What to do if your heart hurts badly. Causes of pain in the heart area: squeezing, sharp, stabbing, aching, dull, when inhaling, with shortness of breath. Reasons why the heart hurts

Article publication date: 02/10/2017

Article updated date: 12/18/2018

From this article you will learn: what to do if your heart hurts, and what it may be connected with. How alarming is this symptom, which specialist should you contact for help?

Not every location of pain corresponds to the location of the diseased organ. This means that stabbing sensations in the heart area only in 15–20% indicate heart pathology. Despite the fact that almost every person experiences such a symptom throughout his life, it cannot be regarded as a safe manifestation in all cases. About 10% of cases of serious illness are manifested by stabbing pain in the heart.

Only a specialist can correctly assess the existing complaints and symptoms. It is best to first contact a general practitioner or family doctor. After examination and basic examination, consultation with other specialists may be required: cardiologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist. Special treatment is not always necessary, but if there is a need for it, you can be cured.

Possible reasons: heart problem or not?

Potentially possible sources of stabbing pain in the heart area are:

spine (35%);
intercostal nerves, muscles and ribs (35%);
pleura and lungs (10%);
heart and pericardium (10%);
diaphragm, esophagus and stomach (8%);
aorta (2%).

How strongly it can stab in the heart area depends not so much on the degree of damage to diseased organs and tissues, but on increased pain sensitivity nervous system person. In 65–70% of cases, women complain about such pain.

Since cardiac pathology is one of the most common and dangerous, the first thing you need to figure out when the heart hurts is to decide whether this symptom is of cardiac or non-cardiac origin. The following tips will help with this:

The most frequent illnesses heart disease (angina pectoris and heart attack) are not manifested by stabbing pains. They are often pressing, burning, aching, and radiate to left hand and a spatula.
If the stabbing in the heart begins only when moving the chest and spine or when breathing deeply, the cause of the pain is not related to the heart.
Intensification or appearance of stabbing pain when palpating or pressing with fingers on the left half chest speaks in favor of a neuromuscular origin.
A gradually increasing attack of stabbing sensations speaks in favor of cardiac pathology.
Causes not related to the heart often cause instantaneous sudden pain such as a through lumbago or encircling the left half of the chest.
If after taking Nitroglycerin, Validol or Corvalol the heart hurts less, this indicates that the pain is associated with the pathology of this organ.
If the listed drugs do not relieve the stabbing sensation or relief is noted after taking Paracetamol, Analgin or other painkillers, this speaks in favor of damage to the intercostal nerves, muscles and spine.
If there is a position in which the colitis is less (on the left side with a depressed chest) – the reasons are not related to the heart.

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 pressure, colitis not only the heart, but also in the interscapular area
Diaphragm hernia, gastroesophageal reflux	Periodic, associated with eating, overeating, heartburn, belching
Violations heart rate	Unstable paroxysmal forms of arrhythmia, causing slight tingling in the chest and weakness

Click on photo to enlarge

U healthy person There should be no 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.

What to do: how to treat, emergency care

Regardless of why the heart hurts and under what circumstances, you need to consult a doctor. Only a specialist - a therapist, cardiologist, neurologist - can accurately determine the cause and what to do in a specific situation.

If pain appears for the first time and you cannot determine what is causing it, contact your therapist. If the symptoms have already existed before, and the cause has been established by specialists, you can follow their recommendations or re-consult and be examined by an appropriate specialized doctor. This way you can not only alleviate the condition, but also completely cure the causative disease.

All you can do is emergency help.

Important to remember! It is unacceptable to independently make a final decision about the causes and treatment of stabbing pain in the heart area. After all, behind them can hide not only banal, but also dangerous diseases. All you can do is help yourself or a sick person when the pricking starts suddenly and very strongly. But if the condition does not improve, be sure to call an ambulance by calling 103!

General first aid measures at home include:

Rest - Whatever you do, sit or lie down, find a position that will relieve the pain.
Fresh air - you can go outside, or you can open the doors and windows indoors, providing free access to oxygen. But stroll, walk or do others active movements not worth it.
For severe pain, take a painkiller: Panadol, Ketanov, Nimesil, Paracetamol, Ibuprom, Analgin.
If the suspected cause is cardiac pathology, vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurosis or stress, take one of the drugs: Validol, Corvalment, Corvalol, Barboval, Valerian, Persen.
Be sure to measure your blood pressure and pulse. If they are normal, most likely the cause is not related to heart damage.
You should not take Nitroglycerin if the pain is purely stabbing and is not accompanied by a feeling of compression behind the sternum, or low blood pressure. This way you can only do harm.
If, despite the assistance provided, the condition has not improved after 30–40 minutes, be sure to call an ambulance (telephone 103).

Experience shows that most often (70% of cases) colitis is in the heart area due to irritation of the intercostal nerves. Such pain periodically bothers people for many years, but never leads to serious consequences. In 25% of cases, stabbing pain is a signal of dangerous but curable diseases, and only in 5% of cases does it signal life-threatening states. But no statistics give the right to underestimate this symptom!

Heart pain is an unpleasant phenomenon, which often indicates the development of serious diseases. Painful sensations may also appear due to physical overexertion or severe stress.

Pain in the heart may indicate the development of disease

For initial diagnosis, the following factors must be taken into account:

duration of pain;
the nature of the unpleasant sensations (stabbing, cutting, squeezing, aching, periodic or constant);
conditions for the occurrence of discomfort (at what time and under what circumstances the pain appeared).

There is a misconception that any pain in the left side of the chest is cardiac. In fact, the typical area of localization of cardiac discomfort is the sternum (the area behind it and to the left of it). Unpleasant sensations reach the armpit.

To make a correct diagnosis, you must consult a doctor. Pain in the sternum is a symptom of many pathologies associated not only with the heart, but also with the lungs, mammary gland, stomach, muscles, bones and blood vessels.

Causes of heart pain

The discomfort that occurs in the heart area can vary in intensity. Some patients feel a slight tingling sensation, others experience acute pain that paralyzes the entire body.

At home, you can only approximately determine the cause of discomfort. First you need to study everything possible diseases and abnormalities that can cause a similar symptom.

Diseases directly related to the heart.	Ischemia (angina pectoris, cardiosclerosis, myocardial infarction). Endocarditis, myocarditis, myocardial dystrophy, pericarditis. Possible detection malignant neoplasms, cardiac injuries, secondary injuries.
Food and gastric pathologies.	Tumors, ulcers, foreign bodies in the esophagus, internal bleeding, chemical burn injuries. Pain can also occur due to esophagitis, narrowing of the lumen of the food tube, or GERD.
Lung diseases.	Silicosis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, pleurisy, tumor formation in the bronchi or lungs.
Diseases of large vessels.	Aneurysms and coarctation of the aorta, PE (blockage of the pulmonary artery).
Mediastinal pathologies.	Tumors, mediastinitis (localized in the tissue area).
Breast diseases.	Benign and malignant tumors, gynecomastia (male pathology) and mastopathy (female).
The influence of toxins.	Pain in the heart can appear due to alcohol, nicotine or drug intoxication of the body. Also, cardiac discomfort often occurs as a result of side effect from medications.

Unpleasant sensations can appear due to damage to muscles, bones, nerve trunks and even skin. There is also a danger of heart overload, which occurs due to increased physical activity, arterial and portal hypertension.

Chest pain does not always indicate the development of heart disease. Discomfort that increases when bending the body, deep breath or exhalation, may be caused by pathologies of the costal cartilages or radiculitis (thoracic).

Sharp and severe pain in the intercostal spaces is the first symptom of herpes zoster.

Rib pain may be a symptom of shingles

Short-lived and periodic cardiac discomfort of an uncertain nature often indicates the development of neurosis. In patients with this diagnosis, pain is localized in one place, for example, under the heart.

If a person is nervous, he may also experience cardiac pain. Discomfort, which seems to put pressure on the heart, appears due to intestinal bloating. Unpleasant sensations that occur after eating certain foods or fasting indicate diseases of the pancreas or the stomach itself.

What does the nature of the pain indicate?

The nature of the pain is a decisive factor in helping to accurately determine the type of disease.

Compressive

Pain typical of oxygen deficiency of the heart muscle. It often occurs in ischemic diseases.

With angina, an unpleasant sensation appears behind the sternum and radiates to the shoulder blade. The patient's left arm also becomes numb. The pain occurs suddenly, usually due to excessive stress on the heart. A person may experience compressive discomfort after stress, physical activity, or taking large quantity food.

The pain is atypical if it is localized under the left shoulder blade and occurs in the early hours when the person is at rest. This discomfort occurs due to a rare type of angina – Prinzmetal disease.

Pain under the left shoulder blade may indicate Prinzmetal disease

Pressing

Pain can occur in a completely healthy person due to alcohol or drug intoxication, as well as due to physical overexertion.

Pressing discomfort under the heart is characteristic of diseases such as: arterial hypertension, breast or stomach cancer. If discomfort is accompanied by rhythm disturbances and shortness of breath, this indicates myocarditis (allergic or infectious). Pressing heart pain can also arise from anxiety.

If the pain is accompanied by shortness of breath, this indicates myocarditis

Stabbing

There is no need to worry if your heart beats intermittently and without accompanying symptoms(speech problems, dizziness, fainting). The most common cause of stabbing discomfort is neurocirculatory dystonia. It occurs during physical activity, when the blood vessels do not have time to expand or contract due to changes in rhythm.

Pain that is constant and prevents you from breathing indicates diseases of the lungs and bronchi (pneumonia, cancer, tuberculosis). Acute stabbing pain in the left side of the chest is a symptom of myositis. The disease occurs due to muscle strains, infection, hypothermia and helminthic infestation.

Neurocirculatory dystonia can occur due to physical exertion

Aching

Aching discomfort in the heart area is a typical symptom for patients suffering from regular psycho-emotional overload. At the same time, the pain can be felt strongly and occur periodically. As a rule, patients with nagging cardiac discomfort do not have any serious diseases or abnormalities. A person should think about going to a neurologist or psychotherapist if he experiences the following symptoms:

depression;
apathy or, on the contrary, increased irritability;
suspiciousness, anxiety;
somatization disorder.

If the area of the heart aches and hurts for no specific reason, then this may indicate cardioneurosis. Aching-constrictive discomfort also occurs against the background of an ischemic stroke, but in this case other characteristic symptoms are also observed: dizziness, loss of consciousness, sharp deterioration vision, numbness of limbs.

Pulsating and It's a dull pain- a sign of intercostal neuralgia.

Ischemic stroke is accompanied by heart pain and dizziness

Sharp

The occurrence of severe and sudden cardiac discomfort in most cases requires further hospitalization of the patient. Sharp and acute pain - characteristic symptom many serious pathologies. Such discomfort may indicate diseases such as:

The pathology is characterized by prolonged pain that occurs suddenly and does not respond to painkillers. It becomes difficult for the patient to breathe, and he develops a fear of imminent death. Unpleasant sensations can radiate to the stomach and spread throughout the chest. With myocardial infarction, the patient may begin to vomit or involuntary urination.
Aortic aneurysm dissection. Often occurs in older people who have undergone surgery on the aorta or heart. Patients experience a sudden sensation cutting pain, rapidly gaining intensity. At first, you may feel as if something is stabbing inside. The discomfort often radiates to the shoulder blade. At the same time, the patient’s blood pressure constantly increases and decreases.
Fractured ribs. With fractures, a burning pain is observed, which subsequently transforms into aching pain. The patient requires immediate hospitalization as internal bleeding may occur.
PE (pulmonary embolism). The disease leads to blockage of the pulmonary artery by a blood clot that comes from varicose veins or pelvic organs. This pathology is characterized by severe cardiac discomfort, which increases in intensity over time. The patient may have a feeling that there is pressure or burning inside him. The main symptoms of pulmonary embolism are: rapid heartbeat, cough with blood clots, dizziness and loss of consciousness. Patients often have difficulty breathing and experience severe shortness of breath.
Pathologies of the stomach and esophagus. The most dangerous phenomenon is considered to be perforation of an ulcer of the cardia or stomach. With such a complication, a sharp stabbing pain occurs, transforming into lightheadedness. The patient develops black spots before his eyes and may lose consciousness. Any diseases of the stomach and esophagus accompanied by vomiting or loss of consciousness require hospitalization.

Sudden and sharp pain indicates myocardial infarction

In some cases, severe cardiac discomfort occurs against the background of prolonged angina. In addition to pain, the patient may feel dizzy.

How to distinguish the symptoms of cardiac ischemia and signs of a cardiac ulcer? With ischemia, discomfort occurs during physical activity, more often in the daytime or evening. The pain is compressive, less often aching, and lasts up to half an hour. For ulcers discomfort occur in the morning when the stomach is empty. The discomfort is of a sucking or pressing nature and lasts for several hours or the whole day.

What to do if you have heart pain?

A person whose heart has suddenly seized needs first aid. For non-serious illnesses, you can try medications and traditional methods treatment. Any therapy must be agreed with a doctor.

First aid

If your heart suddenly hurts, then you should immediately stop physical activity and calm down. The person should sit down and loosen or remove outer clothing and constrictive accessories (belt, tie, necklace). It is advisable to sit in a comfortable chair or lie down on the bed. Such methods are suitable if the heart hurts due to overload.

The patient must be measured arterial pressure. For readings above 100 mmHg, you should put one nitroglycerin tablet under your tongue and wait until it completely dissolves. First aid is especially effective for angina pectoris. If such methods do not help, then you need to call an ambulance.

For ischemic stroke, it is also possible to provide first aid. To do this, carefully turn the victim on his side, cover him with a warm blanket and apply ice or a cold object to his forehead. You cannot use ammonia to bring a person to his senses. If you suspect clinical death It is necessary to give the patient a cardiac massage.

Whenever sharp pain a person needs to have peace in his heart

What to do if a teenager has heart pain? At the age of 14-17 years, tachycardia (an increase in heart rate above 90 beats per minute) is normal. With tachycardia, minor pain, dizziness, and, less commonly, nausea may occur. If a teenager has serious deviations, he should be taken to a therapist. It is this doctor who will conduct the initial examination and refer the patient to the right specialist.

Pharmacy drugs

Over-the-counter medications can help with minor pain. It is worth understanding that everything serious illnesses are treated under the close supervision of a physician. The following medications help relieve heart pain:

Corvalol (drops). A sedative used for overload and nervous conditions. Available in the form of drops. Not approved for use by nursing women. You should take from 15 to 50 drops at a time. The drug must be dripped into a small amount of water and drink after meals. Recommended dose for tachycardia: 45 drops. Cost of Corvalol: about 50-70 rubles.
Validol (tablets). Another sedative that dilates blood vessels. The drug is used for angina pectoris, cardialgia, and neuroses. Daily dose: 1 tablet no more than 3 times a day. The positive effect should occur within 5-10 minutes after using the medicine. If there is no pronounced effect on the second day of using the medication, therapy should be stopped. Cost of the drug: from 50 rubles per package.
Aspirin cardio (tablets). A medicine that helps with angina (in particular unstable), disorders cerebral circulation. It is used more often for the prevention of various heart diseases. The product relieves cardiac pain of varying severity. The drug should be used once a day. The tablets should not be taken by pregnant or breastfeeding women. Cost of the medicine: from 80 rubles.
Piracetam (ampoules). You can give injections with this drug. The drug is effective for coronary heart disease. It has a nootropic effect. The drug must be used carefully, since at the very beginning of treatment, injections are administered both intravenously and intramuscularly. You should do 2-3 injections a day, daily dose medications - 300-400 mg. Course of treatment: at least 7 days. Cost of the product: from 45 rubles.

If a person becomes ill after using medications, then it is worth completely changing the course of treatment. The drugs should provide positive effect maximum after 2-3 days of use. The injections have a cumulative effect, so they can take effect for 4-5 days.

Corvalol is a common sedative

Folk remedies

For pain in the heart, various methods of therapy must be used. It is worth giving up smoking, alcohol, junk and fatty foods. Patients often need to be outdoors, preferably going out into nature. It is also worth separating yourself from psycho-emotional stress. Otherwise, serious problems cannot be avoided, since all negative factors affect the heart.

Valerian, hawthorn and motherwort

A soothing mixture that will help with aching and pressing pain caused by stress. To prepare the solution, you need to pour a glass of warm water and add a few drops of valerian, motherwort and hawthorn to it. The tincture can be drunk 2 times a day. It helps relieve stress and relieve cardiac discomfort.

Valerian tincture will help relieve pain

Motherwort, hawthorn and rosehip

The mixture will help strengthen blood vessels and stabilize the functioning of the heart. You will need to take 1.5 liters boiled water, 1 tablespoon of rosehip, 2 tablespoons of motherwort and 5 tablespoons of hawthorn. The end result is a solution that will last for several days. It should be taken 1-2 times a day, half a glass. The mixture does not help treat serious heart disease, but it provides powerful prevention and pain relief.

Motherwort will help stabilize the heart

Pumpkin juice and honey

pumpkin juice It should be taken with honey for cardiovascular pathologies. The ingredients must be mixed in proportions 3:1. In order for the mixture to work well, you need to drink it at night. You can also take nut mixture with raisins, as it helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels and has a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

Pumpkin juice has a good effect on the cardiovascular system

Is it possible to drink coffee when your heart hurts?

There is a list of factors in the presence of which drinking coffee is strictly not recommended. It should not be used by pensioners and children. Teenagers also need to limit their frequent drinking of coffee and coffee-containing drinks. This drink is strictly prohibited for people with hypertension.

People with hypertension should not drink coffee

Various studies have proven that nothing happens to a person suffering from cardiac disease after drinking coffee. At the same time, you can drink no more than 1-2 cups a day, depending on your age and condition. Coffee should not contain sugar and be too strong. It is also worth noting that regular consumption of this drink reduces immunity.

What can a person think about at the moment when his heart hurts? It’s clear that good thoughts definitely don’t come to mind. You should not think that the reason for this is only cardiovascular pathologies, of course, they are in the first place of the supposed causes, but there are other diseases, one of the symptoms of which is tingling in the heart muscle. For example, problems with gastrointestinal tract, respiratory problems, neuralgic diseases and others.

Some causes are considered completely harmless, while others require immediate medical attention. The question arises: what to do in such situations, what could cause the tingling?

If tingling in the heart is not due to cardiac disorders, then the following organs may be bothered:

Respiratory system.
Gastrointestinal tract.
Nerve endings located in the spinal part of the spinal column.
The diaphragm, which divides the chest and the peritoneal cavity.

If the heart is in pain, then in identifying the cause of this circumstance, the doctor must find out at what time the pain appears, what events precede this condition, what is the frequency and duration of the pain radiating to the heart, whether tingling is most often felt on the right or left.

You can draw preliminary conclusions yourself if you know what symptoms accompany a particular disease:

The pain is sharp and burning - it accompanies malfunctions blood vessels.
Colitis in the heart area during inhalation and exhalation - this happens during heavy physical exertion, during severe anxiety or nervous overstrain. In this case, especially when taking a deep breath, acute pain occurs.
The pain becomes stronger if you bend over or change your body position - a similar condition is observed with thoracic osteochondrosis.
If the tingling appears suddenly and begins to radiate to the left hand, while it is difficult to make normal movements, this pain is characteristic of intercostal neuralgia.
The stabbing pain is acute, and the heart rhythm is disturbed - often subsequently a diagnosis of Vegetative-vascular dystonia is made.
Colitis in the heart is short-term, but acute, with a cough, difficulty breathing - similar conditions associated with respiratory pathologies

If such pain recurs periodically, you should seek help from a doctor to undergo an appropriate examination and begin timely treatment. If you start taking heart medications on your own to relieve pain without knowing the cause of the disorder, this will make it extremely difficult to diagnose the disease, and the doctor will not be able to provide the necessary help.

Problems with the cardiovascular system

Why does my heart hurt? If the causes are directly related to this organ, then they may manifest themselves in certain diseases.

Heart disease is most often accompanied by stabbing pain in this organ. So, for example, if the pain radiates to the shoulder, neck and chin on the left side (it can hurt on the right extremely rarely), then myocardial infarction can be suspected. In addition, the person will experience dizziness, nausea, sometimes vomiting and fainting.

During a heart attack, the pain will be long-lasting; if the patient experiences the same symptoms, but they last an average of 15 minutes, then most likely he is having an angina attack. With angina pectoris, heart pain appears at the same time, in addition, the heart hurts immediately after physical exertion, excitement, or stressful situations.

Another disease in which the heart can pound is pericarditis. It is characterized by the following symptoms:

The pain is of an increasing nature, over a few hours from a weak sensation, it intensifies to a stabbing pain.
The pain becomes stronger when swallowing, changing body position and motor actions.
Sweating and vomiting appear.
The pain becomes less noticeable if you lie on your side on the right and press your legs to your chest.

You can also make a preliminary conclusion about your disease based on the nature of the pain:

Cardiac reasons:

The duration of stabbing states lasts more than 15 minutes.
The pain is usually burning, stabbing, squeezing and pressing, creating the sensation of sticking needles.
Pain increases with physical and emotional stress.
Often radiates to the left scapula, upper limb, jaw and neck (rarely fixed on the right).

Non-cardiological reasons:

Constantly present.
The heart is stabbing, or the pain is shooting in nature.
The heart may pound with sudden movement, coughing, or taking a deep breath.
The pain usually does not spread to other organs.
Sometimes you feel numbness in your limbs.

Tingling in the heart as a sign of ischemia

Despite the fact that the causes of this condition are varied, often tingling in the heart can indicate a disease such as ischemia. With coronary artery disease, the coronary arteries are affected by atherosclerotic plaques and vascular spasm occurs. This affects the fact that insufficient blood enters the myocardium, as a result the heart suffers from a lack of oxygen.

It is known that oxygen is involved in the breakdown of nutrients in the organ and produces energy; when there is a shortage of it, the myocardium looks for ways to extract energy in other ways without the use of oxygen. As a result, such metabolic processes contribute to the production of toxic substances, which in turn irritate the nerve endings. At this time, the person experiences tingling pain in the heart area.

With ischemic heart disease stabbing pains occur in the following cases:

During physical stress.
During stressful situations.
When overeating.
During hypothermia.

At this time, the heart needs a large supply of oxygen.

A stabbing pain radiates to the left arm, or to the shoulder blade, or to the lower jaw, and sometimes the left arm goes numb. My heart hurts and it’s hard to breathe. In case of ischemic heart disease, pain is relieved with nitroglycerin.

Additional symptom of this disease, in addition to the fact that colitis in the region of the heart, its rhythmic contractions appear. In this case, the heart beats do not coincide with the pulse beats.

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 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 similar situations it is also necessary to ensure supply 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.

Help during periodic tingling sensations

If tingling in the area of the heart does not happen to you often, then initially conduct an independent diagnosis by feeling the areas where the heart muscle is located. If you feel the source of localized pain, then you should be assured that this condition is not associated with cardiovascular disorders, the reason lies elsewhere.

In this case, try to relax and do a tonic massage at home. If necessary, take the medicine if prescribed by your doctor.

All these actions cannot be aimed at diagnosing the disease; they are necessary so that you can describe to the doctor your sensations with stabbing pain in the heart area.

Based on this, the doctor will prescribe necessary methods research. They include the following procedures:

Echocardiography. The method will reveal general work heart valves and muscles.
Electrocardiogram (ECG). It is done several times - at rest, after physical activity and throughout the day.
Ultrasound allows you to determine the speed of blood flow in the heart area.
Coronary angiography. The method reveals the condition of the coronary arteries.
A phonocardiogram determines the presence of murmurs in the heart muscle.

Help with pain

Particularly dangerous are the pains that occur during an attack of angina or myocardial infarction. They are characterized by the following state:

The pain radiates to the left, where the shoulder blade, arm and jaw are.
Shortness of breath appears, breathing is difficult.
Nausea develops.
Sometimes my head hurts.

If you have severe pain in the heart, you should not hesitate to seek medical help; you must urgently call an ambulance. To relieve pain, it is permissible to take Validol or Nitroglycerin.

If the pain arose due to another disease not related to the heart, then an exacerbation may have occurred. This kind of pain doesn't require emergency actions, you just need to undergo a course of therapy prescribed by your doctor. If your heart hurts when you inhale, then perhaps you are under emotional stress, in this case it is best to calm down and relax.

A stabbing sensation in the heart area is a common phenomenon that every person has probably complained about at least once in their life. This symptom scares many people, so it’s worth figuring out why this happens and what needs to be done.

Stitching pain in the heart is a common problem. It is important to determine why such a symptom bothers you, because the reason can be either completely harmless or very serious.

There are many reasons why the heart can pound. If this phenomenon occurs repeatedly, and the stabbing sensation is quite strong and prolonged, this may be associated with certain health problems.

The risk of such pathologies should not be excluded:

Intercostal neuralgia. A very popular cause of stabbing pain in the heart. Neuralgia is usually understood as inflamed plexuses or nerve endings that manifest themselves as aching or acute pain. The root cause in this case may be osteochondrosis. It is this that often manifests itself as stabbing pain in the heart area.
Pericarditis. This is an inflammation of the pericardium, the outer lining of the heart. Stitching pain occurs in the early stages of the development of the disease, and often it is the first symptom that helps diagnose the presence of pericarditis.
Myocarditis. This is focal or widespread inflammation that affects the heart muscle. Myocarditis can occur due to infections in the body, taking certain medications, deterioration in activity immune system. It manifests itself not only with stabbing sensations in the chest, but also with shortness of breath and increased body temperature. In the case of myocarditis, the heart may continue to pound for a long time, even if the person does not undergo any physical activity.
Neurosis. This functional disorders nervous system, resulting from certain psychotraumatic factors. In addition to heart pain, the patient may experience headache, feel constant fatigue and fatigue.
Vegetovascular dystonia ( autonomic dysfunction) . In this case, it makes sense to talk about a complex of disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the functioning of all organs of the body as a single system. Dystonia often affects a person after prolonged depression. In this case, the heart may hurt even with complete rest, the heart rate increases, and blood pressure may increase.

There are also other possible reasons that need to be noted:

In addition, the heart may begin to ache against the background of severe stress and powerful experiences. In this case, the problem can be dealt with powerfully with the help of sedatives.

There are a lot of reasons why the heart can pound, and not all of them are so harmless. Therefore, to determine the nature of the pain, you need to contact a cardiologist, who will prescribe the necessary examinations, and then appropriate treatment measures, which will be individual in each case.

What to do?

Don't worry if the stabbing sensation only occurs for a few seconds. This is quite normal phenomenon. But if the heart continues to pound for ten minutes, appropriate measures are needed.

If colitis is in the heart area, then it is important to figure out whether such pain is associated with breathing. So, if your heart begins to pound and ache when you inhale air, and in addition there is a certain fear of inhalation, and your age is less than twenty-five years old, then your heart may pound due to the characteristics of your still growing body. In this case, there is no need to worry. This pain is short-lived, and over time it completely disappears.

If your situation does not fit the specified parameters, then the reason is probably different. You can take medications such as Validol or Corvalol. If the stabbing sensation is not provoked by something serious, then such drugs usually help.

If the medicine does not help, and additionally there is a burning sensation, compression or expansion of the chest, you cannot move or, on the contrary, you cannot find a place for yourself, and the pain radiates to other organs, then call an ambulance.

To establish a clear cause for such an unpleasant phenomenon, an electrocardiogram will be required. If pain intensifies when eating, your doctor may prescribe daily monitoring, which will help you understand exactly at what moments during the day your heart hurts, and what this may be connected with. In addition, bicycle ergomy, which involves taking an ECG under certain loads, will help.

Research will help determine what causes heart pain. Also note the following recommendations which will tell you what to do with injections in the heart:

If there is a sudden sharp stabbing pain in the heart, drugs such as Corvalol, Valocordin or Valerian can help - they will relieve the discomfort.
Rubbing the chest with such means as bee venom, Bom Benge, Efkamon. They improve the condition of the body as a whole and provide high-quality prevention of heart disease.
Serious medications are a sign, Nitroglycerine, is strictly prohibited from taking unless recommended by a doctor. Otherwise, you only risk harming yourself.

There are also a number folk remedies which help relieve heart pain. But remember that they only eliminate the symptoms, so for constant and severe stabbing pain medical assistance still necessary. Pay attention to these recipes:

Mix equal amounts of hawthorn and valerian tincture. Place about 20 drops of this mixture into water. Before drinking the infusion, hold it in your mouth so that it is better absorbed by the blood.
You need to combine 300 mo of boiling water and two tablespoons of tincture on dry lemon balm leaves. Thanks to this recipe you can get rid of heart pain and cardiac shortness of breath. Take half a glass three times a day.
If your heart hurts, traditional healers recommend walnut tincture A. To prepare it, you need to finely chop the kernels of thirty nuts and pour them with a liter of vodka. The infusion must be kept in the sun for two weeks. Take every day for a month.
Rosehip helps a lot. Grind the root of this plant, pour a tablespoon of what you get into a glass and fill it with water. Boil for 15 minutes over low heat. It should be consumed warm, like tea. You need to drink three glasses of decoction a day.
Can be rubbed into the area of the heart, near the left nipple, fir oil . Do this for 4-6 minutes.
Melissa infusion relieves stabbing pain and shortness of breath well. Two spoons of the plant are enough, which need to be filled with 300 ml of boiling water. Drink half a glass every day.
To reduce blood pressure and relieve pain in the heart, you can use tincture of white foot. It must be prepared in a ratio of 1:10 with alcohol. The product should be infused in a dark place for a week. Afterwards you need to strain it and use 30 drops every day.

Remember that you should never joke with your heart.If you are regularly bothered by unpleasant sensations, be sure to consult a doctor and undergo examinations that will help determine the cause of this.

For any ailment, especially if it concerns the important body As a person, it is important to be extremely careful about your health. If your heart hurts, you should not ignore it; take appropriate measures immediately.

It is very important to understand the reasons why and why these piercing sensations appeared. Sometimes such ailment can occur in combination:

with cough;
shortness of breath;
with heart rhythm disturbances.

If you are bothered by pain in the left side of the chest, it is called cardialgia. This is not an independent disease, but a complex of various painful conditions– both of a heartfelt nature and of another origin.

Signs of cardialgia

Pain on the left side of the chest. The nature of the pain changes depending on the position of the body - when bending or raising the arm up, it also changes when inhaling and exhaling.

Character of pain: aching, cutting and stabbing. According to duration, three states are distinguished: fleeting (it stings and goes away), short-term (the heart hurts for about a minute) and long-term (the period of pain lasts hours, days of the week and months).
With cardialgia, many in an attack of pain experience terrible fear for their lives, as a result of which they feel a lack of air, a state of panic sets in, sweating increases, and the heartbeat increases.

Causes of stabbing pain

To understand why and for what reason the heart hurts, the attending physician asks the patient about the nature of the pain, how often it occurs and how long it lasts. Based on these answers and examination of the person, a conclusion is made about the presence of a particular heart disease.

Main reasons:

strong emotional experience;
vegetative-vascular dystonia;
congenital or acquired heart defects;
Sometimes ischemic disease hearts;
inflamed condition of the heart muscle, pericarditis, dystrophy of the heart muscle;
diseases of the nervous and digestive systems.

First of all, if you have pain, no matter what kind it is, you need to visit a neurologist. He will be able to determine what is causing the pain and what nature it is - cardiac or you have problems with the nerves.

Treatment

In order for the patient to stop experiencing stabbing sensations in the heart area, it is necessary to cure the disease that causes pain. A referral to specialists will be issued by a local physician.

Treatment is carried out by specialists:

cardiologist;
neurologist;
gastroenterologist;
endocrinologist;
psychotherapist, etc.

By following the recommendations of specialized specialists, you can reduce the frequency of stabbing pain. Lifestyle change, device on new job and reception medicines will help reliably protect the blood vessels of the heart and other organs.

First aid for stabbing pain

If the diagnosis is established and the causes of pain are related to blood vessels, then in this case you should take the medicine prescribed by your doctor. If this is your first attack, then you should lie down and take Corvalol or Valocordin.

The patient's room should be filled with fresh air. If a person experiencing stabbing pain belongs to a risk group (for example, has previously suffered a myocardial infarction), then it is necessary to immediately call an ambulance. While you are waiting for the doctor, give the patient one Validol tablet to dissolve. If possible, steam the patient's legs.

By following all of the above tips, you can save a person’s life, relieve pain, or remove it altogether. Do not neglect your health; be sure to consult a therapist, neurologist and cardiologist.

Prevention for stabbing pain

The main rule is a healthy lifestyle. The following recommendations will help you cope with many causes of pain:

The balance between rest and work. In between heavy loads, you need to take breaks - rest every 2 hours and perform gymnastic exercises on the spinal area for 10 minutes. Sleep after a hard day of work should last at least 7-8 hours.
Physical activity should be regular, but not excessive.
The food is balanced. The diet should include vegetables, fruits and herbs. Try to avoid fried foods, canned foods, spicy and too hot foods.
Try to avoid stressful and conflict situations both at work and at home.
If you experience stabbing pain in the heart area, promptly contact your therapist, who will write a referral to the appropriate specialists.

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Causes

Many reasons have been identified that cause sharp stabbing pain in the heart area; the most dangerous are those that contribute to the development of long-term and strong symptom, since they point to serious problems with health. The most commonly diagnosed diseases are:

Myocarditis – inflammatory process which flows into the heart. Develops in the presence of infectious diseases in the body, taking certain medicines, at sharp decline immunity. It is characterized by the fact that acute stabbing pain persists for a long time, shortness of breath occurs and body temperature increases. The occurrence of pain does not depend on the effects of physical activity.
Intercostal neuralgia is common. Characterized by the presence inflammatory reactions in the plexus and nerve fibers. The pain symptom is aching or acute. The main disease in such cases is osteochondrosis, which causes stabbing pain in the heart.
Vegetovascular dystonia is the presence of disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for the functioning of internal organs. Vegetative-vascular dystonia often occurs after prolonged depression. Similar reason is determined by the occurrence of a symptom when the patient is completely at rest, the latter complains of a rapid heartbeat and a concomitant increase in blood pressure.
Pericarditis is an inflammatory process that affects the outer lining of the heart. In such situations, pain may occur in early stages pathology and is considered primary symptom, which indicates the formation of pericarditis.
Neurosis is a pathology of the nervous system that indicates severe stress and mental trauma experienced. Patients complain of frequent headaches, constant malaise and fatigue.

It is possible that more rare causes may develop that contribute to the development of pain:

Aortic dissection or rupture occurs due to the fact that blood, through violations of the integrity of the internal layers of blood vessels, is able to further destroy the middle and outer layers of the aorta. In such cases, the heart pain is powerful and can change location as further vascular stratification occurs.

Thrombus formation is the formation of a blood clot that disrupts blood circulation in the vessels and causes a heart attack. The symptoms are the same as pericarditis, but a heart attack is more serious and dangerous.
Angina pectoris is a common form of ischemia, which is determined by the occurrence of sharp pain in the middle of the chest (sometimes slightly lower) with accompanying shortness of breath. Occurs due to spasm coronary vessels. Another common name for the disease is angina pectoris.
Embolism – a similar pathology develops when there is insufficient oxygen supply to the heart muscle. Most often this occurs when there is a blood clot in the pulmonary artery which interferes with normal blood flow. This pathology is manifested by periodic slight tingling in the chest area, often observed with deep breaths.

Diseases of the stomach and intestines - a symptom manifests itself in the presence of diseases such as gastritis, ulcers, cholecystitis. Patients complain of aching discomfort in the middle of the chest area.
Colds - occurrence unpleasant symptom manifests itself as the body's reaction to toxins. Patients often say that their heart is squeezing.
Congenital heart defects – serious pathology, in which sharp stabbing pains in the heart indicate a disease, requires medical supervision.
Regular physical activity - with increased functioning of the body, discomfort often appears in the left side of the chest. The symptom disappears after stopping the load, during rest.
The presence of severe stress or regular worries - sedatives help in the fight against unpleasant sensations.
Various rib injuries - bruises or fractures. Pain syndrome accompanied by difficulty breathing. Patients may feel as if their heart is hurting. With adequate medical therapy, the pain disappears irrevocably.

The reasons that cause pain symptom, many, some of them are dangerous, so if such symptoms occur, you need to seek help from a doctor to find out the underlying disease and receive treatment, it is prescribed individually for each patient.

What to do if your heart hurts

If you feel sick in the area of the heart, then you need to consult a doctor - a therapist, a neurologist, or a cardiologist who can determine the cause and prescribe treatment.

If your heart hurts for the first time, and the cause is unknown, then it is better to first go to a therapist. If there is a piercing stabbing in the area of the heart periodically and the cause is known, then follow the doctor’s instructions or repeat the appointment at the clinic. If the cause is unknown, and the attack occurred for the first time, then contact a therapist, who will either prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialized specialist.

Urgent Care

We must not forget that self-prescription of treatment is unacceptable, since such symptoms may hide dangerous pathologies. Sudden and piercing pain in the heart area can be relieved with painkillers, but you should not postpone a visit to the doctor. If the condition does not improve, call an ambulance.

To provide first aid, you need to know what to do if your heart hurts:

Ensure complete rest and give a comfortable lying position.
Provide fresh air, open a window and free your neck from tight clothing. However, going outside and walking is not recommended.

If the pain is acute, then use painkillers. Analgin, Ibuprofen, Ketanov, Nimesil, Paracetamol and others are good for this.
If cardiac pathology is diagnosed, then resort to the help of Validol, Corvalol, Barvalol and other means.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia or stressful conditions - it is necessary to take valerian, Persen.

What to do if your heart hurts sometimes?

If you can use palpation to determine the location of the pain, then the heart has nothing to do with it. In such cases, it is necessary to rest and do a tonic massage (for complete disappearance of symptoms, do this every day for two weeks to a month). At severe pain consult a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.

The following methods are prescribed for diagnosis:

Echocardiography (echocardiography) – makes it possible to determine the condition of the valves and heart.
ECG (electrocardiogram) - performed at rest and in the presence of a certain load; 24-hour monitoring is often prescribed.
Ultrasound ( ultrasound diagnostics) – the speed of blood movement is determined.
Phonocardiogram - to listen for the presence of heart murmurs.
Coronography – determines the condition of the coronary vessels.

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Stitching pain is not typical for the heart and occurs due to pathologies of the musculoskeletal system or injury to small nerve endings. More dangerous is pulling or pressing pain. To understand why colitis in the heart area, you need to follow simple steps:

Pay attention to what exactly the pain is associated with; maybe it appears when walking quickly, physical activity or climbing the stairs to the floor.
When your heart begins to pound again, feel the surface of your chest to determine where exactly the discomfort is most pronounced. If you manage to find such a point, then the problem is in this organ, and not in the heart.
The same should be done if the heart begins to pound at a certain position of the body, or vice versa, the stabbing pain goes away at a certain position of the body. If your heart hurts when you inhale, then the problem is definitely not in the heart.
Even if sometimes you have colitis under your heart, you should consult a neurologist. After a full survey and examination, prescribed studies, it will become clear what the matter is. If the neurologist has any doubts, he will refer you to a cardiologist.

These tips are given not so that sick people engage in self-medication or self-diagnosis, but so that you can know which specialist you can contact. Most often, people are frightened and worried about why the heart hurts, but the reasons can be different, and at first glance, completely not directly related to the heart. You need to know about this! The causes of stabbing pain in the heart area are:

spinal diseases,
damage to the peripheral nervous system,
pathologists of the muscles of the shoulder girdle,
diseases of the intercostal muscles,
pathology of the chest organs,
pathology of the abdominal organs,
problems with the aorta,
neuroses of the heart,
rib injuries,
climacteric cardiomyopathy.

All of these diseases are not directly related to heart pathology. Let's clarify where exactly the heart is located. Many people believe that the heart is located under the left breast. By placing a fist in the center of the sternum, when the lower part of the fist touches the stomach, the location of the fist will show where the heart is located. Therefore, with heart disease, pain occurs in the diaphragm and sternum. To distinguish heart pain from other pain, you need to know the characteristics of non-heart pain. Non-heart pain can be recognized by the following characteristics:

shooting, stabbing pain characterizes vascular pain,
the heart hurts constantly, when an attack of angina does not occur for more than 10 minutes,
if the heart hurts when eating, taking a deep breath, emotional stress or physical activity, anginal pain most often occurs,
even if the pain is in the area of the left chest or sternum, this does not mean that it is the heart that hurts,
if the pain radiates to the neck, shoulder blade, left arm, lower jaw - this is caused by pathology of the coronary vessels.

But stabbing pains can also have “heart” causes:

rheumatic heart disease,
pericarditis,
myocarditis,
angina pectoris
myocardial infarction.

When the heart hurts badly, perhaps the reason is still cardiovascular system, and “heart” pain can be distinguished by these signs:

pain responds to taking validol or nitroglycerin,
With every inhalation and exhalation the pain intensifies,
pain changes with changes in body position,
the pain responds to hand movements.

Why does my heart hurt sometimes? This can be caused by diseases of the peripheral nervous system and spine. Most often, such pain develops when the intervertebral cartilage is destroyed, as a result of which the cartilage moves and begins to irritate the roots of the nerves located nearby. This disease is called radicular syndrome. This disease is characterized by stabbing pain when inhaling. It is not uncommon for heart “colitis” to occur with spinal osteochondrosis; such pain is very similar to heart pain, sometimes even symptoms of myocardial infarction appear. This is why research needs to be done to find out the real reason Why does my heart hurt when I inhale?

What examinations should be done for stabbing chest pain? A mandatory test is an ECG. The doctor will prescribe necessary research on the monitor to monitor the patient throughout the day and find out what is causing the pain. This study is called Holter monitoring. Sometimes a test such as bicycle ergometry is prescribed - ECG data is read during exercise.

All these studies help to establish the causes of pain and identify pathology. Therefore, to find out why your heart hurts, contact a cardiologist, this will help maintain your health. Even if the pain is not cardiac, you still need to see a doctor. Moreover, if the heart hurts when you inhale or such pain recurs periodically, and the heart often hurts.

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How to distinguish pain in the heart from pain of other origins?

Patients often mistake pain in the left side of the chest for symptoms of impending heart attack, swallow a bunch of medicines and rush to call an ambulance. Acute stabbing pain makes you panic, because discomfort in the heart area seriously frightens people. But can such sensations in the left side of the chest always indicate cardiac problems? After all, severe stabbing pain can be a sign of other pathologies. Further in the article we will try to find out how to distinguish cardiac pain from non-cardiac pain:

Tingling and shooting are characteristic of pain of non-cardiac origin. Cardiac pain is more likely to be of a pressing nature, and a feeling of tightness and burning may occur.
Often a sharp stabbing pain occurs when taking a deep breath. This sign is also not typical for heart pathologies, but may most likely indicate neuralgia or other health problems.
Constant stabbing pain in the heart area is not typical for diseases of the heart muscle. Cardiac pain is most often observed in the form of short-term attacks.
If the patient experiences discomfort in the heart area and under the left shoulder blade, you can take a nitroglycerin tablet; if the symptoms do not concern the heart, they will not subside.
When the pain radiates to the left arm, the area of the shoulder blade and neck, and also has a short-term paroxysmal nature, it may well indicate pathologies of a cardiac nature.

Important! If pain occurs, do not panic. The patient is advised to calm down, drink sedative and take a comfortable position in bed. Excessive anxiety can harm your health.

The causes of discomfort in the chest can be varied. Often they indicate neuralgia, osteochondrosis and other unpleasant diseases. However, there are signs that you should consult a doctor if present. These include:

stabbing discomfort radiating to the area of the left arm, neck, shoulder blade;
dizziness and nausea;
feeling of numbness in the hands;
feeling of lack of air;
excessive sweating;
weakness.

If such signs are present, it is necessary to urgently call an ambulance, since the symptoms described above may indicate the danger of myocardial infarction or stroke. The patient is advised to calm down, take 2 aspirin tablets, open a window or balcony, and remove tight clothes.

Heart pain can be a sign the following diseases cardiological nature:

Ischemic disease

This includes patient conditions such as heart attack, stroke, angina pectoris and others. These pathologies are accompanied by insufficient blood supply to the heart muscle and necrosis of some of its areas. Because of this, a person may feel pain on the left side of the sternum and when inhaling.

Myocarditis

At infectious lesions heart disease, the patient may develop an inflammatory process of the heart muscle. It can also cause chest discomfort. With this disease, the unpleasant sensations in the heart are dull, aching in nature, but can also be sharp, stabbing.

Pericarditis

Acute pain in the left side of the chest may indicate a disease such as inflammation of the lining of the heart muscle. Symptoms of the pathology may also include swelling of the arms and legs, lack of air, and irregular heart rhythm.

Arrhythmia

Another disease that causes heart rhythm disturbances and is also often accompanied by painful sensations in the sternum area.

Uremia and diabetes mellitus

Pathologies of the heart muscle, accompanied by impaired metabolic processes in the heart, as well as coronary artery disease. The disease leads to severity and severe discomfort on the left side of a person's chest.

Heart muscle injury

These could be bruises, ruptures, concussions. Depending on the intensity of the damage, the nature of the discomfort may change. With neoplasms of both benign and malignant nature, the pain can be sharp or pressing, while the patient experiences a lack of air and discomfort in the sternum.

Important! If you experience regular paroxysmal pain in the heart area, it is imperative to consult a doctor. Timely diagnosis will help avoid many complications.

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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