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Mid Back Pain After Exercise?

Today, I decided to run 1.25 miles, 1/4 of which was through rough terrain. (Dropped off my car at a local shop then literally ran back home.) That first 1/4 was run at a pretty quick clip for me--definitely faster than my usual runs--in much rougher terrain than I'm used to, but the rest was at a normal pace (between 5 and 6 mph) on pavement. During the run I had some difficulty breathing, due to the first 1/4+nasal congestion, and a lot of saliva (and therefore lots of spitting). Don't know if that matters, but I thought I'd mention it.

My heart rate, during that first 1/4 was higher than normal (my peak is between 160 and 185; I was probably in the upper range of that, maybe higher).

When I got home, I huffed and I puffed and I... sat down. When I did, I started noticing that my back felt tight, between my shoulders. I also had the urge to bite down on something.  I've felt similar during times of great exertion (and reminds me of my school days, during P.E.--I was the fat kid who hated to run). It lasted for about 5 minutes. Again, this was after the exercise, not during. During this time I also was very tired, like I could lay in bed and drift into cloud 9 for about 10 minutes, and started sweating profusely, though not unnaturally--I did just run a mile and a quarter.

What is this pain? Could it be heart related? Could it have been GERD? Could it just be breathing issues (my nose was stuffed, and I did nothing but mouth breathe.) Could it just be that I pushed myself too hard/over-exertion? I plan to make an appointment with my doctor, but I wanted to hear any ideas.

Known issues
- Right Bundle Branch Block. Idiopathic, no known CVD. Steady. Discovered in Dec 2010
- Allergy sufferer with some breathing issues. (currently congested, thank you temperature shift)
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis (asthma of the esophagus. Yeah, it's weird, I know.)
- GERD (currently taking Omeprazole, 20mg/day)

Recent Tests
- Recently (September) had a Treadmill Stress Test and an Echo. All normal (save for the RBBB)
- Had an EKG which my cardiologist said looked "OK" (RBBB with T-wave inversions in T1 through T3)

Stats
- 6'0, 220lbs (formerly 324lbs, but a fat boy as long as I can remember)
- Male, age 32
- Resting heart rate: ~60 +-8
- Blood Pressure: normally 115/68, but likely higher now due to the *ahem* fatty holidays...
- I run between 3 and 10 miles a day, 5+ days a week, usually around 5-6mph, usually about 3-5 miles at a time. Heart rate is usually in the upper 150's/low 160's during my runs.

As I said, going to the doctor about this, but wanted to see if maybe anyone else had experienced something like this.
2 Responses
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Avatar universal
Thanks. My initial thought was actually overexertion, but after doing some inquisitive searches online, I kept coming up with "stable angina", and it being a sign of silent cardiovascular disease, particularly when it appears after exercise, and even more so when the weather gets colder. Needless to say, I've made the doc appointment.

A follow  up question, though, if I may: what's the difference between angina caused by CVD and overexertion? What exactly happens during the later? I guess that's where my confusion sets in. Is it possible that what I felt was actually a normal response?
Helpful - 0
159619 tn?1707018272
COMMUNITY LEADER
The right thing to do is have your doctor check you out to be safe. Having said that, it does not sound cardiac in nature to me. I doubt that you would have made it home had you been experiencing a cardiac event. It is most likely a irritation of the lungs or just overexertion. I could also make a case for GERD. Also, your exercise tolerence makes CAD pretty unlikely.

See you doctor and get some reassurance.

Jon
Helpful - 0
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