We all experience aches and pains. But if you have pain in certain areas, it’s not something you should ignore.
That’s particularly true of your chest. While it could be something as innocuous as heartburn, chest pain is one of the biggest warning signs that something is significantly wrong with your heart. It could also indicate that you’re having a heart attack — even a “silent” one that doesn’t feel like much.
Ultimately, Dr. Ranjit Grewal wants to make sure that people don’t ignore chest pain. So, to make it as convenient as possible to seek care if you feel pain in your chest, he offers walk-in care at our Houston Family MD office in Cypress, Texas.
Should you walk in and see Dr. Grewal? To help you make that decision, let’s look at some of the causes of chest pain and why it’s a symptom you should never ignore.
A broad range of health conditions cause chest pain. Some are less significant than others. But because chest pain can signal that something is going wrong with your heart or lungs, it’s worth talking to Dr. Grewal about.
Some common causes of chest pain include:
Chest pain can also develop from any problem that affects the organs or structures located in your chest or upper abdominal area.
When trying to figure out what’s causing your chest pain, the type, location, frequency, and severity of your discomfort can tell us a lot about what might be going on.
Chest pain symptoms vary and may present in many ways, such as:
When you arrive for care, Dr. Grenwal may be able to get a general sense of what’s causing your chest pain based on your symptoms. That said, he also uses diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out his suspicions. While your symptoms help to point us in the right direction, they don’t always offer a clear picture of what’s going on inside your chest.
Heart attacks can cause sudden, unexpected, and intense chest pain. However, the symptoms of a heart problem aren’t always obvious.
Heart-related chest pain may develop slowly, starting out as a mild discomfort. Or you may have mild chest pain that lasts a few minutes and then goes away. Your heart-related condition may cause pain in other areas of your body, like your arms, jaw, or neck. You could even have a heart attack and not know it (the silent heart attack we mentioned earlier).
Chest pain that occurs during physical activity and goes away when you rest is one of the telltale signs of coronary artery disease. This type of chest pain, known as angina, means your heart muscle may not be getting enough oxygen-rich blood.
Ultimately, chest pain is a common symptom of many health problems. And because the symptom may indicate a potentially life-threatening condition involving your heart, it’s not one you should ignore.
If you suspect you or someone you know is having a heart attack, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
If you don’t think it’s a heart attack, you still shouldn’t ignore your chest pain. To figure out what your body is trying to tell you, walk into Houston Family MD, call our office, or book your appointment online right away.
