As soon as the words “chest pain” are mentioned, you will probably think about heart attacks, and it’s true that recognizing the pain caused by heart problems could be a matter of life and death. But there are many other reasons why you may be feeling pain in your chest area, and their significance can vary from the seriousness of heart failure to the more minor effects of a pulled muscle. Acute pain anywhere in the body is a signal that there is something wrong, so by understanding the potential causes, you will be better able to deal with any pain you may feel.

Heart attacks

Heart attack may be top of the list, and not without good reason because if your heart stops beating, you are in great danger of not pulling through. Never ignore pain that starts in the left side of your chest and spreads into your left arm. You may think it’s just a twinge, that if you were having a heart attack you would be in much greater pain, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

The causes and specific nature of your own heart problems will affect how the heart attack manifests itself, and if there is any possibility that you or someone you are with is experiencing a heart attack you should consider this to be an emergency situation.

Lung disease

Pleurisy is a nasty infection in one or both lungs, and it can lead to symptoms very similar to those of a heart attack, e.g., pain in the left side of the chest and arm, and difficulty breathing. An attack of pleurisy usually follows an upper respiratory infection like a cold or the flu, but even if you suspect you have it, you should still alert medical services in case it is your heart.

Pleurisy can normally be treated effectively with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and plenty of rest, but it can be a very unpleasant experience. If you have lung diseases such as pneumonia or emphysema, you will probably find your primary symptom is having to struggle for breath rather than being in severe pain, but again this will vary from case to case. Lung cancer, like most cancers, can be excruciatingly painful, and if you have persistent pain without any obvious cause, make sure you report your symptoms to your doctor.

Muscles and bones

Breaking a rib can be very painful, so if you have an accident and you have chest pain, get yourself checked out. Ribs heal quite readily, but it’s important to check that the broken ends of the bone aren’t causing any internal bleeding, which could be a lot more serious.

Muscle strains in the chest area can be very painful, and the movement of the arms can accentuate this pain. If you suspect a strained muscle, massaging it with an anti-inflammatory preparation should ease it significantly. If the pain doesn’t reduce over a few days, see your doctor to rule out any other causes.

There are some osteoarthritic changes in the shoulders that can radiate pain to the chest, and likewise arthritic or osteoporotic changes in the spine can cause chest pain, but you will probably be aware that the source of the pain is not the chest itself. There are rarer conditions such as Tietze’s syndrome and costochondritis that can cause swelling of the rib joints, but if this is the case you should be able see outward changes in the shape of the rib cage.

Stomach and esophagus

If you have a burning pain in your chest area, especially following a meal, and feel that you are full of gas, the most likely cause is heartburn. This is something of a misnomer, because it’s nothing to do with the heart, it is in fact due to over-production of stomach acid. This acid causes inflammation of the stomach lining, and if you have acid reflux (GERD), the burning will continue up the length of your esophagus as the acid is forced up from the stomach.

There are over the counter remedies available to help with excess stomach acid, some of which help to dispel the acid and proton pump inhibitors that reduce the production of acid. Make sure you learn more about the different options to find the best treatment for your symptoms, and if in any doubt speak to your pharmacist or doctor. There are variations and related problems that can cause chest pain, such as stomach ulcers, but the pain is usually more readily identifiable as having its origins in the stomach.

Psychological pain

Pain is real, whether it has physical, neuropathic or psychological causes. When authors wrote centuries ago of people dying from a broken heart, we still understand what they meant – not that there was anything wrong with the heart physically, but that the pain of a loss could cause the heart to stop beating simply because the victim couldn’t bear to live with the mental anguish.

If you are scared, angry, humiliated, revolted; any number of negative emotions, these can result in physical sensations of pain in the chest. Sometimes this has purely physical causes, such as muscle tension and the circulation of large amounts of the fear hormones cortisol and adrenaline. But we all understand the concept of feeling the pain of distress, loss and spiritual abandonment in its physical manifestation.

If you suspect there is an emotional root to the pain you’re feeling, talking therapies, meditation, mindfulness and relaxation will all help you to cope with the pain you’re feeling. Remember, psychological pain can be just as harmful to your health as anything physical.

Chest pain can be an alarming experience, and it’s natural to worry that there is something seriously wrong. Keep in mind what the symptoms are for heart attacks, which are clear and demand immediate attention, and never put off seeking medical help if you have this type of chest pain. It’s far better to have a false alarm than not get to hospital in time. However, there are many other possible reasons for you to have chest pain, so familiarize yourself with the other causes, so you can feel more confident about correctly managing pain in your chest.

Shift Frequency © 2018 – What is your chest pain telling you?