Overview
Back to video
A heart attack often brings an unrelenting sensation of pressure, heaviness or tightness to your chest.
What is chest pain?
Chest pain is a pain or discomfort in any area of your chest. It may spread to other areas of your upper body, including down your arms or into your neck or jaw. Chest pains can be sharp or dull. You may feel tightness or achiness. Or you may feel like something is crushing or squeezing your chest.
Pain in your chest can last for a few minutes or hours. In some cases, it can last six months or longer. It often worsens during exertion and improves when you’re at rest. Or it may happen while you’re resting. It can feel like it’s in a specific area or a larger, more general one. You may have left-side chest pain, pain in the middle of your chest or right-side chest pain.
You should seek medical attention for chest pain in case it’s a heart attack or another life-threatening problem.
Healthcare providers see many people with chest pain. It’s a very common symptom. But it’s not always related to your heart.
What does chest pain feel like?
Chest pain symptoms related to your heart feel like:
Pressure.
Squeezing.
Crushing.
Tearing.
Fullness.
You also may feel:
Tired.
Short of breath.
Discomfort in your belly, shoulders, arms, jaw, neck and back.
Sick to your stomach.
Sweaty.
Light-headed.
Some of these symptoms also happen with lung issues that need immediate treatment.
Possible Causes
Chest pain and different body systems involved, such as heart, lungs and digestive system.
Chest pain can come from heart, lung, digestive or other issues. GERD, or heartburn, is the most common cause.
What is the main cause of chest pain?
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or chronic heartburn) is the most common cause of chest pain. Heart issue or not, you should get medical attention to get a diagnosis and the treatment you need.
What are the most common causes of chest pain?
Chest pains can come from heart, lung, digestive or other issues. They’re difficult to diagnose because they have so many causes. Healthcare providers start by looking for life-threatening causes first.
Chest pain causes include:
