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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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I Have Had Pain In My Heart Area, Please Suggest

I finally went to the doc today, they did and EKG and said it was perfect, and they did an Xray to check for muscular strain....or I think that's why.... Is it possible to have a muscle pulled in the shoulder/chest area, that the pain mimicks heart trouble....??? I thought for sure it was my heart and feel like a hypochodriac for telling my doc something was wrong in my heart area....(although, she does rock....I still feel like a doofus)
Tue, 13 Sep 2011
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  User's Response
's  Response
WHICH IS BETTER, FEELING LIKE A DOOFUS FOR THINKING IT WAS YOUR HEART, or KEEPING QUIET AND DYING FROM A HEART ATTACK??? Since we now know it's not your heart, I suspect it is your scalene muscles; they are the muscles found on the side of your neck. The ANTERIOR and MIDDLE SCALENES attach to your first rib. If the scalenes are tight, they will pull up the first rib. The problem is, your brachial plexus (group of nerves that go from your neck down to your arm and hand) runs over that rib. So if the rib is lifted upwards, it can irritate those nerves and that can cause arm/hand pain. The scalene muscles themselves can REFER pain down the arm, chest and back (between the shoulder blade and spine on the same side). Press along the side of your neck on the same side as your arm pain. Keep pressing and maintaining the pressure as you go along the side of your neck, down towards your collar bone. CAN YOU RE-CREATE the same arm and chest pain? If so, there is your answer.
General & Family Physician,  Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta's  Response
Hello.welcome.It is general feeling that any person having pain in and around left chest always think it as heart pain.Now since your ECG is normal you can relax.It simply looks like muscular pain which can be cured by anti inflammatory drugs.good luck.
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I Have Had Pain In My Heart Area, Please Suggest

WHICH IS BETTER, FEELING LIKE A DOOFUS FOR THINKING IT WAS YOUR HEART, or KEEPING QUIET AND DYING FROM A HEART ATTACK??? Since we now know it s not your heart, I suspect it is your scalene muscles; they are the muscles found on the side of your neck. The ANTERIOR and MIDDLE SCALENES attach to your first rib. If the scalenes are tight, they will pull up the first rib. The problem is, your brachial plexus (group of nerves that go from your neck down to your arm and hand) runs over that rib. So if the rib is lifted upwards, it can irritate those nerves and that can cause arm/hand pain. The scalene muscles themselves can REFER pain down the arm, chest and back (between the shoulder blade and spine on the same side). Press along the side of your neck on the same side as your arm pain. Keep pressing and maintaining the pressure as you go along the side of your neck, down towards your collar bone. CAN YOU RE-CREATE the same arm and chest pain? If so, there is your answer.