Published on: 5/6/2025
Chest pain can feel like pressure, squeezing, tightness, burning, or even stabbing sensations in your chest, and it might spread to your arm, neck, or back.
When describing chest pain, people often use words like "pressure" or "tightness." Some feel it as if someone is squeezing their chest really hard, while others may call it a heavy or crushing feeling. Chest pain can also feel sharp, like a stabbing sensation, or it might burn, similar to acid reflux. Sometimes, the pain is steady and constant, and other times it can come and go. It might also spread from the center of the chest to nearby areas, such as the arms, neck, jaw, or even your back. Everyone’s experience with chest pain can be a little different. Some people might feel a dull ache, while others feel a painful, intense sensation that makes it hard to move or breathe comfortably. Describing how the pain feels, including its intensity and location, can help your doctor understand what might be happening and decide on the next steps for care. This detail is important whether the pain is due to the heart, muscles, or other causes.
(References)
Malik MA, Alam Khan S, Safdar S, Taseer IU. Chest Pain as a presenting complaint in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Pak J Med Sci. 2013 Apr;29(2):565-8. doi: 10.12669/pjms.292.2921. PMID: 24353577; PMCID: PMC3809224.
Arora G, Bittner V. Chest pain characteristics and gender in the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2015 Feb;17(2):5. doi: 10.1007/s11886-014-0557-5. PMID: 25618302.
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