Causes of Chest Pain - Reasons for Left and Right Sided Chest Pain

The first thing that comes to our mind when we refer to chest pain, is the fear of a heart attack. Even though the fact remains that all types of chest pain are not related to cardiac problems. It can be a symptom of a number of non-cardiac problems as well. There are times when chest pain is an indication of a threat to life. At other times, it is not a serious health issue at all and it just causes mild inconvenience. For instance, a chest pain due to a muscle catch is quite a common occurrence. While running at a high speed, if you stop suddenly, then you can get a twitch in the muscles of the chest wall. Similarly, muscle catch can happen due to fast breathing or abnormal posture as well.

Causes of Left Sided Chest Pain

Since our heart is located at the left side of the chest, the prime cause of a left sided chest pain is often assumed to be a heart problem. When there is any blockage in the artery and sufficient amount of oxygen fails to reach the heart, acute chest pain is experienced due to heart attack. This pain is usually not confined to the chest region, but gets extended to the shoulder, the throat and sometimes, the jaw. It is accompanied by other symptoms like palpitation, excessive sweating, vomiting and paleness of skin.

However, every time you feel a chest pain, there is no need to get panicked. Even minor problems like acid reflux, heartburn or gas can lead to a left sided chest pain. The gas formed inside the intestines and stomach give an upward thrust on the chest wall that can give rise to a condition of breathlessness, tightness or pain in the chest, which is similar to cardiac pain. Some people may get pain in the left side of the chest under the influence of excessive mental stress or physical exertion. In these conditions, the heart needs more blood to sustain the heartbeat. As a result, symptoms like intense chest pain, breathlessness and sweating show up. These intensity of symptoms decrease with time but it tend to recur.

Causes of Right Sided Chest Pain

Right sided chest pain is rarely related to the heart health. Still, some of the causes of right sided chest pain can be dangerous to the health. They are: pneumonia, gallbladder diseases or liver inflammation. Pneumonia is an infectious disease that leads to inflammation of the lungs. Here, the chest pain is accompanied by fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, etc. A constant sharp pain at the right side of the chest is an indication of presence of gallstones inside the gallbladder. Gallstones are formed due to crystallization of bile and cholesterol which leads to an inflammation of the gallbladder. Right sided chest pain could be the symptom of some liver diseases like hepatitis as well. Though it is not a very common symptom, in certain cases, it has been noticed that prior to the diagnosis of hepatitis, patients have complained about right sided chest pain.

Sometimes, an abdominal pain is mistaken with chest pain. If there is right sided chest pain, the first thing that needs to be identified is whether the pain is oriented locally or centrally. In some cases, it has been observed that when the gas problems turn severe, an acute stomach pain is experienced by the patient. In these cases, the patient fails to determine whether the origin of the pain is the chest or the abdomen.

The root cause of left or right sided chest pain needs to be established first, before starting of any treatment. Thus, anyone suffering from chest pain should consult the doctor without any delay. In case of any severe chest pain, electrocardiogram and chest radiograph are conducted to detect any heart problems. An ultrasound is required for the diagnosis of gallstones and blood test for hepatitis. Once the underlying cause is determined, doctors decide the course of treatment.