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Published on: 5/6/2025

Why Do I Experience Left Side Chest Pain When Coughing?

Coughing can strain the muscles and joints in your chest, causing pain on the left side, and it may be made worse by underlying lung issues like bronchiectasis or COPD.

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Explanation

When you cough, the muscles and tissues in your chest work hard, and this strain can make the left side of your chest hurt. If you cough very forcefully or often, the muscles, ribs, or the cartilage that connects them (known as costochondral joints) can become irritated or even pulled. This is one common reason for experiencing chest pain when coughing. Additionally, if you have a lung condition such as bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), these conditions can make the tissue around your lungs more sensitive. When you cough, the already irritated tissue may cause sharp or aching pain. Sometimes the lining around your lungs (the pleura) can also get inflamed, and a bout of coughing can reveal this pain by increasing pressure on that area. Although chest pain with coughing is often due to these nonheart causes, it is important to let your doctor know if the pain is severe, gets worse, or comes with other symptoms like trouble breathing, so that they can rule out any serious conditions and help guide the right treatment.

(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.

  • King PT, Holdsworth SR, Farmer M, Freezer NJ, Holmes PW. Chest pain and exacerbations of bronchiectasis. Int J Gen Med. 2012;5:1019-24. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S39280. Epub 2012 Dec 10. PMID: 23271921; PMCID: PMC3526875.

  • Bordoni B, Marelli F, Morabito B, Castagna R. Chest pain in patients with COPD: the fascia's subtle silence. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2018 Apr 12;13:1157-1165. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S156729. PMID: 29695899; PMCID: PMC5903840.

  • Khajotia R, Somaweera N. Acute breathlessness and chest pain following a harsh bout of coughing. Can Fam Physician. 2012 Mar;58(3):276-9. PMID: 22518898; PMCID: PMC3303650.

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