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Respiratory Disorders  (Expert Forum)
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heart cramp
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MedHelp Member's Question

heart cramp

by goldielocks2006, Jan 28, 2006 12:00AM
Once every couple of years I get this sharp pain right where my heart is. No other symptoms present except pain comes and goes for 15-20 minutes and increases in the meantime with deep breaths. I don't suffer from heartburn or indigestion so I would not even recognize it. But it's only right where the hart is and it does not cover the entire chest. Also, last night it happend as I was eating hot wings. I don't eat them but 2-3 times a year and I had several dilpping sauces mixed up.
Doctor's Answer

by National Jewish, Feb 06, 2006 12:00AM
This does sound like heartburn or possibly peptic ulcer disease.  A trial of an antacid when the pain occurs could be informative.  A pain that occurs once every couple years is unlikely to be on the basis of heart disease.  Most likely originating in the esophagus.
Member Comments (10)

by monette570, Feb 10, 2006 12:00AM
OMG!  I have this too.  I have had this sharp pain, left side of my cheast.  Since I was young - around 13, and I am 24 now.  I am a 24 year old female in moderate health.  The pain is like a bubble almost it hurts severely if you breathe in and it hurts to breathe out.  It's like you have to stay within this certain range of breathing or you go through this unbearable knifing pain.  I discovered as I got older that even though it felt like I was going to die from the pain, if I could just breathe in really hard or out really hard and "pop the bubble" so to speak, I would be okay and my breathing would go back to normal.  I used to get it like 2 times a month for years, nothing I can think of would trigger it, but you never know. Now I probably get it once every three months.  But even when I do, it is terrible. It only lasts for like 2 or 2 minutes or however long I can stay in that certain range of breathing.  Then if I just breathe in and take the pain full on and pop that bubble thing, I am okay until it happens a month or two later.



I cannot associate this with a digestive disorder, I just can't.  I believe it is correlative to my other breathing issues which the doctors keep telling me is asthma yet the treatments they prescribe for me (for asthma) and whenever I go to the emergency room and get treatment (they treat me for asthma)  it barely helps.  I feel your pain - no pun intended.  I hope soeday soon someone is able to diagnose this.

by Protek, Feb 18, 2006 12:00AM
I used to get this when I was younger. It came especially when I laughed and had an empty stomach  I found out it could have been a spasm of the oesophagus, nothing serious. It went away on its own, but occasionally, under the same circumstances, I feel it slightly and then breath in slowly and it does not stay. My heart is perfect but I always had a bit of digestive problems.

Don't worry.

by romerica, Mar 07, 2006 12:00AM
Yes! Thats what I have. I am 24 as well. Im a non-smoker and am very healthy, never had any serious problems. I've probably had it a couple years and I never paid much attention to it until about a year ago when it started happening more often. Its pain only where my heart is and it hurts to inhale deeply. I feel if I inhale deep enough it will go away.Whats the deal?

by TXAZgirlie, Mar 12, 2006 12:00AM
Thank you so much! I have been "suffering" from this for so long, I can't even remember when it started.  I just had another "episode" last night.  I was in the middle of watching Discovery Health and they were talking about "mystery diagnosises" and it got me thinking about it.  The feeling of the pain right in the heart area and how if you breathe too hard it is almost unbearable pain. It's almost as if you have to work up the nerve to breathe hard enough to "pop" the "bubble" feeling in your heart. And then as fast as it came on, it's gone.  It is a sense of relief, but you have to get through that second of excruciating pain to get to the relief.  I am so glad to know that it is not in my head and that other people are suffering from the same thing I am.  The first time it happened, I seriously thought I was having a heart attack or some other kind of heart issue.  Does anyone have any other information on these "heart cramps"? I never even thought it might be a "cramp"! It is the worst pain I have ever felt, with no attributing factors as to what brings it on. (I however do have some issues with digestion.  I do tend to suffer from IBS and Acid Reflux.)  I will say this.  I was out at a club last night and had a couple of beers, and this has happened to me before when I have been drinking alcohol.  Do you think there is any kind of link? Maybe the carbonation? Thank you so much that I at least have some way to describe what I am feeling.

by valherux, Mar 19, 2006 12:00AM
I've actually had this exact same pain ever since I was a child, and put it off due to the fact that it was so infrequent.  I usually get them one or twice a month, sometimes more, and actually just had one an hour or so ago.  This was one extremely painful, so I figured since I was at the computer i'd do a little research.  I looked everywhere for about an hour, and most places had long lists of problems, which included most of our symptoms, but not all.  Finally, i did another search with the string "seconds" in it, since the pain only lasts a few seconds.  I found a children's health website, and it recognized our symptoms and termed them as "precordial Catch Syndrome".  I guess this is more common in children/teens, but adults can get it as well.  Here is some info I found....hope this relieves you a bit :)



Precordial Catch Syndrome

  sharp pain

  anterior chest wall, usually left parasternal     area or near cardiac apex

  30secs - 3 minutes

  increases with deep breathing

  decreases with shallow respirations

  severe enough to cause the child to cry

This pain occurs just below the left nipple and comes on suddenly. The pain feels sharp or knifelike, causing the person to not want to move. Usually within 1 minute, the pain is gone. The cause is not known for sure, but it may result from a pinched nerve. Although these pains may recur for years, the precordial catch syndrome is completely harmless.

The "pre-cordial catch syndrome," or PCS, is the other common cause of benign chest pain in children and teens. PCS pain is usually very brief and sudden, and is located just around the place where you feel the heart beat most strongly on the front of the chest. It does not get worse with exertion or exercise, but it does get markedly worse when the person breathes in. Medical scientists do not know the cause of PCS, but it is clear that it is not dangerous.



Many young people with chest pain worry that they might be having a heart attack. Fortunately, heart attacks are extremely rare in children and teenagers, whereas costochondritis and PCS are extremely common. A doctor can easily tell the difference just by talking with the child