Pounding, very uncomfortable heart and skipped/extra beats when playing soccer

[johnson20]

I am a reasonably fit 26 year old male who has had a normal ecg in the last year or so.

My problem is when playing soccer, usually straight after the first exertion, i instantly become aware of my heart pounding very hard.  It isn't beating particularly fast, say around 110-120 and i don't feel tired or out of breath, but the pounding is very over powering.  This is usually followed by some very worrying 'fluttering' sensations which i can only think are skipped or extra beats.

thanks

[Forum-M.D.-MJM]

Hello,
I doubt this is anything serious and should be relatively easy to diagnose.  See your doctor and expain your concerns.  They will check your EKG and either order a holter monitor for you to wear while you exercise or order an exercise stress test.  It is probably just increased adrenaline early into exercise but it is better to be sure.  The holter will help you figure if it is an arrhythmia.  If there is a murmur on heart exam, your doctor might order an echo.

If you have a history of in your family of sudden cardiac death at a young age or syncope (passing out), it is worth mentioning this to your doctor.  I hope this helps.

Good luck and thanks for posting.

[arthur]

I get exactly the same thing, but for me it started when I was about 53.  I still play soccer (now 59).  For me it turned out to be premature atrial depolarizations (often called PACs, APCs, or mis-called PVCs).  They are premature beats stemming from the atria (upper chambers of the heart), which can be due to surges of adrenaline.  Do you get a flurry of them immediately after a couple of sprints?  That's a pretty good diagnostic.

For me these eventually led to PAF (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation), which needed some attention (in my case, a rf ablation to toast the offending electrically active cells found in/near the atria).  5 years post ablation, I have had some recurrence of the PAF.  I am now trying a very small dose of a beta blocker to blunt the adrenaline effect while not completely screwing me over regarding sprinting.  It seems to work, as now it's been three months of hard workouts and games without an incident of PAF.  But if it does not work, I can always undergo a second ablation, and the prognosis is quite good as the technology has come a long way these past 6 years.

Best thing for you is to see a cardio, and even better, an electrophysiologist for a learned opinion as to prognosis.

Keep on kickin'

-Arthur