Getting Pain On Outer Ear, Neck And Chest. EKG Normal. Easy Way To Get Relief?

Posted on Tue, 7 May 2013

Question: Sunday I put my right earring in and noticed a sharp pain. I thought maybe I had out my earring in wrong but the pain continued through the day and has since traveled down my neck into my chest. It is a dull aching pain that is worse when I lay down. Also the pain is only on my right side. I went to urgent care and they said my EKG was good.

Answered by Dr. Polash Sannigrahi (55 minutes later)

Hello XXXXXX,

Thanks for your query.

Chest pain can be caused by various reasons, including minor problem such as indigestion or stress, to serious medical emergencies such as a heart attack.

Presence of a normal Electrocardiogram rules out any involvement of the cardiovascular system.

Other causes of chest pain include:
1. Strained chest muscles due to overuse
2. Chest muscle injury
3. Short-term, sudden anxiety with rapid breathing
4. Peptic ulcer disease
5. Pain from the digestive tract, such as esophageal reflux

Pain in the chest that gets worse on lying down is probably not heart disease.
It is likely to be heartburn caused by acid leaking from the stomach into the esophagus.

So, it will be better to consult your General Physician & get a proper physical examination done to rule out other causes.
Based upon that, appropriate management steps could be taken.

Wishing you a Good Health.

Please let me know if I need to clarify further.

Thanks & take care.

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar