Chest pain appears in many forms, ranging from a sharp stab to a dull ache. Sometimes chest pain feels crushing or burning. In certain cases, the pain travels up the neck, into the jaw, and then radiates to the back or down one or both arms.
Many different problems can cause chest pain. The most life-threatening causes involve the heart or lungs. Because chest pain can indicate a serious problem, it's important to seek immediate medical help.
Chest pain is not something to ignore. But you should know that it has many possible causes. In many cases, it's related to the heart.
But chest pain may also be caused by problems in your lungs, esophagus, muscles, ribs, or nerves, for example. Some of these conditions are serious and life threatening.
Others are not. If you have unexplained chest pain, the only way to confirm its cause is to have a doctor evaluate you.
You may feel chest pain anywhere from your neck to your upper abdomen.
Whether you’re young or old, male or female, chest pain can be a concerning symptom for anyone. When chest pain happens, our minds often jump to heart attacks and heart disease.
While all chest pain should be taken seriously, it’s not always caused by a heart attack and you don’t always have to rush to the emergency room. In fact, there many different sources of chest pain, including the lungs, muscles and digestive system.
Let’s take a look at some of the different reasons why you may have chest pain.
1. Muscle strain
Inflammation of the muscles and tendons around the ribs can result in persistent chest pain. If the pain becomes worse with activity, then it may be a symptom of a muscle strain.
2. Injured ribs
Injuries to the ribs, such as bruises, breaks, and fractures, can cause chest pain. A person may have heard a crack or felt extreme pain at the time of injury if they have a broken rib.
3. Peptic ulcers
Peptic ulcers, which are sores in the stomach lining, do not usually cause intense pain. However, they can result in a recurring discomfort in the chest.
Taking antacids, which are available to purchase online and in pharmacies, can usually relieve pain caused by peptic ulcers.
4. Gallbladder or pancreas problems.
Gallstones or inflammation of your gallbladder or pancreas can cause abdominal pain that radiates to your chest.
5. Indigestion or stomach acid coming up the oesophagus (reflux).
This common problem can be made worse by smoking, drinking alcohol or coffee, eating fatty foods and taking some drugs. You may feel this as a burning pain in the chest. It often goes away quickly after taking antacid or milk.
6. Symptoms of a heart attack
Chest pain can be a warning sign of a heart attack. A heart attack happens when the blood supply to your heart becomes blocked and damages the heart muscle.
The longer a heart attack is left untreated more damage occurs. In some cases, a heart attack can be fatal.
Many people die of heart attack, or suffer permanent damage to the heart because they don’t know the signs or wait too long to act.
7. Angina
Angina is a short-lived chest pain that occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough blood or oxygen – often when it has to work harder than usual.
This can occur with exercise, stress, cold weather or after eating a large meal.
Angina pain eases with rest, or with the use of angina medicines.
How Can I Prevent Chest Pain?
You can reduce your risk of heart, vascular and other diseases by following a healthy lifestyle. This includes:
A healthy diet. Your healthcare provider or registered dietitian can help you create an eating plan that is right for you.
Managing health conditions you have, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Exercising most days of the week.
Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
Limiting the amount of alcohol you drink.
Not smoking or using tobacco/nicotine products.
(Just_Lifestyle)
