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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Pain in chest/back
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Pain in chest/back
by MTV, Aug 07, 2003 12:00AM
For the past week, I have had pain in the center of my chest, that goes straight through to my back. On some areas of my chest and over my left breast and under my arm, it is very tender when I press there. I cannot detect any lumps. The pain mostly stays to the center and goes straight through my back right to the bones that go down my back. My doc seems to think this is costochondritis or a pleurisy thing. I am just now recovering from viral meningitis. I had that for almost two weeks. Could this be a result of that? I also suffer from MVP, GERD, hiatal hernia and IBS. There is just a little discomfort when I inhale, but it is not too bad. The pain sometimes feels like it is in my throat also. I just had a blood draw done to check my thyroid, liver and kidney functions, and all is normal. I had a chest x-ray done a few months ago as well as a CT scan done on my abdomen/pelvic area and all results come out fine. How long should I expect these symptoms to last? I am currently taking Advil and Bextra for this and it only seems to help a little. Thank you...
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Aug 22, 2003 12:00AM
, Aug 22, 2003 12:00AM
You have mentioned several things that could result in the chest pain that you described. It is necessary to find out what is causing this pain before it is possible to say how long it will last. Your chest pain is most likely not related to the viral meningitis. Only if the viral meningitis caused inflammation of some of the nerves in or near your spine would it result in your chest pain.
Your pain could be coming from pinching of one or more of your spinal nerves as they emerge from the spinal column in your neck area. The name for this problem is nerve-root compression. This may not show up on a chest x-ray or a CT scan. A neurologist would be the type of specialist to identify if this is the cause of your pain and the best treatment.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the back flow of stomach contents, including digestive juices, into the esophagus or food tube. This is most commonly called acid reflux or heartburn. This reflux can come all the way up into the mouth and nose. GERD can cause pain in your throat as well as the middle of your chest. Check with your doctor to be sure that your GERD is completely controlled so that it is not causing your symptoms. Please read our Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/reflux.html for more information.
Costochondritis is swelling of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the front of the chest. This causes a dull aching pain along the front of the chest that is felt more when touched. It’s common to have tenderness along the sternum and/or where the ribs attach to the sternum. The pain can radiate beyond the sternum. The pain can worsen with heavy lifting. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, such as Advil® (ibuprofen) or Bextra® (valdecoxib), is often helpful. In addition, you should avoid pressure and all lifting for at least a month. This will allow time for the inflammation to subside.
Pleurisy is inflammation or irritation of the pleura, the sac that holds the lungs. This can cause chest tightness and pain, which is felt more with deep breathing and coughing. This can be caused by anything that reaches the covering of the lungs that should not be there, such as bacteria or viruses. Antibiotics will help a bacterial infection, but will not help a viral infection. Over time your body's natural defenses will clear a viral infection. During this time it is important to treat the pain so that you are able to breath as normal as possible so that other problems do not start. Two things that may help with the pain are
1) a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, like Advil® (ibuprofen) or Bextra® (valdecoxib) and
2) heat, especially moist heat, like a bath or shower.
Your pain could be coming from pinching of one or more of your spinal nerves as they emerge from the spinal column in your neck area. The name for this problem is nerve-root compression. This may not show up on a chest x-ray or a CT scan. A neurologist would be the type of specialist to identify if this is the cause of your pain and the best treatment.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the back flow of stomach contents, including digestive juices, into the esophagus or food tube. This is most commonly called acid reflux or heartburn. This reflux can come all the way up into the mouth and nose. GERD can cause pain in your throat as well as the middle of your chest. Check with your doctor to be sure that your GERD is completely controlled so that it is not causing your symptoms. Please read our Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/reflux.html for more information.
Costochondritis is swelling of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the front of the chest. This causes a dull aching pain along the front of the chest that is felt more when touched. It’s common to have tenderness along the sternum and/or where the ribs attach to the sternum. The pain can radiate beyond the sternum. The pain can worsen with heavy lifting. A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, such as Advil® (ibuprofen) or Bextra® (valdecoxib), is often helpful. In addition, you should avoid pressure and all lifting for at least a month. This will allow time for the inflammation to subside.
Pleurisy is inflammation or irritation of the pleura, the sac that holds the lungs. This can cause chest tightness and pain, which is felt more with deep breathing and coughing. This can be caused by anything that reaches the covering of the lungs that should not be there, such as bacteria or viruses. Antibiotics will help a bacterial infection, but will not help a viral infection. Over time your body's natural defenses will clear a viral infection. During this time it is important to treat the pain so that you are able to breath as normal as possible so that other problems do not start. Two things that may help with the pain are
1) a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, like Advil® (ibuprofen) or Bextra® (valdecoxib) and
2) heat, especially moist heat, like a bath or shower.
