Your chest is home to other organs and tissues that may be inflamed or injured, causing you to feel pain. Any aches you feel are most likely due to muscle strain, infection, stress or anxiety, or other conditions unrelated to your heart.
Keep reading to learn what that may be behind your symptoms and when you should see your doctor.
When to seek emergency medical attention
Chest pain on the left side is typically associated with a heart attack. If you feel any pain on your right side, it’s most likely not related to your heart.
But you should still seek immediate medical attention if you:
have unexplained and unexpected severe chest pain
feel pressure, squeezing, or fullness in your chest
have severe pain shooting through your arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
break out into a cold sweat
feel weak, dizzy, or nauseous
have difficulty breathing
Any of these symptoms could be caused by a serious or life-threatening condition, so you should seek urgent care as soon as possible.
1. Stress or anxiety
An anxiety disorder or extreme stress can bring on panic attacks, which can feel very similar to a heart attack. Panic attacks can happen out of the blue or be triggered by a traumatic or stressful event in your life.
Symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks can include:
shortness of breath
chest pain
heart palpitations
dizziness
vertigo
numbness of hands and feet
sweating
trembling
fainting
Panic attacks can cause chest pain because when you hyperventilate (breathing rapidly or deeply), your chest wall muscles are spasming. Pain resulting from anxiety or stress can occur on either side of the chest.
Deep breathing exercises can help stop a panic attack. Learn more about this and 10 other techniques to help stop a panic attack in its tracks.
Because symptoms of a panic attack can mimic those of a heart attack, you should seek immediate medical care in order to rule out any heart-related issues.
2. Muscle strain
Trauma or overuse can cause muscle strain, which is one of the most common causes of pain on either side of your chest.
Muscle strain can happen because of intense upper body activity during sports or overexerting your muscles while painting a ceiling, chopping wood, or some other vigorous activity. Muscle pain may also come on gradually as a result of tension or anxiety.
In most cases, taking over-the-counter pain relievers and resting are enough to ease your symptoms. Learn more about how to treat strains.
3. Blunt trauma to the chest
Chest pain can also happen because of tears to the pectoralis muscle. Tears are usually caused by indirect trauma or a direct blow to the chest. Blunt trauma can also result in rib fractures or potential rib displacement.
Symptoms of a chest injury or rib displacement include:
chest pain that gets worse with coughing, sneezing, or laughing
shortness of breath
bruising
swelling
tenderness
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