Left-side chest pain can stem from various issues, including heart-related problems (like angina, pericarditis, or heart attack), lung conditions (pneumonia, pleurisy, asthma), digestive issues (reflux, gastritis), or musculoskeletal problems (muscle strain, costochondritis, rib injury), and even anxiety or shingles; it's crucial to seek immediate medical attention (call 000 in Australia) if pain is severe, lasts long, or comes with shortness of breath, sweating, or dizziness, as it could signal a heart attack.
If you have chest pain that's new and severe, or associated with other symptoms like shortness of breath or nausea, these are reasons that you should go to the emergency department. Classically, heart pain is in the center or left side of the chest, and it may radiate down the left arm or into the jaw.
Medicines used to treat some of the most common causes of chest pain include:
Usually, chest pain is less likely due to a heart condition if it happens with: A sour taste or a feeling of food coming back up into the mouth. Trouble swallowing. Pain that gets better or worse when you change body position.
It can also be caused by reflux, esophageal spasm, lung issues such as asthma or COPD, musculoskeletal pain, and stress. Unfortunately, it can be hard to tell the difference between chest pain associated with one of those conditions and chest pain associated with a heart attack.
A person may want to take aspirin if they have chest pain. A pain reliever, such as aspirin, can help alleviate the heart pain associated with less severe cases. According to the American Heart Association , some healthcare professionals may recommend consistent use of low dose aspirin to help prevent heart attacks.
Cardiac chest pain typically has specific characteristics that distinguish it from other types of chest discomfort. Heart-related pain is often described as pressure, squeezing, tightness, or heaviness in the chest, rather than sharp or stabbing sensations.
What are the most common causes of chest pain?
Call Triple Zero (000) if you have any of these symptoms along with chest pain: A sudden feeling of pressure, squeezing, tightness, or crushing under your breastbone. Chest pain that spreads to your jaw, left arm, or back. Sudden, sharp chest pain with shortness of breath, especially after a long period of inactivity.
Symptoms
There are a few home remedies for chest pain that may provide relief:
A visit to the ER for chest pain can be life-saving. When your chest pain persists, is severe, or is accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, radiating pain, and changes in heart rate and blood pressure, call 911 immediately.
Having less water in your body means that your blood is thicker, and your heart needs to pump harder. Electrolyte levels can also be disturbed by dehydration, making minerals such as sodium and potassium imbalanced and causing the heart to beat abnormally. The loss in proportion can lead to chest pain or soreness.
Most people having a heart attack feel discomfort in the center of the chest. It can last more than a few minutes, or it may go away and then return. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain. Discomfort in other areas of the upper body.
Gastrointestinal Sources: Conditions like gastritis, ulcers, or acid reflux can radiate pain to the left upper side. Spleen Problems: Enlarged spleen due to infection or disease can cause upper-left abdominal pain. Kidney Stones or Infection: Though usually felt lower, pain may travel upward or sideways.
Call 911 or your local emergency number if you have sudden severe chest pain or any unexplained chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes. Also get emergency medical help if you have: Sudden severe upper back or neck pain. Sudden severe stomach pain.
Phone 999 immediately if: You or someone else has symptoms like: central chest pain or discomfort in the chest that doesn't go away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing. pain that radiates down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach.
Checking your pulse
Taking a pulse is a very important part of heart health checks. It measures the number of heart beats per minute, assesses if the pulse is regular or not, and identifies the strength of the pulse. Your nurse or doctor may check your pulse, or you can check it yourself.
Other conditions also can cause chest pain, such as:
Pulmonary embolism (a blockage in a lung artery) Aortic dissection (tearing of a major artery) A lung infection. Aortic stenosis (narrowing of the heart's aortic valve)
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.
Chest Pain Doesn't Have to be Severe to Get Help
If you have chest pain that keeps occurring, tell your doctor. Angina, or recurring chest pain, can be a sign of coronary artery disease (blocked or narrow blood vessels) or an imminent heart attack.
It's typically sharp or stabbing and occurs during or after anxiety spikes. Cardiac chest pain generally feels like pressure or squeezing and may spread to other areas like the arms or jaw. It often intensifies with physical activity. An electrocardiogram (ECG) and other tests can rule out heart issues.
You should always take chest pain seriously. Even if the pain is mild or goes away on its own, it could still be a sign of a serious health problem. Here's when you should seek medical care for chest pain: It comes on quickly and feels intense.
Chest pain can be due to a number of causes, but if a patient has developed chest pain, especially while exercising, they should definitely see a doctor. In general, all chest pains should be evaluated by a physician unless there was a clear and reversible cause for it (mild trauma, cuts, burns, bruises, etc.).