Mild pain in the middle of the chest. Pressing pain in the chest in the middle - causes, symptoms and treatment

Pain in the middle of the sternum often indicates that a person has problems with internal organs respiratory system or abdominal cavity.
When diagnosing a problem, doctors consider all options, so they prescribe a whole range of studies. The diagnostic process examines the functionality and structure of:

• esophagus;
• hearts;
• aorta;
• trachea.

Aching pain may be accompanied by other unpleasant sensations. Other areas of the body are also examined, because underlying diseases can provoke the development of secondary problems. The location of the pain will most likely indicate another ailment.

Self-diagnosis can be carried out to determine the type of pain. The conclusions drawn after this should not be taken as an official diagnosis, because only a qualified physician can make the right decisions. Dull pain in the middle of the sternum is most often a sign of:

• ailments of the respiratory system and lungs;
• diseases digestive tract or stomach;
• chronic or acquired heart and vascular disease;
• deviations in the structure or function of the spine in the thoracic region;
• endocrinological diseases indicating problems in functioning thyroid gland.

Pain that occurs in the center of the sternum can be systematic or episodic. It is necessary to seek the help of doctors in any case. It often becomes impossible to get rid of unpleasant sensations without detailed diagnosis and prescription. necessary treatment. Doctors will be able to determine the course of treatment only after all studies, tests and an accurate diagnosis have been made.

How to help a person with a sudden attack?

Systematic pain always indicates serious illness, therefore in in this case the help of qualified specialists is the only way out. Severe sudden pain can be fatal to a person, so if it occurs, measures must be taken immediately. Calling an ambulance immediately will be the first step to getting rid of suffering.
There is a certain algorithm of actions that will help delay the peak of the attack and gain valuable time. Before emergency assistance arrives, you must do the following:

• apply mustard plaster, a special plaster or pepper lotion to the location of the unpleasant sensations;
• make a compress based on camphor oil or ethyl alcohol;
• apply a pain reliever (topical preparations are most often used);
• take orally any of the modern analgesics;
• take a certain dose of nitroglycerin (recommended only for people with chronic diseases heart and heart failure).

The above actions will help reduce painful sensations.

Practice shows that pain in the middle is most often a clear sign of diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Less common causes of pain in the center of the chest

Unpleasant sensations in the chest area may not be chronic or pathological. A common cause of the problem is injury. The danger in this case is that the patient may not immediately feel a serious injury or even a fracture. A painful attack begins at any time, so help must be provided immediately.
The breast bone can be damaged in various situations:

• accidents;
• fights;
• falls;
• consequences of work activity.

The cause of the problem may lie not only in bone damage. Falls and accidents can damage the diaphragm, which is a muscular organ that separates the chest cavity from the peritoneum. Serious ruptures are fraught with internal hemorrhage, which are potentially life-threatening. Having established symptoms of internal hemorrhage, it is necessary to urgently call emergency help.
Pain in the middle of the sternum often worries athletes who are accustomed to constantly increasing their level of physical activity. Unpleasant sensations that arise after two hours of intense training are not a reason to call an ambulance. Despite this, it is necessary to consult with doctors to exclude the possibility of pathological or exacerbation of chronic ailments.

Pain when inhaling

Doctors identify six groups of diseases, a symptom of which may be pain in the middle of the sternum when exhaling, inhaling or pressing:

• chronic infectious diseases respiratory tract(pneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis, laryngitis);
• disorders of the heart and blood vessels (aneurysms, heart attacks, pericarditis, coronary syndrome);
• irregularities in work pulmonary system(benign and malignant tumors, metastases, injuries);
• violation of the structure of the ribs and vertebral trunk;
• illnesses caused by disruption of the nervous system.

How to determine the stage of the disease?

Burning pain in the middle of the sternum may indicate active developing disease. Unpleasant sensations in the chest area must be quickly diagnosed, establishing the degree of pain in order to protect the person from possible consequences. Signs of a serious illness may include:

• unbearable pain in the center of the chest;
• strong loud cough;
• blood and mucous discharge;
• Dyspnea;
• uneven breathing.

All of the above symptoms indicate the presence of a dangerous progressive disease. In this situation, a person needs to receive help immediately.

Pain in osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine

Unpleasant sensations in the middle of the sternum can also be a symptom of a disease of the musculoskeletal system. Compression in the chest area may be accompanied in this case by the following:

• pain in the center of the back (especially noticeable when bending the body and raising the arms);
• decreased sensitivity of the upper and lower extremities;
• problems in the digestive tract;
• deviations in the functioning of the male reproductive system (in exceptional cases);
• pressure in the region of the heart muscle.

Spinal diseases can have serious consequences. Inaction can lead to deterioration of the kidneys, liver and pancreas. The main rule for preventing the disease is maintaining active image life.
People who lead an inactive lifestyle fall into the risk zone, as a result of which the vertebral discs lose their functionality and cartilage tissue is destroyed. Proper nutrition also plays a big role in the health of the spine.

Preventing chest pain

Refusal bad habits can be the first step in the fight against unpleasant sensations. Smoking and alcohol abuse have a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system:

• heart rhythm disturbance;
• loss of vascular elasticity;
• narrowing of arterial lumens;
• failure of normal heart rhythm;
• promotion blood pressure.

No one is immune from injuries, which often lead to deformation of the chest bones and diaphragm. When playing sports, follow normal mode training, alternate work with rest, provide your body with a high level of protection.

Timely treatment of infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract will reduce the risk of pain to a minimum. Systematic physical education will increase the tone of not only external, but also internal muscles. Improving the functioning of the heart muscle will have a positive effect on general condition health.
For people who are forced to work at a computer, spinal health should come first. To help get rid of chronic discomfort in the area of ​​the shoulder blades and thoracic spine:

• systematic physical education;
• dousing;
• comfortable and correct working conditions;
• spa treatments, massages;
• bath procedures;
• healthy eating.

If it hurts somewhere, it means that not everything is in order with the body. Many people quite rightly think so. Pain cannot be tolerated, nor can it be ignored. Especially when the pain is concentrated in the middle of the sternum.

Causes of pain

The sternum is an oblong bone located right in the middle of a person's chest. The ribs are attached to the sternum and together they form the rib cage. This bone structure protects the heart, large blood vessels, lungs, esophagus from mechanical damage from outside.

Pain in the middle of the sternum can be caused by the following pathological conditions:

1. Diseases of the heart and aorta;
2. Diseases of the esophagus;
3. Stomach diseases;
4. Diseases of the diaphragm;
5. Mediastinal diseases;
6. Diseases of the skeletal system;
7. Neuropsychiatric diseases.

Heart diseases

If pain occurs in the middle of the sternum, you first need to rule out possible heart problems as the most dangerous cause. Indeed, in most cases, pain in the sternum is caused precisely by heart disease, and more specifically by ischemic heart disease. develops when there is insufficient oxygen supply to the heart muscle. In conditions of lack of oxygen, the myocardium suffers greatly and signals this in the form of acute pain. And , and are clinical forms IHD. However, the nature of pain in these diseases is different.

Typical for angina is pressing pain in the chest. Patients themselves describe this pain as if someone placed a brick on their chest. The pain often radiates to left hand, neck. Painful attacks last up to twenty minutes, the pain then overtakes and then releases the person.

Pay attention! A characteristic feature angina pectoris is the relief of pain after taking nitroglycerin.

With a severe lack of oxygen, the heart muscle dies and myocardial infarction develops. This disease is accompanied by pressing, burning pain behind the sternum, but the pain is much more intense than with angina pectoris. Pain can also radiate to the left arm, neck, under the lower jaw, throughout the chest and even the abdomen. Often the pain is accompanied by a feeling of pronounced fear of death, cold sweat on the face. The pain is unbearable, does not go away after 15-20 minutes, and is also not relieved by nitroglycerin.

Pain in the sternum can also occur with inflammatory heart diseases - and pericarditis. This pathology often occurs after a history of infectious disease. Overall for inflammatory diseases heart symptoms are characterized by:

• Pain on the left side chest, as well as the sternum;
• Fever;
• Weakness, malaise.

Aortic diseases

The occurrence of pain in the sternum can also be caused by disease of the aorta, in particular, its aneurysm. This is a local expansion of the aorta. on early stages It is asymptomatic, but as the disease progresses, characteristic symptoms appear.

Signs of an aneurysm thoracic aorta are:

• Prolonged pain in the sternum, heart area (pain attacks can last several days);
• The pain does not radiate;
• It is not eliminated after taking nitroglycerin.

The danger of the disease is that the aneurysm can rupture at any time, which leads to fatal bleeding. A rupture of a thoracic aortic aneurysm is indicated by symptoms such as the appearance of sharp pain behind the sternum, often radiating to the back, as well as a drop in blood pressure.

Diseases of the esophagus

The esophagus is located along the sternum. Therefore, it is not surprising that diseases of this organ often manifest as chest pain. One of the common diseases of the esophagus is achalasia cardia.. This is insufficient relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (cardia), due to which the patency of the esophagus is impaired. Thus, during swallowing, the food bolus gets stuck at the level of the spasmodic lower hiatus and cannot get further into the stomach.

Symptoms of achalasia are:

The appearance of pain in the middle of the sternum can also be associated with (synonymous with GERD). The disease is characterized by the development of inflammation of the esophageal mucosa due to reflux of gastric contents. Retrosternal pain with GERD can radiate to the interscapular region, neck, lower jaw, left side chest. It is worth noting that esophageal pain is often mistakenly perceived as an attack of angina due to the similar clinical picture. However, pain in the sternum with GERD has its own characteristics:

1. Chest pain occurs after eating;
2. It intensifies after tilting the body forward, as well as in horizontal position bodies;
3. Decreases after using antacids.

Important! Symptoms such as sour belching and regurgitation of food also support GERD.

Diaphragm diseases

The diaphragm is a muscle-tendon plate that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. The diaphragm has a natural opening, the esophageal opening, through which the esophagus exits. chest cavity into the abdominal. The development of a hiatal hernia is said to occur when the abdominal organs protrude through the said hole into the chest cavity.

A diaphragmatic hernia occurs with pain in the sternum in the middle and below, spreading to the epigastric region. The pain can radiate to the back, interscapular area and even to the hypochondrium, which imitates the girdle pain with. Features of retrosternal pain with diaphragmatic hernia:

• Pain often occurs after eating, intensifies when coughing, after lifting heavy objects;
• Intensifies after tilting the body forward;
• Decreases after belching, taking a deep breath, or if the person assumes an upright position;
• The pain can be described as moderate, dull;
• The pain is accompanied by symptoms of GERD.

Stomach diseases

It is known that it manifests itself as pain in epigastric region, often spreading to bottom part sternum. Depending on the location of the ulcerative defect, pain can also radiate to left half chest, right hypochondrium, back. The occurrence of pain is directly related to food intake. Often, discomfort appears half an hour to an hour after eating.

Ulcer pain decreases after the use of drugs that reduce gastric secretion. In addition, at the height of a painful attack, a person may experience acidic contents, which brings relief. In favor peptic ulcer also evidenced by belching. It is also worth noting that in in rare cases Pain in the sternum area also manifests itself as acute, although for this ailment it is more typical for the pain to be localized in the upper abdomen.

Respiratory diseases

Diseases of the lungs and pleura occur with pain in the chest on the affected side. But only tracheobronchitis can manifest itself as pain directly in the middle of the sternum. Usually this disease develops within. Therefore, at the beginning of the disease, a person is worried about weakness, fever, and sore throat. Discomfort quickly descends, spreading to the trachea and bronchi.

Pain with tracheobronchitis is localized behind the sternum in its upper and middle third and intensifies in time. At the beginning of the disease, the cough is dry and unproductive. When a person coughs, he feels an unpleasant sensation behind the sternum. After a few days, the cough becomes wet and the sputum comes out easier. Chest pain gradually decreases and overall well-being improves.

Mediastinal diseases

The mediastinum is the anatomical space located in the chest cavity. The space is limited in front by the sternum, in the back by the spine, and on the sides of the mediastinum are the lungs. The mediastinum contains organs such as:

• Thymus;
• Trachea;
• Upper part esophagus;
• Heart;
• Main bronchi;
• Large vessels and nerves.

Inflammation of the mediastinal tissue is called mediastinitis. The disease develops when infection enters the mediastinum from neighboring inflamed organs (trachea, lungs, esophagus, heart, etc.), or when mediastinal organs are injured. Acute mediastinitis develops suddenly and its first sign is the appearance intense pain behind the sternum. The pain is especially intensified when swallowing and throwing the head back. The following signs are also noted:

• Fever;
• Chills;
• Profuse sweat;
• Cough;
• Suffocation;
• Heart rhythm disturbances;
• Puffiness of the face and upper body;
• Blueness of the skin.

Pay attention! Mediastinitis is an extremely serious condition and requires immediate medical intervention.

Diseases of the skeletal system

It is logical to assume that pain in the sternum can be caused directly by diseases of this bone. But it is worth noting that diseases of the sternum are very rare. Therefore, when chest pain occurs, first of all it is still necessary to think about possible pathology heart or esophagus.

In traumatological practice, doctors, although rarely, still encounter. People receive this injury as a result of an accident when their chest hits the steering wheel, less often - with a direct blow to the sternum or severe compression of the chest. During a fracture, the victim feels severe pain in the sternum, aggravated by breathing. Swelling and subcutaneous hemorrhage are detected at the fracture site. If fragments of the sternum are displaced, damage may occur neighboring organs, in particular the lungs, with the development of pneumo- or hemothorax.

The sternum, like any other human bone, can be affected malignant process . Sternum cancer is a fairly rare disease and is still worth mentioning. Cancer can occur in the sternum primarily or secondarily after metastases penetrate the bone. On initial stages the disease does not manifest itself in any way and the patient does not even suspect his diagnosis. As the disease progresses, weakness, malaise, anorexia, and low-grade fever develop. Also at this stage, a person begins to experience pain in the sternum.

Neuropsychiatric diseases

Sometimes a person goes to the doctor with troubling pain in the sternum, but after research it turns out that the person is absolutely healthy. In this case, the pain is psychogenic in nature; this condition is also called cardioneurosis. The patient himself describes his painful sensations, like a lump or stone behind the sternum. There may also be a complaint about a rapid heartbeat, interruptions in rhythm, “as if the heart wants to jump out.” As a rule, all these phenomena occur after emotional experiences. A person is very worried about chest pain and suspects that he has dangerous disease. In general, a person with cardioneurosis is characterized by anxiety, worry, multiple fears,

Chest pain often associated with the spine, lungs or heart. Few people think about the fact that the central bone of the chest - the sternum - can hurt on its own. And she can - either on her own or with a little help from nearby structures. Problems with this part of the body have hallmark: Pain in the sternum is most often detected when pressing on it. What could be the reasons and where exactly should you press?

Hypovitaminosis, calcium metabolism disorder

Description

Hypovitaminosis is a lack of vitamins in the body (often incorrectly called vitamin deficiency). Calcium metabolism disorder is a syndrome in which calcium is either insufficiently or too intensively excreted from the body. Both problems lead to the same symptom - pain in the middle of the chest when pressed. With a lack of vitamins, the muscles connecting the sternum and ribs suffer.

With a lack or excess of calcium, the sternum itself hurts.

Nature of pain The pain is mild or moderate, felt in the center of the sternum when pressed.

Additional symptoms Poor condition skin, nails and hair, brittleness of bones or deposits in them.

Who diagnoses and how? Therapist. Methods: blood and urine analysis.

Treatment Vitamins, magnesium preparations.

Severe cough

Description
With strong and frequent cough two things happen at once: the sternum shakes intensely and her muscles are constantly in a tense state.

This leads to fatigue and microtraumas, which cause pain.

Nature of pain
The pain is aching, tense. When pressing on any part of the chest discomfort intensifies at the point of contact.

Additional symptoms The diaphragm is also in a tense state.

Who diagnoses and how? Therapist. Methods: anamnesis.

Treatment Eliminating the causes of cough; medicines to stop coughing.

Infectious infection of the ligaments

Description
If the infection has affected the ligaments that connect the sternum to the ribs, it is painful for the patient to move - any rotation of the body that affects the muscles of the sternum causes pain.

Nature of pain The collar part of the chest and the area under it hurt. When pressed, the pain intensifies. You can feel lumps under the skin where the sternum meets the ribs.

Additional symptoms Temperature, general intoxication.

Who diagnoses and how? Therapist. Methods: palpation, blood tests.

Treatment Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, diuretics.

Microtraumas caused by excessive loads

Description
At physical exercise(especially with strength) athlete may overdo it, resulting in microcracks in the flat sternum.

In addition, excessive chest exercises can cause micro-strains in the muscles themselves.

Nature of pain Pain sensations are localized over the entire surface of the sternum, as well as around it. When pressed, the patient feels sharp pain at the point of pressure.

Additional symptoms None.

Who diagnoses and how? Surgeon, traumatologist. Methods: tests, x-rays, MRI.

Treatment General health: increasing the amount of calcium and vitamins in the diet. In addition, it makes sense to review your training program.

Injuries

Description
Bruises, sprains, fractures, cracks. Everything that leads to single or prolonged application of force that a bone or muscle group cannot cope with.

Nature of pain The chest hurts, with or without pressure. In the first case, the pain intensifies.

With bruises and sprains the pain is aching, with fractures and cracks it is sharp and sharp.

Additional symptoms Hematomas, limited mobility.

Who diagnoses and how? Traumatologist. Methods: inspection, palpation, x-ray.

Treatment Ointments, compresses, limitation of mobility. In case emergency– recovery operation.

Surgical intervention

Description
If the patient has undergone chest surgery, the sternum will be it's expected to get sick, since it had to be touched on anyway. There are two possible developments of events: pain from the operation itself and pain syndrome caused by damage to the sternum or infection.

In the first case there is nothing to worry about, in the second (which is indicated additional symptoms) you need to see a doctor urgently.

Nature of pain The pain is aching; when pressure is applied, not only the place on which the pressure is applied begins to hurt, but the entire sternum begins to hurt.

Additional symptoms Unusual shape of the sternum when palpated, excessive mobility of the sternum, dips or humps (if the sternum is damaged during surgery); temperature (with postoperative infection).

Who diagnoses and how? Therapist, surgeon. Methods: blood test, x-ray.

Treatment Sternal fixation, corrective surgery, antibiotics.

Chest infections

Description
At general infection chest infection the chest may hurt because extensive inflammation presses on her.

Nature of pain The pain is pressing and lies inside the chest.

When pressing at any point, the pain intensifies both in the sternum itself and under it.

Additional symptoms Temperature, sweating, heavy breathing pallor skin.

Who diagnoses and how? Therapist. Methods: medical history, urine and blood tests.

Treatment Antibiotics, diuretics to relieve swelling.

Age-related tissue changes

Description
With age, bone and cartilage tissue lose their strength, which leads to pain when pressing on the chest.

Nature of pain Pain occurs at the site of pressure and slowly subsides after the pressure is removed.

Additional symptoms Other age-related changes: bone fragility, arthritis, atherosclerosis.

Who diagnoses and how? Therapist. Methods: anamnesis, examination.

Treatment General strengthening – vitamins, exercise therapy, healthy image life. Intense pressure when age-related changes may lead to fracture!

Tietze's disease

Description
Tietze syndrome is a common but poorly understood disease that occurs in middle age. Its essence is that the upper (most often) ribs become inflamed at the junction with the sternum without visible reasons. As a result, the patient may feel mild but constant pain for years.

On palpation, a dense nodule with a diameter of several centimeters is felt.

Nature of pain Painful sensations are aching and weak. When you press on the nodule, the pain intensifies.

Additional symptoms None.

Who diagnoses and how? Orthopedist, traumatologist. Methods: differential diagnosis, CT. Other methods are questionable or ineffective.

Treatment Conservative. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, dimexide.

Pain when pressing on location

In the middle: hypovitaminosis, calcium deficiency, infections, injuries, Tietze's disease.

Left, right: injuries.

Ribs: infections, fractures.

Everywhere: cough, infectious infection chest, surgery, age-related changes.

When should you go to the doctor?

You should seek help if:

• pain sensations are strong;
• there is a suspicion of a fracture;
• pain persists after pressing;
• there are additional symptoms.

Also, be sure to watch the next video

First aid for pain

First you need to provide the patient with peace. The best position is lying on your back. You can use medications: analgesics and NSAIDs.

It is worth remembering that pills remove the symptom, but not its cause.

The pain in the sternum when pressed is quite specific. When it appears, you should be suspicious developing disease and ask for help. If you do not do this, you can develop a more complex set of symptoms, which surgeons will have to deal with.

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Read doctors' opinions on this issue

There are two types of chest pain - pain behind the sternum, inside the chest, and pain when pressing on the sternum. Pain in the chest behind the sternum or radiating into the sternum may indicate a disease of an organ located in the chest or below the costal arch, since signals about disorders through spinal cord reflexively transmitted to the chest.

Pain in the sternum, not accompanied by constant other symptoms, often indicates a process affecting the sternum itself. Before dealing with pain in and behind the sternum, you should determine what the sternum is.

Definition

The sternum is a flat, oblong bone located in the center of the front of the chest. The ribs are attached to it on both sides by means of cartilaginous formations. The second ends of the ribs are attached to the spine. The upper part of the sternum is connected to the clavicle, and at its lower end there is the xiphoid process, which is not connected to the ribs. The xiphoid process is a cartilage that hardens with age and by the age of 30–35 grows into the body of the sternum. The xiphoid process, along with solar plexus, is one of the most important centers of nerve clusters in the human body.

Pain in the sternum that appears when pressing on it may be a consequence traumatic injury direct force on the body of the sternum or on the xiphoid process. Sometimes at the time of fracture the pain can be very sharp, a hematoma can form at the site of injury, and the mobility of the chest during breathing is limited by painful sensations.

Injuries can lead to pain in the lower part of the sternum, in the xiphoid process - the so-called sliding costal cartilage syndrome. With this syndrome, pain can intensify with the slightest muscle tension - with any movement, deep breath, coughing, sneezing.

Tietze syndrome

Internal organs can also cause chest pain only when pressed.

Most often, the cause of pain in the sternum, which manifests itself when pressure is applied, is disturbances in the articulations of the ribs with the sternum, when painful points form in the area where the muscles attach to the ribs. This occurs because with prolonged tension in the muscles at their attachment points, the periosteum begins to inflammatory process.

This disease of the sternum is called Tietze syndrome. It is also called costochondritis, perichondritis, etc. The syndrome is considered not so much a serious as an uncomfortable disease; more common in teenagers and young adults

Pain in the chest when pressed in the middle speaks not only of Tietze syndrome, but may indicate the presence of diabetes.

Reasons

• hypovitaminosis and calcium metabolism disorders;
• severe cough;
• trauma and surgery;
• introduction of infection into torn ligaments;
• prolonged loads on the upper shoulder girdle and chest, causing microtraumas in muscles and ligaments;
• one-time physical influences on the structures of the chest, in particular, bruises received by athletes during training;
• infectious and inflammatory diseases;
• age-related changes in bone cartilage tissue,
• surgical intervention in the chest area.

Symptoms

1. When you press on the place where the rib attaches to the sternum, you feel quite severe pain.
2. A small swelling about 3 - 4 cm in size, painful on palpation, with a dense surface on one side, in the lateral part of the sternum at the junction of the rib, when one cartilaginous pad is affected.
3. Acute attacks of pain in the anterior part of the chest, often with pressure, moving downwards.
4. Pain is concentrated in the area of ​​the 4th - 6th ribs
5. Exacerbation of pain with any movement, including deep breathing.

Sometimes the inflammatory process in cartilage tissue can manifest itself as pain in mammary gland, when pressing mainly on one side. Therefore, if one mammary gland hurts when pressed, then you should check yourself for possible pathological processes at the site of attachment of the ribs. This type of pain is non-cyclical, most which is associated with pathology in the musculoskeletal system.

Otherwise, pain in the mammary gland is associated with pathological processes in the gland itself.

Tietze syndrome, especially in the early stages, is diagnosed mainly by MRI and on the basis of clinical symptoms.

Diseases of internal organs

Pain that appears when pressing on the sternum is associated with a lesion internal organs and even with psychogenic diseases. In such cases, it may radiate to other areas of the chest and be accompanied by clinical signs one disease or another.

Most often, when pressed, chest pain can appear due to disorders in the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive systems, with degenerative processes in the spine.

So, why does the chest hurt when you press on it?

1. With osteochondrosis, pain can manifest itself in the sternum itself or in the form of intercostal neuralgia. Pressure can increase pain, and warm-up exercises can reduce it. Associated symptoms are a feeling of numbness in the hand, headache and back pain.
2. Sometimes the appearance painful sensations in the lower part of the sternum when pressed on it indicates diseases gastrointestinal tract– stomach ulcers, for example, when inflammation in fat cells can reach the sternum. But in this case, there are also symptoms of digestive disorders - nausea, heartburn and others.
3. If, when pressed, the chest hurts inside, and more often without it, the pain radiates to left side- a shoulder blade, an arm, and breathing increases the pain, these are signs of heart disease - angina pectoris. Short term sharp pain behind the sternum, which occurs during tension (physical or nervous) - this is a sign of angina pectoris. Pain that occurs when a person is in calm state or even sleeping is a sign of resting angina. In any case, a nitroglycerin tablet quickly relieves the attack. If nitroglycerin does not help and the pain continues, we may be talking about a heart attack or obstruction of the coronary arteries.
4. Prolonged pain, usually in the upper third of the sternum, sometimes lasting several days, is a sign of a thoracic aortic aneurysm.
5. Chest pain is also caused by diseases of the respiratory system. These may be inflammatory processes in the lung and bronchi, tuberculosis, different types tumors and injuries. Accompanied by cough, weakness, sweating, fever.

Thus, we can conclude that the appearance of chest pain is not a clear sign of any specific disease. The illness can be very serious and requires immediate attention. medical care.
Recommendations

To find out why the chest hurts when pressed, especially in the presence of other symptoms, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and self-medication, but you must immediately consult a doctor for qualified help. Often, a complex examination and even urgent intervention are required to make a diagnosis and get an answer to the question “why”.

Our body seems strong and resilient.

This impression is created due to the fact that the bone frame reliably protects the internal organs of a person. The chest creates protection for vital important organs– heart, lungs, large vessels.

One of the reasons for contacting a traumatologist is the patient’s complaints that when pressing on a certain area of ​​the chest, he feels pain. Such a person requires a thorough examination to find out why he is in pain and make an accurate diagnosis.

Injury

The chest most often hurts when injured.

Depending on the severity, the injury may result in soft tissue bruises or rib fractures.

When bruised, the injured side hurts. When pressing on the injury site, the pain intensifies. Depending on the force of the blow, the bruise may be complicated by damage to internal organs and bleeding.

A bruise is treated with cold, rest, and taking analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
After 4-5 days, such a patient recovers almost completely.

Fractured ribs

It also hurts when a rib is broken. A person has 12 pairs of them. Ten pairs are attached to the sternum - these are the true ribs. And two are oscillating, i.e. attached only to spinal column. If a fracture of the true ribs occurs, then due to the fact that they are fixed on both sides, the fracture does not move. But it is also more difficult to diagnose.

There is a bruise on the skin at the site of the fracture. The subcutaneous tissue in this area swells. When you press on the damaged rib, the patient becomes very painful, and he often screams. Sometimes a person with a fracture does not immediately see a doctor, believing that he has a banal bruise. In this case, if you do not keep quiet, the bone fragment can damage the pleura and pneumothorax will occur.

Muscle inflammation

Muscle inflammation can also cause chest pain. Myositis can be caused by prolonged exposure to a draft. Usually the next morning after hypothermia, a person discovers that a certain group of muscles hurts and it is difficult for him to turn. Body temperature may rise.

When pressing on the affected area during a doctor's examination, the chest hurts even more. The pain increases when trigger points are pressed. The radiograph in this case is not informative, but general analysis blood will show signs of inflammation.

Help in this case consists of prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs, dry heat to the affected area, and antipyretics at high temperatures.

Tietze's disease

Another nuisance that leads to pain when pressing on the chest is Tietze's disease. In this case, the patient experiences pain both at rest and during palpation in the area of ​​attachment of the 2-5th rib to the sternum.

The cause of the disease is aseptic inflammation cartilage. The cause of the syndrome is still unclear. But in most cases it hurts the person on the left side, so it is necessary to differential diagnosis with heart disease.

The pain radiates to the shoulder, arm, neck. Periods of exacerbation are followed by remission. Worries this syndrome more often than athletes. When pressed, a dense tumor-like formation up to 4 cm is palpated.

The main diagnostic method is radiography and computed tomography. Anti-inflammatory ointments, compresses with dimexide, and physiotherapy are used in treatment.

How to distinguish heart pain from others? What examination do you need to undergo? The editors of Vesti talk about all this. Medicine toldneurologist, candidate medical sciences, Head of the Yusupov Hospital Sergei Vladimirovich Petrov.

Sergey Vladimirovich Petrov

Pain is a signal from the body that indicates a problem. There are several organs located in the chest and each can be a source of pain. When a person experiences pain in the chest, this may be due to the manifestation of an inflammatory process in the lungs, a disease of the esophagus, but it can also be heart pain.

Typically, any pain leads to a decrease in quality of life, but not all pain is life-threatening. Some types of pain indicate a serious problem in the body. And if you do not respond correctly to this pain, then not only the quality of life may suffer, but also great harm will be done. own health, and even death is possible. One of these types of pain is heart pain.

Heart pain (in medicine called angina or " angina pectoris") occurs when insufficient income oxygen to the heart muscle. Most often this occurs due to a narrowing of the lumen of the vessel that feeds one or another part of the heart muscle. In most cases, the way the patient describes his pain is sufficient to diagnose angina.

What are the signs of heart pain?

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Firstly, this localization. Most often this is pain behind the sternum or in the left side of the chest. The pain may radiate to the left arm, between the shoulder blades, or to the lower jaw. Secondly, characteristic. IN classic version– this is a pressing, squeezing, baking or dagger pain.

Next important point is that angina most often has provoking factors– physical or emotional stress. This means that there is no pain at rest, but during physical or emotional stress they appear. With a critical narrowing of the vessel supplying the heart muscle, angina pectoris can occur with minimal exertion at rest and even at night.

When assessing the origin of chest pain, one always takes into account time factor. True heart pain is not long-lasting; minutes count. In other words, the heart cannot “ache, pull, prick” for several hours, days, or day after day. Such pain is often a manifestation of pathology in the musculoskeletal system. However, true heart pain lasting more than 20 minutes indicates possible development a serious complication – myocardial infarction.

It is worth paying attention to the circumstances under which the pain goes away. Angina stops on its own within about a few minutes, for example, if the patient stops or calms down. Some patients benefit from nitroglycerin, which reduces or completely relieves angina pain within 1-2 minutes. If a person has developed a myocardial infarction, then the chest pain will not be relieved and will not go away after taking nitroglycerin; in this case, emergency help is needed.

With angina pectoris, there is a temporary disruption of blood flow in the coronary artery, struck atherosclerotic plaque. Taking nitroglycerin allows you to expand the lumen of the vessel, improve blood flow and thereby the pain will go away, which leads to pain regression. During a heart attack, the narrowing of the lumen is so pronounced that it leads to irreversible damage to the heart muscle. In this situation, the pain has another cause and taking nitroglycerin will no longer have an effect.

In addition to the classic characteristics, angina pectoris can have so-called atypical forms, up to manifestations in the form of shortness of breath or abdominal pain.

Thus, we see that heart pain, on the one hand, in most cases can be easily recognized, but on the other hand, it is not always so easily recognizable. That is why it is important that if you have pain in the chest or feel short of air, you should immediately consult a doctor.

What can a doctor do when a patient comes to him with chest pain?

First of all, the doctor will carefully ask the patient to tell about all the symptoms. If, as a result of the interview, the doctor gets the impression that the pain may be angina, then it is necessary to conduct a diagnosis to confirm the patient’s complaints.

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What examinations are needed to confirm or refute the diagnosis?

If we're talking about about heart disease, an important test is a resting electrocardiogram (ECG). With many ECG diseases changes, however, in the presence of angina in a patient at rest without pain, the ECG may be completely normal. This means that the ECG data will be within normal limits, and the patient will feel angina. Thus, if you suspect angina pectoris, you cannot limit yourself to only conducting an ECG peace.

An important stage of examination in determining the genesis of chest pain is a stress test. The most commonly used combination of exercise (treadmill or bicycle) in combination with ECG recording. Changes in the ECG during exercise and complaints from a patient with high degree probabilities allow us to judge the presence or absence of angina. If there are accompanying complaints, for example, interruptions in heart function, the doctor may prescribe a daily monitoring ECG. It will allow you to record rhythm disturbances, if any. And in some cases, heart rhythm disturbances may indicate a problem in the blood supply to the heart muscle.

In addition, cardiovascular risk factors are assessed: the patient’s age, gender, heredity, blood pressure level, the presence of certain diseases, as well as a number of blood parameters, an increase in which is associated with increased risk get angina pectoris (blood lipids, glucose, creatinine).

There are typical manifestations of heart pain, but the disease can also be atypical. That is why doctors do not recommend self-medication, but rather trust qualified specialists. If you have chest pain that you have not previously experienced, make an appointment and discuss it with your doctor. It is quite possible that already at the initial consultation the doctor will tell you that there is no threat from the heart. But it is quite possible that more may be required full examination. It is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner. And the doctor will evaluate the symptoms, risks, and conduct necessary examinations and, if necessary, develop a treatment plan or plan together with the patient preventive measures, so that the patient lives as long as possible and the quality of life is not affected.

A very common symptom that every person can encounter; it occurs, as a rule, with a disease of organs located directly in the chest. It is also an echo of a disease of the abdominal organs. Such an ailment can become a symptom of diseases of the heart, lungs, esophagus or diaphragm. Let's take a closer look at each case.

With heart diseases such as coronary heart disease, angina pectoris or myocardial infarction, a person always feels pain in the chest on the left, which can radiate to the left arm, left shoulder or both arms, it is also possible to feel pain between the shoulder blades, in the neck and lower jaw. In this case, as a rule, the sensations of pain are strong, squeezing and pressing, there is a feeling of heaviness and lack of air, the pain is stabbing in nature, as if “thousands of needles are stuck inside.”

This pain can be caused by intense physical activity (for example, climbing the stairs to the 5th floor). This pain lasts no more than 10 minutes, it is very dangerous symptom, because attacks of heart pain often lead to death. With sharp pain in the middle of the chest, a person may go into a state of painful shock. There may even be dizziness, clouding of consciousness and fainting. The pulse becomes rapid or there is a feeling of interruptions in the functioning of the heart, the lips and face turn pale, cold sticky sweat appears, the eyes express fear.

If such pain occurs in the chest area, you should consult a cardiologist., or call an ambulance if an attack has already occurred. First emergency care in such cases, nitroglycerin is taken, which dilates the blood vessels and leads to normalization of the patient’s condition; the pain completely disappears within 5 minutes.

So, the cause of chest pain may be:

• heart disease;
• lung diseases;
• chest injuries;
• diseases of the esophagus.

Chest pain due to lung disease

Pain in the middle of the chest may result from lung disease - pulmonary pleurisy, bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia. In this case, pain occurs as a result of a prolonged, dry, strong cough with sputum production. As a rule, they intensify with coughing attacks and sharp breaths. Temperature rises, headache, muscle and joint pain, general weakness and shortness of breath appear. In case of accumulation large quantity fluid in the pleural area, there is a possibility of blue skin. Lung diseases, especially complicated ones, lead to damage to the intercostal muscles and diaphragm, which in turn causes pain.

Some diseases of the digestive tract also lead to sensations of pain in the chest in the middle. These diseases include: stomach ulcers or duodenum, diaphragmatic abscess, reflux esophagitis. With such diseases, an upset stomach radiates into the chest. As a rule, this symptom is accompanied by the appearance of heartburn (burning sensation, terrible sensations in the chest), belching sour or bitter, nausea, possibly vomiting, irritability appears bad dream, pain in the left hypochondrium or in the stomach.

Chest pain due to injury

Rib cage may hurt as a result of injury during a fight, fall or accident. Blows to the chest can lead to ruptures blood vessels or muscles, which may result in pain in the chest. The pain usually intensifies with a sharp and deep breath, bending, turning and twisting the torso. After especially severe injuries You may also feel unwell when you touch it with your hands. In this case, most often there is a crack or fracture of the sternum. Required in as soon as possible consult a doctor, who, in turn, will determine the exact cause of the unpleasant painful sensations and provide you with appropriate assistance.

The pain described above can also be a sign of thyroid disease. Characteristic symptoms in this case, there may be a swelling in the neck or chest (a symptom of a thyroid goiter), abrupt change behavior, weakness, slowness, fatigue rapid increase or decrease in the patient's weight. Blood pressure and body temperature, physical and mental activity may decrease.

Chest pain is directly affected by instability of the thoracic spine. The most basic disease is osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis is an inflammatory process of the cartilage tissue of the joints. This disease may be caused by incorrect posture, the location of the spine in an uncomfortable position associated with stationary work, or in a sedentary manner human life.

In this case, pain in the chest is either constant or paroxysmal. Almost always, the characteristic changes in pain depend on a change in the position of the patient’s body - the pain intensifies when the back is bent and subsides when the person lies on a flat surface or sits with his back straight.

The disease usually does not appear immediately, begins, like any damage to cartilage tissue, with pain at the beginning of movement, which disappears after movement for a certain period of time. Many people do not attach importance to these symptoms, which is wrong, the disease progresses, more unpleasant symptoms. Because thoracic region spine is inactive, the load on it is not large, so even the appearance intervertebral hernia in this area it will most likely go unnoticed, unless, of course, one of the many nerve roots is pinched.