Chest pressure can be a very frightening experience, especially when it occurs very suddenly. There are several reasons why chest pressure can occur after exercise, although not all necessarily point to a heart attack. Since many conditions can often mimic the symptoms of a heart attack, it is important to distinguish the serious causes of chest pressure from the not so serious causes. If you are ever in doubt about the cause, call your doctor immediately.
Possible Causes
There are several possible sources within the body from which chest pressure may arise including organs, bones, muscles, connective tissues and nerves. Chest pressure induced specifically by exercise may occur for a variety of reasons, with some of the more common of these being a heart attack, angina, heart palpitations, asthma, a collapsed lung, a pulmonary embolism, gastroesophageal reflux, a direct blow to the chest wall, a sternum fracture, a rib fracture, a vertebral fracture, overexertion during exercise, muscle strains, tendon sprains, delayed onset muscle soreness or compression of a nerve.
What to Do
Chest pressure that is caused by a mild injury to the chest such as a muscle strain, overexertion, delayed onset muscle soreness or bruising can be treated safely at home. These injuries can be distinguished from other conditions in that the pain is reproducible with movement or when the injured area is touched or pressed. Most cases can be treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen to relieve pain and inflammation, as well as rest and ice. If you experience burning in the throat or chest, you may have gastroesophageal reflux. Exercise can trigger gastroesophageal reflux in many individuals and is managed with medications to neutralize stomach acidity or decrease the production of acid such as Maalox, Zantac or Prilosec. Contact your doctor if this does not alleviate the problem after about one month of treatment.
When to Seek Medical Attention
Call 911 or go to the emergency department immediately if you experience sudden chest pain or pressure that does not resolve after several minutes of rest. This can be an indication of a serious medical condition that requires immediate medical attention. Also seek immediate medical attention if you have new onset of severe chest pain or pressure, pain that radiates from your chest to the left arm or jaw, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, dizziness, profuse sweating, nausea, irregular heartbeat, fast heartbeat or a worsening of preexisting chest pain or pressure. Contact your doctor if you have a worsening of preexisting asthma symptoms, fever, chills, cough with mucus that is discolored, cough with clear mucus that persists for several days, runny nose, difficulty swallowing or an injury to the chest wall that does not improve within three to five days.
Considerations
There are many other causes of chest pressure unrelated to exercise, but nonetheless should not be ignored. Some of these include aortic dissection, pericarditis, myocarditis, congenital heart defects, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, pleurisy, costochondritis, gastritis, hiatal hernia, spasms of the esophagus, achalasia, gallstones, inflammation of the gallbladder or pancreas, shingles, panic attack or cancer. In general, cardiac chest pressure or pain can be differentiated from non-cardiac sources in that cardiac chest pressure is typically severe, deep, dull, unaffected by alterations in body position and is not worsened by inhalation or exhalation.
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