“What causes my chest pain?”
Hi, my name is Elaina and for about 3 and a half months I have been having constant pain on the right side of my chest above my breast. If I move certain ways it hurts and if I press down on it, it hurts. I went to my doctor a month ago and she thought it was the bone by my ribs is inflamed so she gave my naproxen and I have been taking it every day for a month and it has not helped at all. The pain is there every day. I also have acid reflux and was wondering if it could be that. But even when I don’t have the acid reflex the chest pain is still there. Thank you for your time.
Female | 23 years old
Complaint duration: 3.5 months
Medications: Naproxen
Conditions: None
2 Answers
Chest pain lasting more than 3.5 months and not associated with difficulty of breathing or sweating or weakness is unlike a heart attack or pre-heart attack warning. I suggest you consult a cardiologist. Your cardiologist may refer you to consult a gastroenteritis if he/she feels the pain is not of cardiac origin. Sometimes a plain chest X-ray is helpful to be sure ribs and lungs are nothing unusual. In the meantime, you may also want to check Medscape or Google to learn about Costochondritis/Tietze Syndrome.
Hi Elaina,
The pain you describe is very typical of thoracic nerve root compression, which is in my experience one of the most common causes for persistent localized chest pain. The nerves around the chest run between the ribs and join the spinal cord by passing through a narrow gap between the vertebrae (the segments of the backbone). There are notches above and below which are lined up to let the nerve through. It is not unusual, at any age, for a slight displacement of one vertebra compared with the one below causes the notches not to line up and the nerve root gets squashed. This causes pain at any point along the track of the nerve, especially at the nerve endings (where the ribs join the breast bone). It's similar to sciatica, where the nerves from your legs can get pinched entering the lumbar (lower-back) spine.
The main cause for the vertebra displacement is sitting for a time with a stooped posture, typically working on a computer with the screen below eye level, or sitting slumped in a comfy armchair/sofa watching TV or reading. The solution is simply to avoid this by sitting up very straight on a firm chair, not resting against the backrest, but using your back muscles to hold the position. The muscles also help to keep the vertebrae aligned. Surprisingly, it is quite a comfortable position when you get used to it. It also helps if you get your computer screen positioned at eye level and take regular breaks to get up and do some gentle stretching-type exercises.
With careful attention to posture, the pains usually settle in a week or two. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are not much help because pinched nerves are going to be painful whatever you do. You just have to stop pinching them.
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
The pain you describe is very typical of thoracic nerve root compression, which is in my experience one of the most common causes for persistent localized chest pain. The nerves around the chest run between the ribs and join the spinal cord by passing through a narrow gap between the vertebrae (the segments of the backbone). There are notches above and below which are lined up to let the nerve through. It is not unusual, at any age, for a slight displacement of one vertebra compared with the one below causes the notches not to line up and the nerve root gets squashed. This causes pain at any point along the track of the nerve, especially at the nerve endings (where the ribs join the breast bone). It's similar to sciatica, where the nerves from your legs can get pinched entering the lumbar (lower-back) spine.
The main cause for the vertebra displacement is sitting for a time with a stooped posture, typically working on a computer with the screen below eye level, or sitting slumped in a comfy armchair/sofa watching TV or reading. The solution is simply to avoid this by sitting up very straight on a firm chair, not resting against the backrest, but using your back muscles to hold the position. The muscles also help to keep the vertebrae aligned. Surprisingly, it is quite a comfortable position when you get used to it. It also helps if you get your computer screen positioned at eye level and take regular breaks to get up and do some gentle stretching-type exercises.
With careful attention to posture, the pains usually settle in a week or two. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are not much help because pinched nerves are going to be painful whatever you do. You just have to stop pinching them.
I hope this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Jonathan
