Sometimes chest pain is just chest pain. Sometimes it's only a muscle strain, heartburn or bronchitis. More often than not there are benign reasons, but you should be evaluated by a healthcare professional if you're worried. Chest pain can signal a serious condition, heart-related or otherwise.
No. Chest pain isn't normal. If you have chest pain, contact your healthcare provider or 911 right away. Although most people think of a heart attack when they think of chest pain, there are many other conditions that cause chest pain.
What could cause chest pain? Chest pain can stem from a heart problem, but other possible causes include a lung infection, muscle strain, a rib injury, or a panic attack. Some of these are serious conditions and need medical attention.
Don't play doctor — go see one, fast, if you are worried about pain or discomfort in your chest, upper back, left arm, or jaw; or suddenly faint or develop a cold sweat, nausea, or vomiting. Call 911 or your local emergency number to summon an emergency medical crew.
You want to call 911 if you are having sudden, crushing chest pain or if your chest pain radiates into the jaw or the left arm. You want to call 911 if your chest pain also causes shortness of breath, or dizziness, nausea, or vomiting.
A sudden, sharp pain in your chest may make you worry that you could have a serious heart or lung problem. But if the pain disappears almost as quickly as it came and you don't have any other symptoms, it might be a harmless condition known as precordial catch syndrome.
Common gastrointestinal-related causes include acid reflux or esophageal pain. Additionally, chest pain can result from pain referred from areas outside of the chest, such as the gallbladder, pancreas or the spine. Anxiety or panic attacks may also cause chest pain.
Does the pain change while taking a deep breath or exhaling? Cardiac • Cardiac pain does not change during deep breathing. Muscular • Deep breathing can cause sharp, shooting pain (if the discomfort starts in the muscle).
In general, though, anxiety chest pain may feel like: Tension, tightness, and pressure: You might experience a mild, constant tightness or a sudden, intense tightness in your chest. You may also feel like it's difficult to breathe or that your heart is beating out of your chest.
How It Feels. Chest pain from a heart attack often feels like a large amount of pressure, tightness, burning, or squeezing in the chest. In comparison, chest pain that feels like a sharp or knife-like pain resulting from coughing or breathing is likely not due to a heart attack.
You may have a perfectly normal ECG, yet still have a heart condition. If your test is normal but your doctor suspects that you have a heart problem, he may recommend that you have another ECG, or a different type of test to find out for sure.
Chest pain has many different causes. In most cases, chest pain is not caused by a heart problem. Your symptoms might give you an idea of the cause. Do not self-diagnose – see a GP if you're worried.
Some of the most common non-cardiac conditions that can feel like a heart attack include: Heartburn: One of the most frequent causes of chest pain is a type of indigestion that can feel as though your heart is on fire yet has nothing to do with the heart.
Chest pain is frightening and must be taken seriously. So know this: If you are having severe discomfort in the chest—especially if the chest pain is radiating to your neck, jaw or arms—and it's accompanied by shortness of breath, dizziness and sweating, call 911 immediately.
An ECG Can Recognize the Signs of Blocked Arteries. But for further accurecy a CT coronary angiogram can reveal plaque buildup and identify blockages in the arteries, which can lead to a heart attack.
A coronary angiogram is a type of X-ray used to examine the coronary arteries supplying blood to your heart muscle. It's considered to be the best method of diagnosing coronary artery disease - conditions that affect the arteries surrounding the heart.
Microvascular angina.
It causes chest pain with no coronary artery blockage. The pain is caused by from poor function of tiny blood vessels that lead to the heart, arms, and legs. It is more common in women.
What does myocarditis chest pain feel like? It's common to feel a sensation of tightness or squeezing in the chest, either when at rest or when active. It could also happen if you're lying down. You may have chest pain that feels sharp or stabbing, and chest pain/discomfort may spread to other parts of your body.
Heart attack pain may start with chest pressure that comes and goes, sometimes with exertion. If the pain becomes continuous, seek medical attention immediately and consider calling 911. If you have chest pain constantly for several days, weeks or months, it is unlikely to be caused by a heart attack.
Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or that goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain. Feeling weak, light-headed, or faint.
Anxiety could cause chest pain on the left side. However, it can also be a sign of a heart attack or pericarditis, so a person should seek immediate medical attention.
"Chest pain, rapid heartbeat and breathlessness may result when an insufficient amount of blood reaches the heart muscle," says Tung. (See "Symptoms" below.) One of the key distinctions between the two is that a heart attack often develops during physical exertion, whereas a panic attack can occur at rest.