Have you ever had stabbing and burning pain in your chest? You need to be vigilant, because chest muscle pain is a symptom of a heart attack. What causes chest muscle pain and what are the symptoms?
Chest muscle pain should not be taken lightly, because it can become a complication if left unchecked. Therefore, you need to determine the cause so that it is handled appropriately. What causes muscle pain and how to treat it? Here’s more information.
Table of Contents
Causes of Chest Muscle Pain
The causes of chest muscle pain are different for each person. However, this condition is often associated with heart disease, namely:
- Coronary heart disease, namely blockage of blood vessels to the heart.
- Heart attack, which is a blockage of blood flow to the heart.
- Aortic dissection, which is tearing of the lining of the arteries.
- Cardiomyopathy, namely weakening of the heart muscle.
- Myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle.
- Pericarditis, which is inflammation of the membrane that lines the heart.
- Endocarditis.
In addition, chest muscle pain can be triggered by various diseases, namely:
- Digestive disorders, such as GERD, pancreatitis, and gallstones.
- Lung disease, eg lung abscess, collapsed lung, pulmonary embolism, pleuritis, and pulmonary hypertension.
- Cancer, for example mesothelioma.
- Disorders of the muscles and sternum, such as costochondritis and rib fractures.
- Other diseases, for example panic attacks and shingles.
Symptoms of Chest Muscle Pain
Symptoms of chest muscle pain also differ, depending on the cause. Here are the symptoms of chest muscle pain that you need to know:
- Pain like being stabbed or pressed.
- Pain that comes and goes or is persistent pain.
- Chest pain on the left, right, center, or all over.
- Chest pain worsens with activity.
- Pain worsens when coughing or inhaling.
- Pain spreads to other areas of the body.
Chest Muscle Pain Treatment
Treatment of chest muscle pain is adjusted to the cause. The following are various types of drugs that are commonly consumed to treat chest muscle pain:
- Medicines to reduce stomach acid, eg proton pump inhibitors.
- Medications to widen the blood vessels of the heart, eg nitroglycerin and isosorbide dinitrate.
- Clot-busting drugs, eg streptokinase.
- Blood thinners, eg heparin or aspirin.
- antidepressant medicines, eg fluoxetine.
- antianginal medicines, eg trimetazidine.
- Medicine for chest pain due to coughing, for example cough suppressants or anti-tuberculosis drugs.
In addition, there are a number of medical actions performed by doctors, namely:
- Heart bypass surgery
Aims to connect new blood vessels as a shortcut from clogged blood vessels.
- Cardiac ring placement
Cardiac ring installation procedure to restore heart blood flow by widening blocked blood vessels.
- Aortic dissection repair
Aims to repair torn blood vessels.
- Lung reinflation
The procedure of inserting a tube into the chest cavity to restore the shape of a collapsed lung.
Chest Muscle Pain Prevention
To prevent chest muscle pain, you need to avoid triggers. Here are various ways that can be applied:
- Eat food with balanced nutrition.
- Exercise regularly.
- Maintain ideal body weight.
- If you are overweight, lose it immediately.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not drink alcohol.
- Stay away from foods high in unsaturated fats.
- Managing stress appropriately, for example yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises.
- Periodic health checks which include blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood fat levels, especially for people with diabetes and hypertension.
