Non-cardiac diseases
With organic lesions of the heart, ischemic attacks, the attack cannot last long without changes.
Without help, the pain intensifies and leads to myocardial infarction. If a patient complains of pain in the heart area and indicates that he periodically experiences discomfort in the chest for a long time, most likely his condition has nothing to do with coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction.
Such symptoms are more typical for stomach diseases, reflux esophagitis, hiatal hernia and spasm of the pectoral muscle, which manifests itself upon palpation as tenderness of the muscle area.
Neurogenic disorders
In pathologies of the nervous system, it stings in the heart due to neurological disorders, a high degree of anxiety and hypochondriacal disorders. Cardialgia, caused by anxious-phobic manifestations and emotional experiences, is characterized by a feeling of suffocation, a coma in the throat, and lack of air.
Attacks are usually short, wave-like, lasting 3–5 minutes. An attack caused by a neurological disorder can be short-lived, but sometimes it lasts for a long time, lasting several days.
Cardialgia of neurogenic origin can, starting in youth, last a lifetime. Their characteristic features are the following:
- lack of air;
- sweating;
- rapid pulse;
- panic;
- fear of death.
The pain radiates to the left side of the sternum, armpit, and shoulder. It can radiate to the right side of the chest, radiate to the lower back, but is not accompanied by toothache and is not felt in the lower jaw.
Neurogenic cardialgia is a frequent companion of vegetative-vascular dystonia.
Cardialgia with VSD:
- not related to body position;
- does not radiate to other organs;
- does not depend on rest or physical activity;
- characterized by a long-lasting character.
Psychogenic cardialgia does not worsen over time and does not threaten the patient with a heart attack, but it negatively affects his state of mind. A heart attack can cause such patients to have a panic attack, fear of death, and cause severe depression.
The patient complains that his heart is stabbing, pinching, squeezing, and piercing right through. The attack cannot be stopped with nitroglycerin, but the condition improves significantly when taking sedatives - Valocordin, Corvalol.
Psychogenic pain usually has a clear localization. The patient can pinpoint the place where it is felt especially acutely. Most often, this point is located at the left nipple in the area of the projection of the apex of the heart.
Pain in diseases of the musculoskeletal system
A cardiologist is not always able to help with discomfort in the heart area. If, when you take a deep breath or exhale, your heart suddenly pierces, then this pain can be caused by a muscle spasm of the pectoral muscles or a disease of the spine.
Cardialgia caused by diseases of the musculoskeletal system increases with movement. The patient complains that he has a tingling sensation in the area of the heart or in the heart itself when inhaling, trying to turn his head, or bend his torso.
Stitching pain can be caused by radicular syndrome, in which the intervertebral cartilaginous discs are destroyed and the nerves are compressed, which is accompanied by unpleasant sensations.
An attack of vertebrogenic cardialgia caused by degenerative changes in the vertebrae of the thoracic spine causes serious inconvenience to a person.
An exacerbation of this disease is similar to a heart attack, but no cardiac or sedative medications can relieve such an attack. In such cases, the most effective therapeutic agents are physiotherapy and physical therapy.
Digestive tract diseases
If there is a stabbing sensation in the heart after eating, then we can assume that the attack is caused by a peptic ulcer, bloating, or esophagitis.
Cardialgia caused by a stomach ulcer is different in that it does not go away when taking sedatives or painkillers, but stops after taking drugs that reduce the acidity of the stomach contents.
Respiratory diseases
The heart can hurt due to inflammatory diseases of the lower respiratory tract - bronchi, trachea. The real cause of cardialgia is sometimes:
- bronchitis;
- tracheitis;
- pulmonary hypertension.
Why does my heart hurt when I inhale? The cause may be pleurisy, an inflammatory disease of the pulmonary lining, as well as a malignant tumor in the lungs.
Cardialgia caused by diseases of the respiratory system is always associated with breathing. Why does my heart pound when I take a deep breath? The cause may be respiratory diseases. When you take a deep breath, there is a sharp discomfort that goes away when you hold your breath.
Treatment of the disease
Therapy for the disease is based on what particular pathology caused the pain in the heart, more precisely, in the left side of the sternum. Only after a clear diagnosis can you understand what to do next and how to build treatment tactics. The specialist can prescribe basic recommendations to the patient: lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, local treatment of pathology. In some cases, it will be necessary to prescribe medications (antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, diuretics, drugs to normalize blood pressure), depending on what pathology is detected and how it is treated. In some cases, surgery may be necessary, for example, for a diaphragmatic hernia or peptic ulcer.
Reasons why the heart hurts
Doctors divide heart pain into 2 main groups: angiotic pain and cardialgia. The appearance of angiotic pain is promoted by different stages of the course of coronary heart disease. The appearance of cardialgia occurs against the background of inflammation, congenital diseases, heart defects, and vegetative-vascular dystonia.
In the case of diseases of a rheumatic nature, with damage to the heart muscle and the presence of inflammation of the pericardial sac, the patient for a long period of time may experience aching and stabbing pain in the left side of the sternum, which is characterized by aggravation with a deep breath and coughing. Taking painkillers can provide temporary relief.
The occurrence of stabbing pains may not be associated with the presence of diseases of the heart itself; they can be provoked by diseases of other organs: intercostal neuralgia, pathology of the costal cartilages. Increased pain in these diseases occurs when bending over, turning the body, or making sudden movements with the arms.
Patients with neurosis also note the appearance of pain in the heart area, which occurs in a short attack. Pain in the heart area can be caused by curvature of the spine or weakening of it in the thoracic region, or pinching of a nerve root.
Common reasons why the heart hurts include :
- myocardial infarction;
- angina pectoris;
- pericarditis;
- development of pulmonary embolism;
- cardiopsychoneurosis;
- osteochondrosis
With myocardial infarction, pain appears suddenly, it cannot be endured, as a rule, the pain is predominantly localized behind the sternum. In most cases, recoil is felt in the forearm, lower jaw and neck. It is accompanied by fear of death, dizziness, shortness of breath, and cold sweat. Nausea and vomiting may occur, and loss of consciousness is possible. Usually the pain is intense and lasts more than 15 minutes.
With angina, pain also occurs suddenly due to the presence of atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries. The pain can be both weak and unbearable in nature and localized behind the sternum. The pain radiates to the shoulder blade, left shoulder, neck and lower jaw. The main difference from myocardial infarction is the duration of pain, which is less than 15 minutes, and stops if the person is at rest or takes nitroglycerin. Most often, such pain occurs during stress and physical activity; it may be systemic in nature, i.e. its occurrence occurs at certain hours.
Why does the heart tingle: heart problems
First, you should consider the main reasons why tingling occurs. This sensation is caused by functional and organic pathologies of the heart muscle.
They can be either congenital or appear as a result of exposure to external and internal factors:
- complications of infectious diseases;
- hormonal changes;
- endocrine disorders;
- excess loads;
- an irrational daily routine;
- injuries
Usually, people who have heart disease understand why they have unpleasant symptoms and try to avoid provoking factors - they protect themselves from complications after infection, and try not to overload the body.
However, even serious heart diseases can appear immediately in an acute form and out of the blue, so you need to know what to watch out for if you tingle quite often in the heart area.
- The sharp stabbing pain becomes more frequent, and it feels like a stake has been inserted into the chest. This is how myocardial infarction manifests itself - one of the most serious heart diseases;
- Coronary spasm - if the blood supply caused by spasm of the coronary vessels is not restored, the result can be sad. The spasm is caused by atherosclerosis, but it is also likely to occur in a healthy person under stress, hypothermia, high load, etc.;
- Angina pectoris - its causes may be problems with blood vessels and stress;
- Pericarditis. This heart disease occurs when pathogenic flora invades the heart tissue;
- Aortic dissection. Causes a condition of traumatic injury caused by blunt blows to the chest area or increased stress. The tendency to the disease is inherited. At first the pain is stabbing, then burning, intolerable;
- Cardiomyopathy. Factors that provoke it are infections, genetic predisposition, a history of myocarditis, disorders in the immune and endocrine systems.
General diseases
Non-cardiac causes if the heart tingles include the following diseases and conditions:
- Diseases of the digestive system. The epigastric region is located next to the heart sac, so reflected pain can radiate to the heart;
- Increased physical activity in healthy people can cause heart pain due to increased tension in the heart muscle. She simply overworks herself, distilling blood for a long time in order to saturate with oxygen all the systems of the body that are working under increased load;
- Pain during treatment of infectious diseases. This effect can be caused by toxic compounds that are released when the activity of pathogenic flora increases, or side effects from the use of medications. Usually, the instructions for medications indicate what undesirable effects on the cardiovascular system lead to;
- Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. When the nerve roots are pinched, the radiating pain in the heart can be quite severe - almost the same as during the acute development of myocardial infarction;
- The heart hurts during neuroses, during attacks of vegetative-vascular dystonia, provoking a sharp change in pressure, regardless of whether it has increased or decreased.
Stitching sensations in the heart caused by neuroses do not go away even at rest.
What to do if your heart hurts
It is impossible to make a diagnosis based on one symptom - the periodic appearance in the heart of sensations reminiscent of colic.
First, a cardiogram is taken. This procedure immediately limits the range of problems associated with the unpleasant symptom. The therapist determines whether there is heart pain or not, and gives a referral to the specialist who is “responsible” for this pain.
What can you do for yourself?
Those who already know about their heart disease should always carry with them medications that can relieve stabbing pain.
It can be:
- "Validol";
- "Cordiamine";
- "Nitroglycerine"…
To eliminate shortness of breath, which causes stabbing pain, some use canisters to even out breathing, for example, “Salbutanol”. As soon as the spasm in the bronchi is relieved, the heart will begin to beat evenly.
Those who have not previously encountered such manifestations should not panic. First of all, you should calm down, ensure absolute peace for yourself - stop moving, put your luggage on the ground, etc.
It is worth unfastening the items that are constricting the chest and ensuring free breathing. If you are indoors, open the window. There is an opportunity to drink valerian, Valocordin, soothing tea, and try to relax. On the little finger of the left hand, near the base of the nail on the inside of the finger, there is a point - if you press it, the pain usually subsides.
Traditional treatment, if your heart hurts and tingles, advises brewing herbal teas based on valerian, hawthorn, mint, lemon balm, oregano, and sweet clover. Herbal raw materials can be mixed. If you have alcohol tinctures at home, this is even better, they act faster. 15 drops are diluted in a tablespoon of cool boiled water and kept in the mouth for several seconds before swallowing.
There is an area under the tongue where medications are absorbed almost instantly and enter the bloodstream. When painful sensations do not recede, but, on the contrary, increase, it is necessary to call an ambulance.
Most diseases are accompanied by additional symptoms, and trying to remember what else hurts besides the heart can help you relax and shift your thoughts to a different wavelength.
If the pain is caused by stress, neurosis or an attack of vegetative-vascular dystonia, then it will disappear on its own after the nervous system has stabilized. In healthy young people, heart pain, even if it occurs during physical activity, is not normal; medical consultation is necessary to understand exactly the cause that is causing it.
If chest pain that occurs periodically is associated with problems of the cardiovascular system, even when you are under medical supervision, you should immediately consult a doctor. This may be a sign of deterioration and the first symptom of serious heart disease.
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Tingling in the heart area is not always associated with organic changes. Quite often they can be caused by various neurotic disorders. This reason is one of the most basic why people turn to doctors - therapists, cardiologists and other specialists (neurologists, psychotherapists). Previously, the entire spectrum of such conditions was classified as neuroses of the heart or neurocirculatory dystonia of the cardiac type, which was the responsibility of therapists and cardiologists. Today, according to the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, cardiac neuroses are classified as somatomorphic disorders. As a result, treatment of this disorder is carried out by a psychotherapist.
Tingling in the heart area can occur for reasons that are not directly related to the heart itself. One of these reasons may be a peculiar form of dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. This is expressed in attacks of panic attacks, in which the individual experiences unreasonable fear and, at the same time, pain in the chest area.
There is also a pronounced rapid heartbeat, hyperventilation (rapid breathing) and profuse sweating. Pleurisy, which most often occurs with pneumonia, can also cause sharp, localized pain in the chest area. It tends to get worse when inhaling or coughing. Tietze syndrome occurs due to inflammation of the cartilaginous parts of the ribs and especially the cartilage that attaches to the sternum. The pain occurs suddenly and manifests itself quite intensely, reminiscent of angina attacks.
Tingling in the heart area can also be associated with physical activity. In this case, pain is concentrated behind the sternum and manifests itself in the form of burning, pressure, and compression. The characteristic pain radiates to the left arm, lower jaw, neck and under the shoulder blade. Such symptoms appear with angina pectoris. If you observe this in yourself, do not delay a visit to a specialist in the field of heart diseases.
Tingling in the heart area should not be ignored; it is quite possible that an extra, unplanned visit to a cardiologist could save your life.
Tingling throughout the body, like tingling, is often not a very dangerous symptom. Typically, this sensation can occur when you are in an uncomfortable position, as a result of which a nerve or artery is compressed. By changing your body position, and thereby reducing the pressure, you can quickly get rid of this sensation. If such sensations suddenly increase while sitting, coughing or sneezing, you should consult a doctor. If tingling occurs out of nowhere and is combined with muscle weakness, you should immediately seek medical help. Such a feeling can signal a number of disorders, including anxiety, herniated discs, heart disease, circulatory disorders, diabetic and stroke conditions, arthritis and more.
Tingling in the back, in the form of sharp shooting pain, can be a signal of radiculitis. As a rule, it occurs as a result of excessive physical stress, or sudden movements and hypothermia. At rest, the pain subsides. On the contrary, they intensify when coughing and sneezing.
With lumbosacral radiculitis, which is the most common type of disease, the pain is of a varied nature and is localized in the area of the lower spine. The pain may intensify during sudden movements, which forces the patient to avoid them. Timely initiation of treatment procedures allows one to achieve quite good results. Treatment is mainly aimed at eliminating the causes that cause radiculitis. In order to recover, it is necessary to carry out persistent, comprehensive treatment.
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Classification
Due to the occurrence of pain in the heart, they are classified into two groups - anginal pain and cardialgia. Pain of the first type indicates the presence of coronary artery disease and can appear at different stages. Cardialgia is caused by other reasons - these are vegetative-vascular dystonia, heart defects, inflammation, congenital diseases. Let's take a closer look at why the heart hurts - the reasons, the nature of the pain.
- Anginal pain is also called ischemic or anginal pain. They appear when there is a need to increase blood flow. This situation can arise during psychological stress or physical exertion. The pain is characterized by a sudden appearance when walking, emotional stress, and goes away with the onset of rest. The patient feels a burning, squeezing, pressing pain behind the sternum, which radiates to the shoulder, arm, jaw, and shoulder blade. This condition is relieved by taking nitroglycerin. You should know that the sudden onset of severe tearing, burning, pressing pain in the area behind the sternum may signal the development of an acute heart attack. Its peculiarity in this case is that it does not go away after taking nitroglycerin. In this case, you must immediately call an ambulance.
- Cardialgia is somewhat different from anginal pain. They accompany rheumatic heart disease, inflammation of the outer membrane of this organ. Cardialgia manifests itself in the form of stabbing, aching, lingering pain on the left side of the sternum, which becomes stronger when coughing, sneezing, or breathing. Nitroglycerin is ineffective for such pain; painkillers help.
But pain in the heart does not always indicate diseases of this organ; there are other possible causes.
So, if the nature of the pain changes during movement - bending the body, turning, moving the limbs, taking a deep breath, exhaling, when nitroglycerin does not bring relief - we can conclude that the source of pain is thoracic radiculitis. Inflammation of the costal cartilages can give the same symptoms. Shingles causes intense pain in the intercostal spaces. Patients with neurosis note short-term heart pain, which can be periodically repeated, is localized in a small area and has a stabbing, aching character. Unpleasant sensations in the cervical-brachial region can be the result of depression and stress.
Sometimes, when the intestines are swollen, it puts pressure on the heart and the proper functioning of this organ is disrupted. As a result, signs characteristic of heart disease appear: squeezing pain, shortness of breath. Problems in organs such as the pancreas or stomach can cause heart pain after eating certain types of food.
Often the causes of pain in the heart are dysfunction of the spine, osteochondrosis, curvature, weak thoracic region, as well as pinched heart nerve root.
Diagnosis of the disease
In order to accurately establish the cause of pain in the left side of the sternum, a comprehensive examination of the patient’s body is carried out. It includes:
- anamnesis collection:
- analysis of the patient’s somatic diseases and pathologies in his relatives;
- visual and physical examination;
- urine and blood analysis;
- immunological and biochemical blood test;
- hormone analysis;
- electrocardiographic study;
- cardiac echocardiography;
- radiography of the mediastinal organs.
In some cases, you may need to be examined by a gastroenterologist, neurologist or pulmonologist, who will prescribe their own specific tests.
Causes of stabbing chest pain
Not necessarily, stabbing pain in the heart area can be associated with cardiac pathology; sometimes it can be caused by other diseases.
So why does my heart hurt:
- Myocardial infarction. In this case, an unbearable stabbing pain syndrome develops. The pain is caused by a blood clot blocking one of the arteries. The human condition is manifested by profuse sweating and pale skin. In this case, emergency medical attention is required.
- Hypertension leading to angina pectoris. With this disease, blood vessels become blocked by fat cells. Poor blood flow leads to a decrease in the flow of nutrients to the heart, which causes pain in the left side of the sternum. Angina pectoris can be a consequence of stress.
- Cardiomyopathy. Starting with arrhythmia, this disease leads to serious disturbances in heart rhythm, which in turn causes damage to the heart muscle and stabbing pain. This pathology is inherited or is the result of infection.
- Aortic dissection. This is an inherited disease caused by weak heart muscles. It occurs due to strong physical impact on the heart area (stroke). Manifested by acute cutting pain.
- Atherosclerosis. This disease causes coronary spasm, which leads to a shortage of blood flowing to the organs of the entire body. During the spasm, the heart begins to pound.
- Cardialgia. Colic in the heart, inherent in this condition, is provoked by coronary heart disease or heart failure.
- Pericarditis. In this condition, pathological disturbances occur in the functioning of the heart muscle, which causes stabbing pain.
- Mitral valve prolapse. This disease causes long-term, unrelieved pressing pain.
- Cardiopsychoneurosis.
How to get rid of pain at the beginning of anxiety?
What to do if stabbing pains appear in the heart? If you are already aware of your illness and know that the cause of the pain lies in a heart disease, then the doctor probably had a conversation with you and told you what to do during stabbing heart pain. Take the necessary medicine and carry out the necessary procedures to alleviate the condition. If your heart hasn’t pounded like this before, then you should probably just rest and take one of the following medications: Valocardin, Corvalol, Valoserdin.
In such situations, it is also necessary to provide fresh air. If a person is registered with a cardiologist, then at the moment of pain you should not wait for the condition to improve; it is better to immediately call an ambulance. While you are waiting for the doctors, ask your household to prepare a basin of warm water for you to make a foot bath and take a Valocardin tablet.
Heart pain in a child
Often parents, noticing stabbing pain in the heart of teenagers, attribute this to a growing body and excessive anxiety. However, often alarming symptoms may indicate the following pathologies:
- heart disease;
- pericarditis;
- rheumatic heart disease;
- neurosis;
- myocardial dystrophy.
If a child develops heart pain, you should not think long about what to do; in such cases, it is extremely necessary to make an appointment with a cardiologist.
Pain in the left side of the chest also often occurs during pregnancy. The reasons for this may include intercostal neuralgia, uncomfortable posture, and vegetative-vascular dystonia. In most cases, this is not dangerous for the baby. However, every expectant mother should promptly attend an antenatal clinic and inform the doctor about any changes regarding her health. This will help exclude severe pathologies of the heart and cardiovascular system.
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Unpleasant, stabbing pain in the heart area very often causes concern and anxiety, as it can be symptoms of unpredictable and dangerous diseases of this vital organ. . Causes of stabbing pain
Causes of stabbing pain
Diseases such as inflammation of the membranes of the heart, angina pectoris, and rheumatic lesions are the main causes of periodic or constant stabbing pain in the heart area. In certain cases, such unpleasant sensations occur during intense emotional and physical stress, constant neurosis and a depressive psychological state, diseases in the thoracic and lumbar spine.
Depending on the duration and regularity of stabbing pains, you can determine the type of possible cardiovascular disease:
- Myocarditis is very often accompanied by short-term stabbing pain in the chest area, even after minor physical exertion.
- Cardiomyopathy can cause symptoms such as sharp, stabbing pain in the heart
- Vegetative-vascular dystonia can also be accompanied by short-term, in some cases, regular stabbing pain in the chest area.
Psychological causes of stabbing heart pain
Unpleasant pain in the chest quite often occurs against the background of various psychological disorders: depression, apathy, severe stress, constant feelings of fear, worry and anxiety. In these cases, stabbing pains are not associated with heart disease; unpleasant sensations appear in the muscles of the cervico-brachial region.
Also, pinched heart nerve, osteochondrosis, lordosis and scoliosis of the spine are common causes of stabbing heart pain.
What to do if you experience discomfort in the chest area?
For the most effective treatment, it is necessary to accurately determine the cause of stabbing pain.
First of all, it is recommended to consult a cardiac surgeon or cardiologist and conduct a detailed examination. One of the mandatory research methods is an electrocardiogram and ECG Holter monitoring, which is carried out within 24 hours.
Echocardiography and phonocardiography are used to study the condition of the valves and heart muscles; the coronary angiography method is necessary to determine the condition of the coronary arteries.
Computed magnetic resonance imaging and radiography are recommended to check the condition of other chest organs if doctors determine that the stabbing pain is not related to the heart.
Regular observation by qualified cardiologists has proven that if a patient complains of constant stabbing pain in the chest area that lasts for a long time, then most likely the disease is not cardiac.
If the pain is sharp, short-lived, and occurs after minor physical exertion, then it may indicate a serious heart disease. You must immediately contact a specialist.
Useful tips and advice
- For sudden, sharp stabbing pain in the heart area, take Corvalol, Valocordin or Valerian, the drugs will help get rid of the discomfort.
- Regular rubbing of the chest with bee venom, Efkamon, Bom Benge improves the general condition of the body and serves to prevent heart disease.
- Never take serious medications such as Nitroglycerin without the advice of a qualified physician. If the pain does not go away even after taking medications, be sure to call an ambulance.
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First aid for pain and tingling in the heart area
As mentioned above, if you feel a tingling sensation in your heart, you need to ensure complete rest.
The pain caused by physical activity will go away immediately after it is stopped.
If necessary, you can drink tea with medications that have sedative effects. This does not always help, so you should have valerian or motherwort tincture on hand.
If the measures taken do not help and the pain intensifies, call an ambulance.
In the event that the pain does not occur due to the presence of heart disease, measures must still be taken. But first you need to consult your therapist. Pain of any nature cannot be ignored. Their presence can affect the development of other diseases or provoke the transition to chronic forms. Only timely contact with a specialist can protect you from complications and guarantee a speedy recovery.
You shouldn’t accumulate adrenaline in your body and worry for no reason. If it is still present, you can get rid of it through physical exercise or positive emotions. Stress is relieved in the same way.
In order to avoid the occurrence of stabbing pain in the heart, you need to regularly visit a therapist and lead a healthy lifestyle.
If physical exercise is not prohibited, it must be performed.
You need to constantly monitor your body.
You shouldn’t leave everything to chance and wait for it to go away on its own.
It is because of this that harmless symptoms often turn into the development of serious complications.
Consult with specialists, visit them at least once every two to three months. Only then can you not worry about your health.
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Stitching pain in the heart when inhaling
Heart pain often occurs when inhaling. Most often this is associated with intercostal neuralgia, precordial syndrome, pneumothorax, and thoracalgia. The latter appears most often due to the effects of osteochondrosis. Herpetic neuralgia, which gives complications to the body in the form of decreased immunity, also contributes to the occurrence of stabbing sensations in the cardiac region when inhaling.
Most patients believe that cardiac pain is localized only in the left side of the chest. In fact, the heart is in the middle, so heart pain is characterized by chest pain, but can sometimes radiate to the left chest area.
First aid
It is not recommended to ignore negative symptoms in the chest, as this can lead to serious consequences, sometimes ending tragically. General malaise and tingling in the heart become an indication to visit a doctor, and sometimes call an ambulance.
Before being examined by a specialist, you can resort to medications that help temporarily alleviate the condition. For this purpose, you should keep Nitroglycerin, Cardiamin, Validol in your home medicine cabinet.
Salbutanol helps to eliminate shortness of breath and pain in the heart, helping to equalize the heart rhythm.
If you do not have these funds at hand, proceed as follows:
- stop when walking or performing physical activity;
- ensure complete breathing - unbutton the collar, remove tight clothes;
- ventilate the room;
- sit down or lie down.
A few drops of valerian tincture or a Valocordin tablet will also help temporarily relieve pain. However, this is not a reason to cancel a visit to the doctor with subsequent examination and, if necessary, a full course of treatment.
Causes of heart pain
Before starting treatment for any disease, it is necessary to determine its original source. Every person knows that incorrect therapy or treatment of the symptoms of an illness may not only fail to improve the health situation, but also have a negative impact on the body as a whole.
It is especially important to accurately determine the cause of the disease if it concerns the heart, as the main functional organ.
The fact is that even a qualified specialist cannot always give an unambiguous answer to the question of why the heart hurts without in-depth diagnostics. The primary sources of cutting pain can be different, and can have both cardiac and non-heart etiologies.
Medicine lists the following cardiac ailments as the causes of cutting pain in the heart region:
- The presence of inflammation in the heart muscles or pericardium. In such a situation, the pain is often cutting and sharp, occurs suddenly, intensifies when inhaling air, and often disperses into the chest and right arm.
- Cardiac ischemia. In this case, painful symptoms may indicate coronary vascular spasm, angina pectoris, or myocardial infarction. With angina pectoris, pain most often provokes vascular atherosclerosis, which is typical for people of advanced and retirement age and is characterized by short-term duration. The most unbearable painful symptoms occur during a heart attack, which is accompanied by acute, stabbing pain, panic fear for one’s life, changes in pulse and blood pressure.
- Heart rhythm disturbances can provoke sharp pain in the heart area, while pulsation disturbances can be caused by intense exercise or indicate serious problems with the vascular system.
- Defects and pathological changes. The pain is characterized by sharpness, does not depend on body position, can occur both at rest and under stress, and is often accompanied by symptoms of chronic heart failure.
Often, the causes of sharp pain in the heart have absolutely nothing to do with this organ: often their etiology lies in problems with internal organs or the nervous system. Among the non-cardiac causes of cutting pain in the chest area, the most commonly diagnosed are:
- Spinal diseases. Sources can be osteochondrosis, intercostal neuralgia, trauma, pinched nerve endings.
- Diseases of the digestive organs. Heartburn, bloating or gastritis can provoke elevation of the diaphragm, with a parallel restriction of lung mobility, which provokes burning pain in the hypochondrium, which often spreads to the heart.
- Vegetative-vascular problems and, developing against the background of overwork, stressful situations and emotional overstrain, can be the causes of pain in the vicinity of the heart.
- Bronchopulmonary diseases, including inflammation and bronchitis, often provoke pain in the heart area, which intensifies with coughing or movement.
- Endocrine diseases of the chronic category.
As you can see, there are many reasons why the heart may pound, and it is almost impossible to determine on your own, without qualified hardware diagnostics, what the problem is.
Causes of tingling in the heart area
There are several causes of tingling in the heart:
1. Pain from physical activity . It does not last long, occurs in the form of attacks, and goes away after some time. It may occur during physical activity or fast walking. In order to exclude pathologies, patients are given a cardiogram, as well as a cardiogram taking into account physical activity. This will determine the frequency of heart tingling.
2. Pain during colds . A person has a reaction to medications. They need to be taken carefully; if the pain continues for several days, you should visit a general practitioner.
3. Tingling sensations in the heart that occur in a calm state indicate the presence of depression . You should consult a neuropsychiatrist. The doctor is not as scary as his specialty sounds. Only he can deal with a person’s mental state. It is necessary to treat this condition, since such pain in the heart can provoke the development of dangerous diseases.
4. Pain caused by poor nutrition . The body's systems are interconnected; improper operation of one of them can disrupt the functioning of another system. That is why gastritis, ulcers, cholecystitis cause disruption of the heart. You should consult a therapist and gastroenterologist for advice.
Based on the above, we can conclude that tingling in the heart can be not only a disease in the heart, but also in other organs. In order to understand this in more detail, you need to know about possible diseases that cause tingling in the heart area.
Possible diseases
Depending on the cause, the stabbing in the area of the heart can vary in different ways: from a slight tingling sensation to severe sharp “shots” that force the patient to lie motionless in one position, holding his breath. The table describes the most common diseases and how exactly the heart hurts with them.
Causes and diseases | Characteristics of stabbing and pain sensations |
Intercostal neuralgia | Colitis suddenly with turns and movements of the chest, intensifies with palpation of the pain area, intercostal spaces and near the spine |
Osteocondritis of the spine | |
Rib injuries | |
Vegetative-vascular dystonia and neurosis | Presented by tingling, rapid heartbeat, psycho-emotional arousal, occurs after exercise and stress, but does not depend on breathing, accompanied by blowing noises when listening |
Valvular defects of the heart and aorta | |
Myocarditis (inflammation), including rheumatic | Stitching or other pain clearly in the area of the heart after suffering from colds and infectious diseases, constant, synchronous with a pericardial friction noise when listening |
Pericarditis (mostly fibrinous form) | |
Pleurisy and pleuropneumonia (inflammation of the lungs and pleura) | Sharp in the left half of the chest, noted only during deep inspiration and coughing, along with a pleural friction noise during auscultation |
Dissecting thoracic aortic aneurysm | Often combined with high blood pressure, colitis not only in the heart, but also in the interscapular area |
Diaphragm hernia, gastroesophageal reflux | Periodic, associated with eating, overeating, heartburn, belching |
Heart rhythm disturbances | Unstable paroxysmal forms of arrhythmia, causing slight tingling in the chest and weakness |
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A healthy person should not have any stabbing sensations in the heart area. But a slight short-term tingling sensation that occurs periodically during active physical and psycho-emotional stress or after it is not considered a pathology.
How to relieve heart pain
There are simple methods with which you can easily relieve pain in the heart area:
- it is necessary to provide access to fresh air;
- take sedatives for the heart: validol, corvalol, valerian, etc.;
- in the area of the nail of the little finger of the left hand there is a biologically active point, by pressing on which you can relieve almost any heart pain;
- Peppermint relieves spasms in the heart area;
- Hawthorn is considered an excellent heart remedy.
If the pain is severe enough, then you need to call an ambulance. However, if there is a slight tingling sensation, there is no need to panic.