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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Tightness/Pressure in Center of Chest
Answered by
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Tightness/Pressure in Center of Chest
by pooh_der, Jan 28, 2002 12:00AM
what's wrong? i feel a tightness in my chest, in the center. there's a pressure that makes it feel like i can't get enough air in. the center of my chest is very sensitive to the touch. it hurts when pressed on, even when someone hugs me. sometimes there is a sharp pain inside and sometimes there it feels like there's something lodged in there. both last a couple of minutes. cold air/air conditioning make it worse. also, it's made worse when i exercise or do any strenuous activity. (forgive my spelling) it has been like this for almost a year. it started four years ago when i came back from a trip to Jacksboro, Tx (that's in northern texas past dallas - i live in southeast texas between houston and corpus). i have not taken any recent falls or had any recent infections. i've been to doctors, even a heart specialist. they tell me it's a swelling of the chest muscle. when i take advil, i feel SOME relief for about two days. i was on advil for about two weeks - two, three times a day. once i finished it all started again. this all probably makes no sense. i already have people telling me that it's all in my head. maybe it's stress related? i just don't know what else to do. i don't want to be on advil for the rest of my life. this probably has nothing to do with it, but i am diatebic. thanks for any help.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Feb 05, 2002 12:00AM
, Feb 05, 2002 12:00AM
If your doctors have looked carefully and have found no evidence of heart, lung or large blood vessel disease, then the likely explanation is that you have what we call Chest Wall Pain. That is, chest pain that originates in the bones, muscles or nerves of the chest. A common cause is an undiagnosed rib fracture or separation of rib-cartilage from its attachment to the breastbone in the middle of the chest. If that is the case, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Advil® (ibuprofen), is appropriate.
The pain with exposure to cold air or with exercise does raise the question about a heart problem but the history of tenderness suggests that it arises in the chest wall and is musculoskeletal. If so, stress could make it worse.
The important thing is to be sure that the proper testing has been done to demonstrate that there is nothing wrong with your heart or lungs. Then you may just have to take anti-inflammatory drugs for a while.
The pain with exposure to cold air or with exercise does raise the question about a heart problem but the history of tenderness suggests that it arises in the chest wall and is musculoskeletal. If so, stress could make it worse.
The important thing is to be sure that the proper testing has been done to demonstrate that there is nothing wrong with your heart or lungs. Then you may just have to take anti-inflammatory drugs for a while.
Member Comments (5)
by Dusty57, Feb 01, 2002 12:00AM
Could you possibly have Costochondritis - Chest wall syndrome?
by pooh_der, Feb 01, 2002 12:00AM
To: Dusty57
i have never heard of that. can you tell me more about it?
by Dusty57, Feb 01, 2002 12:00AM
Costochondritis is chest wall inflammation. Similar to Teitze Syndrome but a little different. I have learned that Costochondritis can be acute and chronic. There is a forum in the clubs under Yahoo on Costochondritis.
by Dusty57, Feb 02, 2002 12:00AM
Try looking up the words chest wall syndrome, costosternal syndrome, costosternal chondrodynia -- Also try looking in the Tietze syndrome literature for information about costochondritis. For example in the material I have about costochondrondrits it denotes that the anterior chest pain simulates cardiac pain and causes great concern to the patient and confuses the clinician. I do know costochondritis hurts a great deal and it can be chronic and have recurrent acute episodes. Let us know what the doctors finally diagnosis your pain to be.
