Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

PVCS and Chest Pain

I have had pvcs for about a year now, almost time for my next echo, anyways I have since found a way to predict them or it is a huge coincidence. My chest (sternum) will start to hurt and get really stiff to the point where I need to stretch and crack it. Within a couple days the pvcs start This happens everytime I get long runs of them.

My question is, is there anything in my chest that may be getting inflamed, or aggrivated something that could be causeing the pvcs?

Thank you for your time
12 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I am 34 yrs old and I have experienced this chest cracking twice so far.
I have been exercising on and off since I was 14. It seems to happen to me when I stop working out for at least a few months.
At first I thought the discomfort was heart related but, now I am definitely leaning towards a skeletal/cartilage problem.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
pac is a premature beat in the top part of the heart, and a pvc is a premature beat in the bottom part.. I ususally dont differentiate between the two
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
What is the difference between a pac and a pvc? I have noticed quite a few of you talking about pac's and was just wondering.
Helpful - 0
61536 tn?1340698163
Most people have them.  This isn't to say everyone does.  People also get PACs (like myself) and I'd suspect everyone in the population gets at least one or the other.

Everyone's triggers are different.  It could be possible you're tightening up from anxiety and anxiety is triggering the PVCs...
Helpful - 0
170935 tn?1225371076
perhaps you're right? but why did the pvcs appear at a time in my life where i was the most happiest, relaxed and confident i've ever been? i was not anxious, stressed or depressed in the least when i started having the pvcs. in fact i remember feeling them in my chest and thinking it was trapped gas or acid reflux and did not care in the least about them for about 2 months until i had a really bad svt attack and ended up in hospital.
Helpful - 0
170935 tn?1225371076
but does everyone relly have them?? yesterday i felt no pvcs because i had NO pvcs until i tried to lay down and they started. i started having pvcs for about 4 months now and i definitely didn't have them before thats why i never felt them. Why i have started having them now for no reason at all i don't know and i probably will never find out. i find it hard to believe when my docs tell me that i have always had them but just was not aware of them! that is simply not true, i used to be able to eat,lay down, bend/lean over without feeling thumps and flutters in my chest but now i cannot. sometimes i try to ignore them and continue doing the things i used to do before i started "feeling" the pvcs but i just can't the pvcs leave me gasping for breath!!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
If doctors knew how pvcs started, they would know how to stop them.. There is no test that can tell us why we randomly get them, and feel the,. The sternum area "Cracking" sounds  muscular or skeletal, and i dont think would aggrivate pvcs.. The things we know of that aggrivate them are caffiene, sugar, stress, adrenaline, im sure other forum members will come up with more, but its generally a chemical or emotional onset... the reason you get pvc's is because EVERYONE has them, the reason why only some feel it and not others is a question that has yet to be answered.
Helpful - 0
170935 tn?1225371076
you're probably right i guess i'm lucky compared to some people, it's just that i can't help feeling anxious about everything, i'm always worrying about the PVCs. i'm kind of new to all this, i've just been diagnosed with svt and pvcs so still in the stage where i'm looking for an explanation and something/one to blame. anyway merry xmas to you too!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thats a very normal reaction to news that we dont want to hear.. Always looking for someone or something to blame, that way we can feel like we have some sort of recourse or control.. I finds it best just to remind myself everyday of how lucky i am compared to others and how much worse off i could be. i hope this helps you! Give yourself time to heal from the shock and im sure you will be ok.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
everyone has pvc's.. Some less than others, some dont ever feel them, but no one will ever go through their entire lives without one pvc or pac.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You probably only just started recently FEELING them, thats not to say they werent there the whole time.. No one knows why we feel some and others we dont, i know, its VERY frustrating, and you just want someone to tell you WHY.. Unfortunatly this just cant be done.. But the blessing in this is that even though some of the specifics about pvc's arent known, it IS known that they are not going to hurt you since your other cardiac work ups where normal, so what you need to do is accept that the why is neither here nor there, and just take happiness in the fact that as far as heart issues go, you got unbelievably lucky if pvc's and svt are all you have to worry about..

Merry Christmas!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have no answer for your question but your nickname is hysterical.  Glad you still have a pulse. Merry Christmas.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Disease Community

Top Heart Disease Answerers
159619 tn?1707018272
Salt Lake City, UT
11548417 tn?1506080564
Netherlands
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Is a low-fat diet really that heart healthy after all? James D. Nicolantonio, PharmD, urges us to reconsider decades-long dietary guidelines.
Can depression and anxiety cause heart disease? Get the facts in this Missouri Medicine report.
Fish oil, folic acid, vitamin C. Find out if these supplements are heart-healthy or overhyped.
Learn what happens before, during and after a heart attack occurs.
What are the pros and cons of taking fish oil for heart health? Find out in this article from Missouri Medicine.
How to lower your heart attack risk.