Chest pain is a common but serious medical complaint. While most people assume an ache in the chest is caused exclusively by a heart attack, there are many different causes of chest pain.
Chest pain is pain sensed in the upper body from the shoulders to the ribs. Even though chest pain can signify various other conditions, it must be looked at seriously. This article will offer you an idea of what is causing the chest pain and when you want to see a doctor. Only the common causes of chest pain are covered in this article. Chest pain symptoms can be heart pain when the pain feels heavy, tight, or pressing. The pain is triggered through physical activity and relieved by taking a sufficient amount of rest. You have other symptoms like nausea, breathlessness, sweating, and pain that spread to the arm. If the chest pain is triggered by physical action but relieved after you stop doing that activity, it may be angina.
The tightness or the cheap pain may spread from the chest to the left neck, arm, and back. It is because of restricted blood flow. The arteries supplying blood have narrowed, and it causes chest pain because your heart does not receive a sufficient amount of oxygen. A heart attack can be felt when the chest is being squeezed or pressed through a heavy object. The critical differences between heart attack and angina are the discomfort of heart attack will repeat despite medication. It happens at rest or when sleeping is severe and can come by other signs like sweating, but angina is mild and usually triggered by physical activity. In most cases, chest pain is not caused by heart-associated conditions.
Typical causes are anxiety, heartburn, stomach acid from the stomach into the food pipe, chest wall pain, and a pulled muscle. But it is better to contact a GP to get a perfect diagnosis on how to get rid of the pain and manage the underlying cause. There are some other causes of chest pain. Tenderness and chest pain without any swelling may come from a pulled muscle in the chest wall. This can be painful, but after rest, the pain must cease, and the muscle will heal. If you feel swelling, have pain and tenderness on the ribs, it may be because of costochondritis. It is caused by joints inflammation between the cartilages, which connects the ribs to the breastbone. Other issues like anxiety can also cause chest pain. It can cause physical symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations.
Would you please consult your doctor and get advice from him? Mastitis is swelling and pain of the breast, usually caused by an infection, mostly during breastfeeding. Doctors will prescribe antibiotics to assist in clearing the infection. Shingle is an infection of the skin and the nerve around it. The herpes varicella virus causes it. Due to the complex system of nerves in the human body, the cause of the pain may arrive from elsewhere, like the abdomen. If you are suspicious regarding the cause of your chest pain, immediately consult your doctor to get medications.
Angina is chest pain that occurs because of poor blood flow to the heart. An angina attack may feel like crushing pain or pressure on the chest, and the discomfort may radiate through the back and into the arms as well. Stable angina happens during a particular activity, like having a large meal or being active. Unstable angina has no specific trigger, but it still needs to be seen by a medical professional and treated.
Heart attacks, also known as a myocardial infarction, happen when plaque blocks blood flow to part of the heart. The muscles of the heart can become damaged or die off completely, causing a medical emergency. Chest pain from myocardial infarction is often described as heaviness in the chest or a crushing, radiating ache. The discomfort from a heart attack can radiate into the left arm, the back, the neck, and into the jaw as well.
Heartburn can cause pain in the chest area, especially if acid reflux is already present. Acid reflux is the buildup of stomach acid into the esophagus. Most people describe this type of chest pain as long-lasting and a burning sensation, although the pain can also feel sharp and radiate up into the neck. Acid reflux is a common issue and can be treated with several medications that lower the PH balance of the stomach. Consult your primary physician before taking any new medicines.
Panic attacks are another common cause of chest pain. When someone is experiencing high anxiety, they have discomfort in the chest. This often occurs because the individual experiencing the panic attack tightens their muscles and hyperventilates. The pain is often short-lasting or comes in spurts, while shortness of breath and dizziness may also be present. Panic attacks typically peak within 15 minutes and end within 30 minutes of a high-stress situation. The discomfort is usually centralized in the middle of the chest and may feel like a stabbing or shooting pain.
Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs. Typically, pneumonia is caused by viral or bacterial infections but can also be caused by autoimmune diseases. Chest pain caused by pneumonia generally is a sharp sensation when the patient takes deep breaths. It is usually accompanied by fever and a hacking, productive cough. Wheezing may also be present. A physician should be consulted for this type of pain immediately, as pneumonia can be dangerous for the elderly, children, and those with compromised immune systems.
Muscle strain and rib fractures can also cause chest pain. Typically this type of discomfort is shallow and feels like it is on the skin or above the bone. The sensation is described as an aching pain that gets worse during movement. Rib fractures can also cause pain that gets substantially worse when taking a breath. Characteristically this type of pain is caused by physical exertion or traumatic injury. It is vital to have this pain checked immediately, as rib fractures can be dangerous.
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