Can cervical problems cause chest pain?

(August 7, 2013)

Severe chest pain can be a major source of concern for just about anyone. This is probably because most of us associate chest pain with heart problems, especially a heart attack. However, there are several other health problems and conditions that could also lead to pain and discomfort in the chest area and not all of them are as serious as a heart attack. Apart from cardiac problems, chest pain can occur due to cervical, respiratory, musco-skeletal and digestive causes too. Given below are some of the most common causes of pain in the chest:

Cardiac problems

Myocarditis or inflammation in the heart, caused by infections
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Pericarditis
Coronary spasm
Aortic dissection
Angina
Heart attack

Cervical problems

Cervical spondylosis
Cervical cancer
Cervical disc disease
Other cervical spine disorders

Respiratory problems

Pneumothorax or a collapsed lung
Asthma
Pleurisy
Pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition
Pulmonary hypertension, which is high blood pressure in the arteries that carry blood to the lungs

Musco-skeletal problems

Pinched nerves or injured ribs
Sore muscles caused by chronic pain syndromes, like fibromyalgia
Costochondritis, caused by inflammation in the rib cartilage

Digestive problems

Formation of gallstones
Cholecystitis or inflammation in the gall bladder
Achalasia, a swallowing disorder
Hiatal hernia
Esophageal spasm
Heartburn

Other problems

Cancer (in rare instances)
Shingles
Panic attacks

Even though most of the causes of chest pain are not as serious as a heart attack, they need to be addressed by a health care provider immediately. Therefore in case you happen to experience more than one episode of chest pain, it is important for you to visit your doctor without any delay. You may need to undergo a series of tests which include an Electrocardiogram, blood tests, chest x ray, stress tests, echocardiogram, angiogram, CT scan, endoscopy and an MRI, to determine what the exact cause of the problem. After a careful evaluation, your health care provider will suggest the most suitable course of treatment.

Submitted by S C on August 7, 2013 at 05:46