Surprising Causes of Chest Pain

Surprising Causes of Chest Pain
Panic Attack
This can feel like a heart attack. Besides chest pain, you may be short of
breath, feel your heart race, or go numb in your hands or feet. Some people
feel dizzy or worry that they’re about to die. A stressful event can bring it on,
or it could come out of the blue. Panic attacks can be hard to manage on your
own. They can get worse if you don’t get help with them
Shingles
If you have chest pain along with a painful rash and blisters on your chest or
back, you could have this illness, which is caused by the chickenpox virus. If
the nerves of your chest wall are affected, the pain there can be severe.
Shingles can clear up on its own, but your doctor can give you medicine to help
with your symptoms or make it go away faster.
Hernia
Underneath your lungs, there’s a small area where your stomach and
esophagus (your food pipe) meet. Coughing, heavy lifting, or straining during
bowel movements can put pressure on this area. If there’s too much pressure,
part of your stomach can get pushed into the opening. That’s called a hiatal
hernia. Chest pain is a symptom, and so is stomach or esophagus pain,
bloating, belching, and a sour taste in back of your throat. Most hernias don’t
need treatment, but some people eventually need surgery.
Gallstones
These are hardened bits of digestive fluid in your gallbladder. They can be as
small as a grain of sand or as big as a golf ball. If one blocks the way between
your gallbladder and bile ducts (which carry waste from your body), you can
get a sudden pain in your stomach that you also feel in your chest, back, or
right shoulder. This is most likely to happen at night after a heavy meal.
Heartburn
If acids from your stomach go up into your esophagus, you can feel pain not
only in your chest, but in your jaw and throat as well. Alcohol, smoking, aspirin
and other noninflammatory drugs, and citrus fruit can all be triggers. So can
eating too close to bedtime. Call your doctor if you burp and don’t feel better,
or you have other symptoms like nausea or sweating.
Muscle Pain
Being more active or exercising harder than normal can strain the muscles in
your chest wall. You may notice that your pain is worse when you’re sitting or
standing a certain way. Taking a deep breath or pressing on the sore area
might hurt. Scale back your workout and don’t lift heavy things until the pain
gets better. A heating pad or ice pack on the area can help. Esophageal
spasms are a common cause of chest pain, so be aware of your symptoms..
Syphilis
This rather rare sexually transmitted disease (STD) can cause problems with
your lungs. Symptoms include a skin rash, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain.
In some people, it also causes extra fliud to build up around your lungs. This
can cause sharp chest pain and a cough with mucus. Antibiotics will help clear
it up.
Asthma
Chest tightness is a symptom of this, along with coughing, wheezing, and

struggling to catch your breath. It can be triggered by many different things,
from dust and pet hair to certain things in food or physical activity. Medication
can help keep your airways open and help when symptoms flare up.
Pinched Nerve
If you’ve pinched a nerve in your neck or collarbone, you may feel pain in your
chest or back. Too much pressure on a nerve can keep it from working the way
it should. You could have a tingling “pins and needles” feeling, and your skin
could become very tender. This usually can be treated with over-the-counter
pain relief and steroid shots. If that doesn’t help, surgery may be needed to
ease the pressure.
Pulmonary Embolism
This is when a blood clot forms somewhere in your body, then works its way
into your lungs. It keeps your lungs from getting enough blood. Your chest
may hurt when you breathe deeply, cough, eat, or bend over. You may notice
that the pain gets worse when you’re active and doesn’t get better when you
stop. If this happens, get medical help right away. Medicine can keep the clot
from getting bigger and prevent more from forming.
Blocked Spleen
This organ lives behind your left ribcage and helps protect your body from
infection. It’s rare, but blood flow to your spleen can get blocked because of a
blood clot, infection, or disease. If that happens, the tissue there can start to
die. This is called a splenic infarction. Some people have no symptoms, but
others have chest pain, often on their left side. It can get better with
medication but can become serious if it’s not treated.
Angina
If your body doesn’t send enough blood to your heart, you’ll feel a squeezing
pressure in your chest. That’s called angina. Some people also feel pain in their
shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, and back. It can be triggered by stress, heavy
meals, or exercise. Or it could be a sign of another heart problem. You’re more
likely to have it if your cholesterol or blood pressure is high, you have diabetes,
or you don’t exercise or eat healthy food.
Pleurisy
If taking a deep breath, coughing, or sneezing brings on chest pain, the lining
of your lungs may be inflamed. Called pleurisy, this can be caused by a virus,
bacterial infection, or certain drugs you take. Lots of fluids and over-the-
counter ibuprofen, like Advil or Motrin, can help. But if you also have a fever or
your pain lasts more than a few days, check in with your doctor.
Costochondritis
This is when the tissue in your rib cage gets inflamed because of arthritis, an
injury, or infection. You may feel a sharp, aching pain or pressure in your sides.
It could get worse after you work out or move your torso a lot. There’s no
cure, and it can last up to a year. Over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol) or
ibuprofen can help. A warm compress or heating pad at the site of the pain will
give relief, too.
Heart Attack
Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom. If you feel crushing
pressure that lasts more than a few minutes, nausea, severe shortness of
breath, or a squeezing pain in your chest or left upper arm, call 911. Women
who are having a heart attack may have more subtle symptoms. Along with
chest pain, you may feel tired, have back or jaw pain, or feel dizzy. These are
all signs that you need an ambulance right away.
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Chest tightness is a symptom of this, along with coughing, wheezing, and

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