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Pain in chest when turning head left

I recently had three very incredibley sharp pains in my chest about two months ago. They were like a vicegrip. I couldn't breath or do anything. I haven't had anymore since. Recently I have had pain in my chest whenever I turn my head to the left. The pain is in the same spot where I had the vicegrip feeling. It feels almost as if the vein in my neck and the pain in my chest when I turn my head left are connected. I do not know if these are early warning signs or if I am just worried. I mentioned to the pains in my chest to my doctor but he is focusing on my asthma and I just worry we may miss something very important.
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Avatar universal
Same issue with me. Turn head left, sharp pain in left side of the chest. Weird thing just now for me was, when trying to reproduce this pain while turning my neck, it did produce pain, but then I had a very large burp, followed by a few smaller burps, and then the pain stopped. Now I have to turn my head very sharply left and tilt my head down to produce the pain, but it's very minimal compared to the sharp pains before the burping. So strange...

I have been dealing with chest pain and left arm/hand numbness for sometime. I also had had episodes where I have moved a certain way (once putting a belt on my pants, and another leaning over to unleash my dogs collar),  and experience extreme chest pain for a day or more (I believe those episodes were costocondritis). I also had a-fib once for 13 hours and converted back to NSR on my own. I have had all the tests you can think of. Stress test, echocardiograms, stress echos,  cardiac CT, EKGs, blood work, even had an angiogram.  All tests were always negative or normal, except for one time, I went to the ER for the pain in my left shoulder that wouldn't go away for days, and my troponin levels were elevated (1.8 at the highest I believe). They kept me for a couple days and that's when I had the angiogram also.

I feel there a direct correlation to my symptoms and gas. When my symptoms get bad as far as chest pain, palpitations, left hand numbness, which then drives anxiety, which does not help anything, I almost always have gas and maybe diarrhea also. For sometime now, when I feel chest pain, I can usually pass some gas and feel instant relief. While it is somewhat of a relief that I have discovered this, it is still unnerving to have these pains.

The body really is a complex network of so many components that work together. Seems to me that medical science tries so hard to compartmentalize the human body, and I feel that is only hindering progress and understanding.

I am a 37 year old male, and have been dealing with these issues for about 5 years or so. All I can say is don't let it run your life. It is easy to be terrified of these symptoms and it can really put a person on edge. I have learned to not freak out about these symptoms, or at least minimize them. I worry though that one day the symptoms will indicate a serious problem and I won't know the difference between my "normal" symptoms and a life threatening ordeal.
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1 Comments
Hello and welcome to the forum.  Thank you for your thoughtful response here and sharing your experience.  We would love to discuss it more.  If you start a thread we can dive into that.  What type of help have you had from your doctor?
Avatar universal
I have got exactly the same thing. But im way to young to have this. Its not fair. Does this have something to do with not being fit?? I had these problems when I was even younger but the doc said I had nothing. WTF. Could it be linked to a stroke. Help!!!
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Avatar universal
Hi there I have the same symptom as the rest of you guys. I get pains in my left chest when i turn my head to the left its like a burning sensation and if I keep doing it I start to get anxious and harder to breathe and start to panic. Any ideas anyone?
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1 Comments
Chest pain that comes on when you move your head or any other part of your body is NOT heart pain.  Google 'somatic pain' vs 'visceral pain.'
Avatar universal
I've suddenly got this pain when turning my head to the left after last night's sleep. The pain also occurs when everytime I do anything with my left arm.
However, I already know I have costrochrondritis which is a very sharp pain in my sternum as a result of excessive strain (preventing my 240kg motorbike from falling) a few weeks ago.
X-rays picked up nothing.
After having an ultrasound in the area, however, it was found that I have inflammation of the cartilage between my 4th left rib and my sternum.
This is classic costochondritis.
If I pick up anything that has a bit of weight to it and my elbows are brought together, I go down like a sack of potatoes in extreme pain. It apparently feels like a heart attack or someone stabbing my in the chest. Every breath (even gradual breaths) is pain for at least 10-15 mins.
The only thing I can do is rest.
My doctor told me that if the symptoms don't improve after 3 weeks, to get a referral for a steroid injection to reduce the swelling.
My pain in my sternum also refers to my upper left side.
I may have to go back to the Docs sooner rather than later because I'm start to get the same pain in a rib that is higher now.

Hopefully this info helps someone who is worried about it being a heart condition. In my case, it is not. I had an ECG which showed that I have an irregular heartbeat, but I've known about this for 15 years. I'm a 38 year old Male.
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Avatar universal
I know you posted this a while ago, but did you ever get it checked out. I am experiencing the same thing. I am so nervous to find out what it is, nonetheless I made an appointment for Friday.
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Avatar universal
I get similar stabbing sensations, sometimes when turning my head left. I suspect a heart danger, rather than gas or ribs type issue. I get tacchychardia after minimal caffeine and sometimes sugar as well.
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Avatar universal
For a different situation I learn something that can be relevant to your problem...

After a large MI, every time that I walked in the gym I was OK, but when I was walking outdoor my left arm was numbed in about 20 minutes.

I told my cardiologist many times, after tests she assured that it was not heart related but it was always there ... finally she sent me to see a  Physiotherapy doctor.  I explain the problem to him, he took my arm and moved it gently to a position where my arm was numbed instantly. To confirm the diagnose he ordered a MRI of the neck and upper chest area.

Then I learn that:

1) Some people develop what it is called a "cervical rib" a sort of small rib out of a cervical vertebrae.

2) In the upper left chest, near of the left clavicle, we have a sort of "node" where multiple blood vessels and nerves cross.

3) A pressure, external or internal to that point can produce pain and or numbed chest/arm

In my case, the outdoor effort make me to use upper chest respiration, which moves the cervical rib against that particular node and produced my symptom.

Could this be an explanation to your symptoms?

Jesus
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Avatar universal
Has anyone gotten any help on this?
I have EXACTLY the same thing.
I could be in the middle of speaking to someone, jsut sitting there on a computer, etc...
And I I turn left ot turn my head left, I get a sudden sharp shooting pain through the center of my chest. It's usually brief and of course scare the hell out of me, but is it my heart?
It there something in my neck or spine causes a signal interruption to my heart ?

This is scarring me a great deal...
how did the two of you make out?
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Avatar universal
Hi,

I noticed you posted this a long time ago. How things with you now with the left chect pain?

I'm having exactly symtoms you described. In late July, I had three sharp pains in my left chest (felt like a sudden release of some sorf of chemicals with warmness spread acorss my body and nuasea followed with general weakness).

Since then, I have this left chest pain on and off and I can feel it when I turn my head to left or right. It feels like musle stretch. This deep dull pain cuase slight nuasea, burping and anxiety.

I had ECGs and stress test and all came back fine. I play tennis regularly 2 or 3 hrs each time competitively and do not feel the pain while I'm playing. I don't have short of breath or pain ib other part of my body.

Wondering if anyone know or you found a cause/cure for this annoying pain?

David
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