Anxiety Chest Pain

Anxiety chest pain is a common occurrence among people who are suffering from anxiety disorders. It gives a twitching sensation in the chest muscles, pressure, numbness, and burning sensation in the chest wall. The pain may be felt in one particular area like the center of the chest or on various spots all over the chest region. It may get extended to the shoulder and neck as well. The pain could be recurring or it could be a constant anxiety chest pain. Other symptoms of anxiety chest pain are abdominal pressure, irregular breathing, nausea, dizziness, fainting, chills and hot flushes.

What Causes Anxiety Chest Pain?

The causes of anxiety chest pain are not at all life-threatening. They are either related to nerve pain or muscle pain, or can result from indigestion. The main causes of anxiety chest pain are as follows:

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD: Anxiety causes formation of excess of acid in the stomach which when start moving backward into the esophagus then it causes a burning chest pain and a sense of fullness within the chest.

Muscle Pain: One of the common anxiety symptoms is a continuous physical tension and tightness in a series of muscles. When the muscles of the chest wall get contracted involuntarily due to anxiety then one start getting the feel of chest pain.

Stress: When the mind is under excess of stress, then one tends to feel a sense of pressure in the chest region which is often termed as stress anxiety chest pain. This can affects normal breathing of an individual. Stress anxiety chest pain may be felt for a few seconds or it could be long lasting.

Precordial Catch Syndrome: This causes chest pain mostly in children and adolescents. Adults rarely get chest pain due to this condition. It is a sharp pain felt at the left side of the chest or the armpit. The duration of the pain may vary from a few seconds to a few minutes and then it disappears. Deep breathing may aggravate the pain further. The exact cause has not yet been ascertained but it is believed to be a sudden cramp in a localized muscle caused due to panic attack.

How to Get Rid of Anxiety Chest Pain?

The main aim of anxiety chest pain treatment is to reduce the anxiety symptoms. Therefore, it does not involve use of any medication to relieve the chest pain. Rather, antidepressants are prescribed for anxiety chest pain relief. However, one tend to get addictive towards such kind of medicines and have adverse side effects. So, physicians mostly take the help of various therapies along with the medicines to reduce the anxiety at the earliest. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one such effective treatment where the thought patterns of the patient are changed. As a result, the patient start identifying the causes of the deep rooted fear and learn to manage them. Exercises is also an excellent treatment for anxiety chest pain. When anxiety exercises are done regularly the stress levels are reduced and one gets less anxiety.

Even though the cause of anxiety chest pain is harmless, one should always consult a doctor to confirm the actual cause(s) behind the chest pain. Once the treatment starts, the condition improves within a week or two, in most cases. Now that you understand the anxiety chest pain symptoms and causes, if you or your loved ones show any of these symptoms, you will not be getting the fear of heart attacks. Thus, you can prevent further aggravation of the symptoms.