Chest pain

[kell8]

Can fatigue cause chest pain?


This discussion is related to chest pain.

[kenkeith]

I know waht you are saying, but you are wrong in your reasoning and conclusions.  Anytime there is angina pectoris (chest pain, see definition of angina) the underlying cause is a shortage of oxygenated blood to a portion of the heart muscle. If a person has fatigue due to unfitness, the mechanism for chest pain remains related to the shortage of oxygenated blood to the heart (DOESN'T mean fatigue reduces oxygenated blood to cause angina)!  .

Weakness of skeletal muscles that causes fatigue with exertion does not contribute (not directly) to angina pectoris (chest pain). Before skeletal muscle fatigue can be the cause of angina pectoris there requires substantial depletion of oxygenated blood and skeletal muscles burn calories for energy and that DIFFERS from the source of energy for the heart which is oxygen (the aorta output from the left ventricle has direct input to the heart). I don't see the mechanism of fatigue causing ischemia (lack of adequate blood flow) to heart cells!. It seems to me fatigue, SoB, chest pain, etc. is a syndrome meaning signs and symptoms that collectively indicate a heart disease.  To say one symptom causes another symptom within the syndrome is fallacious (chest pain and fatigue are symptoms).

Yes, a person can be unfit and exercise can cause angina pectoris (chest pain), but I am saying that if it is angina the cause is a shortage of oxygenated blood to the heart not fatigue irregardless of the physical conditioning. I will go further and say almost always there is SoB (shortage of breath) and chest pain (angina) before there is muscle fatigue.  I can go through the relevant mechanisms to support that contention if you still don't understand.  Thanks for your input :).

[ed34]

I can tell you've not done a real hard days labour before. If you had, you would know that real work causes a lot of fatigue and muscle pain until the body adapts. Try working in contruction for a few days and then tell me your chest doesn't hurt, along with your arms. It hurts to breathe for a few weeks until your body adapts. Oh, and this isn't just me, I've seen it with many 18 year olds in the industry. Try doing 200 press ups, which I used to do every day, then 200 sit ups and 100 crunches. See how much pain you are in after a couple of days.
The question was, does fatigue cause chest pain, and I'm saying yes it CAN. Any worked muscle group not adapted to a specific task can get painful. Can you really not see my point here? Next time you see your Doctor, ask how many patients who suffer SOB turn out to be just unfit. I bet the number is high. Not everything is dire, sometimes the body simply needs time to adapt.
Yes, lifting the weights (cause of fatigue) give the symptoms, yes (aches/pains).
I remember a labourer who had been told by a friend he has a heart problem, because he had a stabbing pain in his chest. He went back to his cardiologist about 10 times but was always given a clean bill of health. It turned out to be a pulled chest muscle which took many weeks to heal. Everytime he did any work, it got worse, so his friend kept telling him it was angina. So everything isn't always about the heart.

[kenkeith]

It doesm't require any special knowledge to see through nonsense and when one is pushing the envelop for credulity.  If true you should inform your boy friend the danger of engaging in  any physical activity that causes the extreme symptoms of chest pain, SoB ("panting"), and fatigue. Sorry I don't  beleive anyone to be so stupid as to torture themselves with activity that could cause a very serious medical problems. Readers should not believe their chest pain, fatigue and so on is related to being unfit and make excuses....that is the message you are providing (if believed!!).

If you can connect fatigue as a cause of chest pain, and you will stay on the subject. The OP deserves a proper answer not nonsense, and if there is chest pain don't excuse it as being unfit or overweight, etc.  It is prudent to see a cardiologist as it could be angina pectoris.  Angina is chest pain, possibly pain in the jaw, back and radiating pain down the left arm caused by insufficient oxygenated blood flow to the heart cells.  There could be other causes for hypokinesis (lack of oxygen in heart tissue) that will produce the same symptoms and that could include respirtory problems, anemia, etc. with or without exertion.

Now you say the two together chest pain and fatigue are related to heavy lifting...wouldn't the cause be heavy lifting for the symptoms?!  

[ed34]

Psychoanalysis is not your forte :) I would leave that to the experts.

I suppose it depends on how you 'define' chest pain. Are you saying chest pains are 'always' cardiac in origin?

"What does that show?"
What it shows is that being unfit relates to many things in the body. If someone very unfit suddenly decides to do a lot of heavy lifting, they are bound to get fatigued and chest pains. So, the two can very easily be related. The question itself is not clear regarding circumstances, but fatigued muscles wherever they are, can hurt.

[kenkeith]

The question is can fatigue CAUSE chest pain?

Rather convoluted answer.  Doesn't provide any mechanism for the chest pain caused by fatigue other than a story.:) The chest pain would be cardio related not due to fatigue.

COMMENT:  If we go for a walk, he complains of leg muscles aching, chest aching, and while watching him pant, it makes me realise how fit I am even with CAD.

>>>> What does that show?! Doesn't make sense as it relates to kell8's question.  I don't believe your friend has all those problems without a heart problem...he may not be telling you the truth to get sympathy.  You two are probably competing who has the most most symptoms:)

[ed34]

I've experienced MI and muscular chest pains. It really isn't easy to tell the difference sometimes. Even now if I feel a certain muscle discomfort, it sets off all kinds of alarm bells because it feels so similar to heart attack. It's also very possible that shortness of breath is just down to being unfit. I have a friend for example who pants much more than me and an angiogram has shown he has great arteries and an echo showed a very healthy heart. He's simply unfit. If we go for a walk, he complains of leg muscles aching, chest aching, and while watching him pant, it makes me realise how fit I am even with CAD.
If your cardiovascular system is out of shape, and your muscles, then you will ache and get fatigue.

[kenkeith]

Muscle fatique, chest pains, shortness of breath are all symptoms of  possible heart problem caused by an inadequate supply of blood from reduced cardiac output.  When there is an inadequate supply of blood the body system constricts blood vessels to increase the short supply of blood for the heart, brain, etc.  If the blood flow is insufficient to the heart there will be chest pains.  A reduction of blood flow to the skeletal muscles will cause fatigue.  The fatigue is not a cause of chest pain, and chest pain is not a cause of skeletal muscle fatigue.

Hope that answers your question.  If you have any further questions you are welcome to respond.  Take care and thanks for the question.