- bronchoscopy – the introduction of a flexible tube through the nose into the lungs for visual examination of the bronchi.
Based on the data obtained on the degree and extent of lung damage, an actual form of treatment is prescribed.
Treatment
Medicines used for pneumonia:
- Antibiotics are a must for an acute illness such as pneumonia. Their use depends on the identified severity of the current condition (mild, moderate, severe). Thus, oral administration of antibiotics, their intramuscular or intravenous administration can be prescribed. At the end of the course of antibiotics (which lasts at least seven days), drugs are prescribed that restore the microflora of the gastrointestinal tract. Otherwise, the patient may experience dysbiosis.
- Drugs that promote the discharge of sputum from the lungs: secretomotor – stimulants of coughing, mucolytic (thinning exudate).
Relevant is the use of a nebulizer with medium and fine dispersing properties for the penetration of particles of funds into the lower respiratory tract. For filling into a nebulizer, preparations with complex chemical compositions or preparations with an organic basis are used. Alternatively, normal saline solution can be applied.
With painful pneumonia, physiotherapy procedures are prescribed:
- Ultra-high-frequency inductothermy (UHF) is a high-frequency electromagnetic effect on focal inflammation. The procedure has a bacteriostatic effect.
- Electrophoresis with potassium iodide, lidase. The effect of the procedure is to improve blood circulation, which fights inflammation and relieves pain.
In addition to the measures described, the patient must comply with:
- Bed rest, as the body is weakened as much as possible due to infection and high temperature. This point is most difficult in the case of pneumonia in a child than in an adult man or woman. Infants are laid to one side. Parents should constantly monitor the position of the child so that he does not choke while coughing up phlegm.
- The correct diet, which implies an increase in the daily volume of fluid consumed, a reduction in the amount of servings of food, as well as the rejection of some dishes: fatty meat dishes and confectionery.
- Periodic ventilation and wet cleaning in the room.
When the patient’s condition is normalized, a course of medical chest massage, as well as a set of physiotherapy exercises, can be prescribed. The most relevant in the latter case is breathing exercises. Exercise therapy has a beneficial effect on stabilizing the volume of the lungs, the lymphatic system, the circulatory system, the state of the muscle tissue of the heart.
The pathogenesis of the disease (the mechanism of the onset and course of the disease) is due to the impact of typical or atypical pathogens. In order to effectively undergo a treatment course, it is necessary to accurately determine the type of pathogen in the diagnostic process. The general period of treatment for pain and other symptoms in pneumonia will also depend on the stage of the disease at which the patient sought medical help. Seeing a specialist at a time when a person has just started to get sick will help to avoid the development of pneumonia in principle. Otherwise, treatment can continue for a month.
Prophylaxis
Prevention of pneumonia after complete recovery involves the following set of measures:
- adherence to the diet with the introduction of the necessary complex of vitamins and microelements into the diet;
- organization of the correct regime of work and rest;
- rejection of bad habits (alcohol consumption, smoking);
- carrying out exercise therapy exercises at home;
- with frequent diseases of the bronchi, it is possible to periodically undergo a course of medical chest massage (this is not necessary after a single case of pneumonia).
