Chest discomfort when breathing. Chest pain when taking a deep breath. What are the reasons for pain?

Many people have experienced discomfort or pain of various types in the middle of the chest. Such pain rarely appears by chance and most often its appearance is facilitated by physical overexertion or a serious illness that a person has. First of all, pain when inhaling in the middle of the sternum is associated with cardiac pathologies. However, there may be many other reasons for this, including spinal diseases, pulmonary and neurological diseases, and rib injuries.

Regardless of the cause of such a symptom, its manifestation cannot be ignored. In any case, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor to identify the source of pain and exclude causes that are dangerous to human life.

Causes of pain in the chest in the middle

chest injuries;
heart diseases: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris;
lung diseases: pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, cancer;
diseases digestive systems s: acute pancreatitis, pathologies of the esophagus, liver, gallbladder, gastric ulcer and duodenum.

Myocardial infarction and angina pectoris are accompanied by severe stabbing chest pain. At the first appearance of discomfort in the chest in the middle or on the left side, you should consult a doctor.

A burning sensation and pressing chest pain in the middle is one of the signs of myocardial infarction, requiring an immediate call for an ambulance. This kind of pain is very dangerous symptom, often leading to death.

Psychogenic diseases are one of the common causes of paroxysmal chest pain. The nature of the pain is stabbing or pressing, sharp or dull, and its localization is the center or top part chest.

Constant aching chest pain of varying intensity is less dangerous than a sudden pain attack. It may indicate neurological diseases, spinal injuries or organ dysfunction digestive tract.

Injuries, diseases and their symptoms

Severe and sudden chest pain in women and men – serious reason for concern!

The task of doctors is to find out its cause and exclude serious illnesses.

Having determined the localization and intensity of pain, their frequency and duration, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis, which is then confirmed by instrumental and laboratory research.

stupid,
aching,
spicy,
squeezing,
burning.

Pain from chest injuries

Injuries of various origins, whether caused by a car accident, a friendly fight, or a drunken brawl, can cause chest pain.

As a rule, victims complain that their chest and back hurt.

As a result of the injury, muscles and blood vessels rupture, which is always accompanied by pain that intensifies with inhalation, turns and bends of the torso.
Injury to the periosteum from a blow to the chest leads to prolonged pain that goes away very slowly.
With cracks and fractures of the sternum, the pain is accompanied by a general malaise and intensifies when feeling it with your hands.

Chest injuries always lead to pain, which differs only associated symptoms. The pain usually subsides with rest and intensifies with movement and deep breathing.

Cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are the cause of painful sensations in the middle of the chest.

Continuous chest pain is a sign of an aortic aneurysm. The pain associated with this pathology does not go away long time and intensify with walking and physical activity.

Aortic aneurysm requires urgent hospitalization and surgical treatment.

Pulmonary embolism is accompanied by severe pain, reminiscent of an angina attack, without irradiation to other areas. The pain increases with every breath and disappears after taking painkillers.
Compressive painful sensations in the middle of the chest, manifested in short attacks, are characteristic of angina pectoris. Dull and aching pain usually radiates to left shoulder or left hand.

Angina pectoris is characterized by pain when physical activity and disappears during rest.

Myocardial infarction is the most dangerous manifestation of pain, requiring immediate hospitalization, while the chest hurts on the left. The painful sensations are much more intense and last longer than with angina pectoris. The pain persists even at rest. An inexplicable fear takes over a person, shortness of breath and a feeling of anxiety appear.

Pulmonary diseases

If your chest hurts when you inhale, this may be a symptom of pleurisy, bronchitis, tracheitis, or pneumonia.

For organ diseases respiratory system the appearance of pain provokes a strong and prolonged cough, as well as damage to the diaphragm and intercostal muscles.

Pulmonary diseases Usually, treatment is quite difficult and takes a long time, so the appearance of the first symptoms of pathology requires immediate consultation with a doctor.

Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract

In some diseases of the digestive system, pain occurs under the chest in the middle or on the right.

stomach or duodenal ulcer,
diaphragmatic abscess,
acute pancreatitis,
acute cholecystitis,
reflux esophagitis.

Pain in these diseases often radiates to the right hypochondrium and is usually accompanied by heartburn, nausea, belching, and increased gas production.

Cause of pain due to pathology gastrointestinal tract is spasms of the muscular walls of the stomach or esophagus. The pain occurs on an empty stomach or after eating and disappears after taking antispasmodics.

Spinal diseases

Osteochondrosis is the main disease of the spine, manifesting permanent or paroxysmal pain in the middle part of the chest, extending to the left or right side. The nature of the pain depends on the position of the patient’s body: the chest hurts more when moving, and at rest the pain decreases.

Similar manifestations are caused by radiculopathy of the thoracic spine, which occurs against the background of progressive osteochondrosis. Lateral curvature of the spinal column (scoliosis) can also cause compression of soft tissues and nerves located in the chest area. A similar situation is observed with spondyloarthrosis, ankylosing spondylitis, protrusions and herniations of intervertebral discs.

Often, a complication of osteochondrosis is compression of the nerve roots, which is manifested by neurological pain syndrome - intercostal neuralgia. The pain is inferior in intensity only to renal colic. It is localized in the region of the heart and radiates under the left shoulder blade, reminiscent of the pain syndrome during an attack of angina pectoris.

Distinctive feature– lack of effect from taking Nitroglycerin, which always helps with heart pain.

First aid for chest pain

Sharp pain in the middle of the chest can lead to painful shock and loss of consciousness. The patient's pulse quickens, the skin of the face and lips turns pale, confusion or fear appears in the eyes.

What to do

Urgently call " Ambulance».
Place the patient in bed and elevate his legs slightly.
Remove clothing that is constricting the neck and give a Nitroglycerin tablet. This drug has a vasodilating effect and normalizes the patient's condition.
Everyone should be removed from the room extra people, since their presence will only irritate the patient.
If the patient loses consciousness, it is necessary to give him a sniff ammonia.
You can use a reflex technique: squeeze the little finger on your left hand in the nail area until painful sensations, then release. Repeat this 5-6 times.

What you should never do

leave the patient alone;
postpone calling an ambulance if the pain does not go away after taking appropriate medications;
set bone fragments in case of injury;
apply warm compresses until the cause of the pain is determined. For neuralgia, the compress helps, but for stomach ulcers it can be harmful.

Methods for treating pain behind the sternum in the middle

The treatment tactics for a patient who complains of difficulty breathing and pain in the middle of the chest depends on the cause of the pain and consists of eliminating the underlying disease.

Treatment of pulmonary pathologies consists of prescribing antibiotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, immunomodulators. The patient is shown bed rest, inhalation, consumption large quantity hot drinks, quitting smoking and alcohol.
Treatment cardiovascular diseases includes maintaining a healthy lifestyle, consuming proper food, classes breathing exercises, walks on fresh air, as well as taking drugs that expand coronary vessels and blood thinners.
Treatment of spinal diseases requires integrated approach. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors, are prescribed. Various methods of physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage, physiotherapy.
Treatment of pain due to chest injuries, between the shoulder blades in the spine, accompanied by fractured ribs, sprained muscles and ligaments, is to immobilize the patient and protect the damaged area of the body. Ice is applied to the affected area to relieve pain and prevent swelling. Special creams are used to treat damaged muscles. Massage and gentle daily stretches can help speed up recovery from injuries.

Thus, if the chest hurts, it’s hard to breathe - this could be clinical sign more than a dozen various diseases.

If such pain occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor, as the consequences may be unpredictable.

After full examination, the doctor will make a final diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Author of the article: Sergey Vladimirovich, a supporter of reasonable biohacking and an opponent of modern diets and fast weight loss. I will tell you how a man aged 50+ can remain fashionable, handsome and healthy, and how to feel like 30 in his fifties. About the author.

Pain in the chest is often regarded as warning sign, indicating serious medical problems. And in most cases this is true. In this area, vital organs (heart and lungs) are located, and large vessels (aorta) pass through. And their pathology has severe complications And unfavorable outcome. In other patients, pain in the middle of the chest is the result of something less severe, but no less. important diseases. She always demands increased attention and timely implementation diagnostic measures.

Causes

Chest pain is a common symptom that indicates many diseases. It is not easy for the patient to understand where it actually develops pathological process, because unpleasant sensations often have not a local, but a reflected character. Only a doctor will determine why chest pain occurs on the left. She can talk about the following conditions:

Cardiovascular pathology.
Respiratory diseases.
Diseases of the digestive tract.
Pathology of the spinal column.
Traumatic injuries.

These are the most common causes of chest pain. Considering their diversity, an important link in the primary stage medical care becomes differential diagnosis. It is carried out based on the results of a clinical examination and auxiliary studies.

If there is a stabbing sensation in the heart area or in the center of the chest, then you cannot postpone visiting a doctor, and acute pain requires immediate intervention from a specialist.

Symptoms

The clinical picture of the pathology in which pain in the chest occurs in the middle is quite diverse. It all depends on the affected organs and tissues, the severity of the process and its prevalence, and the mechanisms of disease development. The same disease in several patients may have different colors, which is determined by the individual characteristics of the body and subjective perception. But there are many similar symptoms.

The main complaint of patients who consult a doctor is chest pain. It has the following characteristics:

Pressing, squeezing, stabbing, aching, burning, pulsating, shooting.
Weak, strong or moderate.
Long-term or short-term.
Localized in various areas chest - left or center, or between them, in the back.
Gives to the left hand, neck, upper sections belly.
Occurs acutely or increases gradually.
It intensifies with physical and emotional stress, deep breathing, movements, and dietary errors.

Each disease has its own characteristics and symptoms that complement each other. Based on them, you can make a preliminary conclusion about the causes of pain in the sternum and indicate probable illness.

It is necessary to take into account all the signs of pathology - not only objective, but also subjective - because any information is of important diagnostic value.

Cardiovascular pathology

Greatest danger represent pain in the sternum, which appears due to pathology of the heart and blood vessels. Acute diseases, for example, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism or aortic aneurysm, are accompanied by real threat for the life of the patient, therefore they require urgent help. In this case, the pain in the sternum has a pressing or squeezing nature, radiates to the left arm and spreads under the scapula. It is quite intense, lasts more than 10 minutes and can be accompanied by the following symptoms:

Rise or fall blood pressure.
Increased heart rate, arrhythmias.
Dyspnea on exertion and at rest.
Cough with hemoptysis.
Cyanosis of the upper body.
Pallor, cold sweat.
Feelings of anxiety and fear.

On auscultation, muffled heart sounds, rhythm disturbances, and pathological noises are noted. Moist rales can be heard in the lungs. The patient's condition is most often serious.

Chest pain left and center is important sign cardiac pathology, which often requires a prompt response to prevent dangerous consequences.

Respiratory diseases

If you experience chest pain when breathing, which is accompanied by a cough, then you can think about a pulmonary pathology. Mostly happens inflammatory lesion lungs, trachea, bronchi and pleura. Along with pain in the left side of the chest, respiratory diseases have following signs:

Dry or moist cough.
Sputum production - purulent, mucous or bloody.
Dyspnea.
Fever.
General malaise, weakness.

Chest pain worsens with deep breathing and coughing. If they subside when lying down on the affected side, then pleurisy can be assumed. The location of pathological changes is determined during a medical examination - it changes percussion sound, wheezing, pleural friction noise appear, and breathing becomes weakened.

Pain in the chest when inhaling and coughing often indicates diseases of the respiratory system. Among them there are also dangerous conditions: bilateral pneumonia, valvular pneumothorax, lungs' cancer.

Digestive tract diseases

From the digestive tract to chest cavity there is only the esophagus. Therefore, unpleasant sensations in this area appear with esophagitis and diaphragmatic hernia. However, pain in the sternum can be referred, spreading from abdominal cavity. Sometimes this is how peptic ulcer disease, cholecystitis or pancreatitis manifests itself. Each case will have its own symptoms, among which the following should be noted:

Heartburn, belching.
Feeling of bitterness in the mouth.
Nausea, vomiting.
Bloating.
Changing the stool.

Such symptoms, like pain in the sternum, are associated with dietary errors and are completely independent of motor activity or breathing. At acute conditions complaints are most intense, sometimes there is local tension in the abdominal muscles.

With pathology of the digestive system, pain in the middle of the chest is accompanied by dyspeptic symptoms.

Pathology of the spinal column

If there is a stabbing sensation in the back and chest, then spinal pathology must also be excluded. Osteochondrosis, disc herniation, spondyloarthrosis are common causes of radiculopathy and, the manifestation of which can be chest pain when inhaling. They are observed on the side of the affected root and spread along the nerves. Vertebrogenic pain in the chest on the left increases with body movements, deep breathing, while laughing, sneezing or coughing. Symptoms of neurological disorders often appear:

Numbness, tingling, “pins and needles.”
Decreased sensitivity.
Muscle weakness.
Changes in skin color and dermographism.

Often pain in the chest on the left is combined with signs of autonomic changes in work internal organs: increased heart rate, instability of blood pressure, bloating. This is a consequence functional disorders, which disappear after eliminating the cause - compression of the nerve root.

If your back hurts during movements and it hurts to breathe, then you need to think about vertebrogenic pathology, which can mask diseases of the internal organs.

Intercostal neuralgia

Chest pain on the left that occurs may indicate intercostal neuralgia. This disease is often the result of hypothermia or physical overexertion. Sharp one-sided or girdling pain when inhaling occurs completely suddenly and may be accompanied by a feeling of numbness or hypersensitivity in the intercostal space. It also stings in the chest during coughing and movements: turning or bending the body. Palpation of the affected area is painful.

Traumatic injuries

Or rib fractures often cause pain when inhaling or other movements. Local symptoms depend on the type, mechanism and severity of the injury. Typically, they include the following signs:

Abrasions, bruises on the skin.
Swelling of soft tissues, hematoma.
Painful to the touch.

If it occurs, damage to the pleura and lung tissue may occur, leading to pneumothorax and bleeding. Movements in the chest are limited, the patient tries to spare the affected area, deliberately reducing the depth of breathing.

A common sign of injury is chest pain when inhaling, which is combined with other symptoms of mechanical damage.

Diagnostics

What causes it can be finally determined after additional examination. The diagnostic program depends on the disease suspected by the doctor and includes various laboratory and instrumental procedures. These include the following methods:

General analysis blood.
Blood biochemistry (markers of inflammation and myocardial necrosis, coagulogram, electrolytes, etc.).
Clinical and bacteriological analysis of sputum.
Coprogram.
Examination of pleural fluid.
X-ray of the lungs and spine.
Electrocardiogram.
Ultrasound of the heart and abdominal organs.
Gastroscopy.

The list of necessary studies can be expanded taking into account the clinical situation. You also need consultation from specialized specialists: cardiologist, pulmonologist, gastroenterologist, vertebrologist, neurologist, traumatologist. Only after this will the cause of pain in the left side of the chest become clear and appropriate treatment will be prescribed.

When your chest hurts when breathing, the first thought that usually comes to mind is probably something wrong with your lungs.

The thoracic region contains more than just the lungs; but the fact that the pain syndrome is associated with breathing makes most people “blame” these paired organs for unpleasant sensations when inhaling in the chest. But lung tissue is not endowed with innervation (nerve endings) that would be capable of causing these sensations.

In contact with

If there are no nerve endings in the lungs, what then provokes pain in the chest when inhaling, and why does the respiratory process affect the intensity of this pain? It turns out that pain in the chest when breathing can hide up to twenty different causes related not only to the respiratory, but also to the cardiovascular, nervous, and even digestive systems.

What can hurt your chest?

To understand why your chest hurts when you inhale, you have to remember anatomical structure and the location of organs in this part of the body. In the thoracic region are located:

the heart located in the heart “bag” - the pericardium;
thoracic region spinal column;
trachea, branching in the lower part into bronchi;
the aorta is the largest artery of the human body;
lungs covered with pleura - a protective film that softens their friction against the costal arches.

The lungs themselves contain bronchi and bronchioles, which are equipped with nerve cells, as well as the pleura, and all the organs listed above.

Any pathology in the thoracic organs - pleura, trachea, heart or pericardium - accompanied by inflammation or irritation of pain receptors can cause pain in the chest when inhaling.

In addition, colic from an inflamed gallbladder or from the stomach or duodenum affected by an ulcerative process can radiate (spread) into it. Finally, by various reasons intercostal muscles may hurt from excessive stress (for example, pain during intense training or due to prolonged cough) or the ribs themselves, if they were injured. As you can see, there is a lot of pain in the chest and each case should be dealt with separately.

Causes of pain when inhaling

What factors provoke the occurrence of pain in the chest when exhaling or inhaling? Provoking factors can be partly assumed by the nature of the pain. It’s not without reason that a doctor always asks questions like these to a person who is interested in why the chest hurts when inhaling:

what kind of pain - sharp or pressing-dull;
whether accompanied by cough or shortness of breath;
Does it get worse with increased inhalation?
Is it controlled by painkillers?

Such questions help the specialist to recognize clinical picture disease and guess what he is dealing with - with acute illness or a protracted pathological process. The reasons for these processes can be very different.

Neuralgia

What does the painful sensation indicate when you take a deep breath and your chest hurts? The connection between increased inhalation and chest pain is most often found in neuralgic conditions, that is, pain along a certain nerve. The mechanism for the appearance of this pain is clear:

with a deep breath, the lung tissue expands, the intercostal muscles tense and all this begins to put pressure on the pain receptors located nearby;
when a person is healthy, these receptors are not irritated and pain is not felt;
if the roots of the intercostal nerves at the exit from the spinal column or the nerve endings in the intercostal muscles are compressed, pain will occur from the tension of these muscles when inhaling.

Neuralgic pain during a deep breath in the chest has the following characteristic feature - it is usually felt not only at the site of a pinched nerve, but also radiates to the scapula or collarbone, aggravated by pressure or sudden movements.

Neuralgia can develop due to:
hypothermia;
intensive training;
unsuccessfully performed unusual movement;

osteochondrosis.

Osteochondrosis is considered the most common cause of neuralgia, when it is painful to inhale and the chest hurts from any careless movement.

Respiratory system The respiratory organs are also capable of causing pain in the chest when sighing if a pathological process develops in them. Most often the culprit pain syndrome pleurisy occurs in the thoracic region - inflammatory disease

membranes of the lungs.

This serous membrane has a two-layer structure, layered with mucus, which protects the pleura from friction. If air enters this space, the pressure in the pleural cavity begins to increase, making it increasingly difficult for the lungs to expand when inhaling. That's why when you inhale, your chest hurts when (and). Another reason why chest pain occurs when you breathe cell, inflammation lungs, or . Pain occurs when the inflammatory process spreads to the pleural area. Distinctive feature disease is

elevated temperature

, often - aggravating pain. With pneumonia, the chest hurts when you inhale due to the expansion of the lungs, but it can also hurt when you exhale, since any movements of the intercostal muscles irritate the nerve receptors of the pleura.
In addition to the listed pathologies, chest pain when inhaling can occur due to:
(at a late stage);
emphysema (late stage);
pulmonary embolism () and pulmonary infarction;
due to prolonged hacking cough or tracheobronchitis.

It is possible to establish the exact reason why there is pain in the chest area when inhaling only after undergoing special examinations in medical institution. Perhaps it was caused by problems not in the respiratory system, but in the cardiovascular system.

The cardiovascular system

Sometimes, if your chest hurts when you inhale, this is a sign of pathologies of the heart and blood vessels. Which ones? Different variations of pain (in the sternum area, closer to the left side or radiating to the left extremities) often occur when:

IHD, angina pectoris;
pericarditis (inflammation of the “heart sac”);
myocarditis (inflammation of the myocardium);
cardiomyopathy (pathology of the heart muscle).

Pain in the chest due to heart pathologies is often aggravated by inhalation due to the fact that the expanding lungs affect the innervation of the heart membrane, which is already in an irritated state due to the disease. A feature of cardiac pain is its ability to radiate to the back, shoulder or arm.

Consequences of injury

Injuries to any segments of the thoracic region (clavicle, sternum, ribs) are also among the triggers for chest pain. Diagnosing such conditions is not difficult, since the patient, as a rule, himself turns to a traumatologist with complaints that when he inhales, he has pain in the chest area. And this is natural, because any movement, including breathing, causes injured bones to shift and irritate both their own pain receptors and nerve endings in nearby soft tissues.

There may also be hidden injuries, for example, a person may receive a rib fracture due to strong compression, which he may not pay attention to at first. There have been cases when the fact of a fracture was discovered only during an X-ray examination after the patient complained that his chest hurt when he inhaled strongly. This once again confirms the need for deep diagnostic studies to clarify the diagnosis.

Right when inhaling

What could be the cause of the pain that is felt on the right when inhaling? The most common triggers for this type of chest pain are:

diseases of the digestive system (gastroesophageal reflux, cholestasis, chronic cholecystitis, biliary colic with cholelithiasis) can provoke the spread of pain to the right chest;
pulmonary diseases - right-sided pneumonia with a complication in the form of dry pleurisy, pulmonary embolism - pulmonary embolism (in 50% of cases it gives chest pain when inhaling on the right);
injuries to the bones of the thoracic region on the right;
neurological conditions;
diseases of the spine;
psychogenic conditions (panic attacks, cardialgia, cardiophobia).

The true cause of chest pain when inhaling on the right can only be determined by visiting a doctor.

On the left with a deep breath

Sometimes patients ask why the chest on the left side hurts when taking a deep breath, because it is so similar to heart pain. Such pain, indeed, may be of a cardiac nature and be a sign coronary disease heart and other cardiac pathologies. But not only them. Inhalation may also cause pain for other reasons:

injuries to the left segments of the thoracic region;
left-sided pneumonia with transition to the pleural area;
diseases of the pancreas and other internal organs of the abdominal cavity;
left-sided neuralgia.

All that is required from the patient is to listen properly to his pain and identify it characteristics(situations when it intensifies or, conversely, recedes) and try to describe your observations to the doctor as accurately as possible.

Why does it hurt when you exhale?

Chest pain has so many faces that it arises around great amount questions. For example, some patients are interested in why pain appears in the chest when exhaling. This symptom rarely occurs as an independent phenomenon.

Most often, patients with bronchial obstruction complain of painful exhalation: difficulty in exhalation is the most characteristic feature and (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

But pain in the chest when exhaling can occur in all the conditions described above. Therefore, you should not talk about this symptom as a specific sign.

If you take your breath away

It happens that when a person inhales, he experiences not pain, but a feeling as if his breath is being taken away in the chest. The causes of this condition often lie in pathologies of the respiratory system in all their diversity. But there may also be neurological reasons for the occurrence of such sensations.

To differentiate diagnoses, you should pay attention to some features of the clinical picture:

when “interception” of breathing occurs (in the morning or before bed, in a calm state or against the background of excitement, etc.);
how long does the “respiratory spasm” last?
after which breathing is restored;
how do you feel after an “attack” of lack of air;
Are changes recorded on the ECG?

All this is of great importance for diagnosis.

If, after you have taken your breath away, your heart begins to beat intensely, causing unreasonable anxiety and anxiety, but the ECG does not show any changes in the activity of the heart, then most likely we are talking about neurosis.

The patient needs to keep a health diary and record in it all cases of similar symptoms, their duration and other details. Such notes will be useful when visiting a neurologist and will help the doctor quickly understand the situation.

What to do?

Of course, if there is sharp and severe pain in the thoracic region while inhaling, the patient should limit physical activity and try to find a position in which the pain will be minimal. After all, pain exists precisely for this purpose: to signal a person about danger, to suspend his activities and draw attention to a health problem.

It is, of course, impossible to independently determine the cause of pain: only a specialist can answer all questions. Therefore, you need to call a doctor or go to the appointment yourself. Special attention require situations where the pain is acute, “tearing”, accompanied general weakness, sweating, nausea, which can indicate extremely dangerous, life-threatening states:

aneurysm or aortic dissection;
pulmonary thromboembolism;
myocardial infarction and others.

In this case, you need not just see a doctor, but call an ambulance.

Useful video

Useful information about the most common reasons Pain in the chest area can be found in the following video:

Conclusion

Chest pain when inhaling, exhaling, or simply while breathing can be caused by pathologies of the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous or digestive systems, as well as injuries to the thoracic region.
In deciding what to do if the thoracic region hurts when inhaling, the doctor should play a decisive role.
If the pain is acute, tearing, or sharp, it is necessary to call an ambulance.

The situation when there is pain in the chest in the middle and it’s hard to breathe is familiar to many, but not everyone knows what these can actually mean alarming symptoms. As sad as it may be, this symptomatology often is not a manifestation of a momentary deterioration in well-being and indicates the presence serious problems with health.

However, before consulting a doctor with this problem, you must first understand the possible root causes of its occurrence, so as not to panic ahead of time.

So, pain in the chest in the middle - what is it? When sighing, these are a rather ambiguous symptom, which in different cases may indicate a range of acute and chronic diseases of a very different nature.

Difficulty and painful breathing is often a consequence of an injury, for example, damage to the ribs, spine, diaphragm, etc. In this case, you must immediately contact a traumatologist, or at least a therapist who can quickly determine the nature of your problem and refer you to further examination.

If obvious reasons there is no chest pain (you know for sure that you did not receive any injuries), then perhaps you are faced with one of the existing diseases that occurs in a sluggish or acute form and giving this specific symptom. In particular, we are talking about:

diseases bronchopulmonary system;
disorders of the cardiovascular system;
disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract;
neuralgic symptoms.

Pain when inhaling in the middle of the chest often occurs against the background of intercostal neuralgia and osteochondrosis. This may be indicated by both the duration of pain and the inability to relieve it with painkillers. Regardless of the position and posture of the patient, such pain can occur spontaneously and be either acute or aching in nature.

Diseases of the bronchopulmonary system also often lead to difficulty breathing and. Moreover, we are talking not only about pneumonia and pleurisy, but also about such seemingly harmless diseases as bronchitis and tracheitis, which in advanced forms lead to a number of serious complications.

If we talk about problems with the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), pain in the chest area is most often caused by a stomach ulcer and inflammation of the duodenum. In this case, the pain is aching in nature, and often.

Chest pain due to intercostal neuralgia

Pain when taking a deep breath

Pain that occurs in the deepest part of the body is often experienced by patients with or in a pre-infarction state. In such cases, pain is felt in the center of the chest and can radiate to the back and neck, as well as to the left arm, shoulder and shoulder blade.

Also, pain in the middle of the chest when taking a deep breath is included in the list of symptoms of diseases such as:

pulmonary embolism;
diaphragm abscess;
pneumothorax;
pleurisy;
intercostal neuralgia;
mastopathy (in women).

Often the listed diseases in moments of exacerbation are accompanied by difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and often acute lack of air, up to suffocation.

What does pain in the chest area when exhaling indicate?

When exhaling, as a rule, it makes itself felt when there is an inflammatory process in the respiratory organs. In particular, we are talking about pneumonia, advanced forms of bronchitis and tracheitis.

At pulmonary embolism characterized by similar symptoms, the patient, in addition to pain, may suffer from lack of air, dry cough, heart rate(both in the direction of increasing and decreasing the heart rate), and from arterial hypotension. In especially severe cases, there is suffocation and acute, spontaneous pain in the chest area when exhaling.

Pneumonia, in turn, is often accompanied by wet cough with copious mucous discharge, shortness of breath and acute pain during exhalation. If the disease has already progressed to an advanced form, the coughing discharge has a reddish, “rusty” tint, clearly indicating the presence of a serious pathology.

If it's hard to breathe

If we leave aside factors such as injuries and hypothermia (in which the cause of pain during breathing lies on the surface), then pain in the chest, when it is difficult to breathe, in most cases indicates the presence of the following diseases:

myocardial infarction and pre-infarction condition;
pulmonary embolism (PE);
pericarditis;
aortic aneurysm (breathing is jerky, pain is aching, pulsating);
inflammatory lung diseases (most often acute pneumonia).

Also, pain between the chest in the middle, when it is difficult to breathe, often occurs with neuralgia - as a result of a hernia and pinched nerves in the spine.

What to do with such pain?

You can only deal with chest pain on your own if you know the cause of its occurrence. Thus, each disease has its own set of remedies that help get rid of discomfort in the chest area.

For inflammation respiratory organs Heaviness and discomfort in the area can be eliminated with the help of anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by your doctor. As an aid, it is allowed to use cough mixtures that normalize breathing.
If there are pathologies of a neurasthenic nature, in which it is difficult to breathe, chest pain is eliminated by taking special herbal remedies and drugs that strengthen nervous system. In such cases, you should avoid stressful situations if possible and healthy image life, adhering to proper nutrition.
At thoracic osteochondrosis You can deal with the problem using special exercises, allowing you to strengthen your back muscles so they can perform their supporting function. In parallel with the exercises, you should take general strengthening medications and provide the body with the necessary amount of calcium and vitamin D.

As for those cases when, when sighing, pain in the chest in the middle occurs as a consequence of an injury (for example, a broken ribs), the patient, first of all, needs to be given first aid:

place him in a sitting position;
eliminate factors that impede his normal breathing (unfasten his outerwear, loosen his collar, etc.);
provide the patient with peace and maximum immobility of the body until qualified doctors arrive.

Useful video

For more information about chest pain, watch this video:

Conclusion

All diseases that cause strong pain in the middle of the chest and it hurts to breathe deeply, they require compulsory treatment, regardless of what factors provoked their development.
Pain in the chest area during breathing most often indicates osteochondrosis and intercostal neuralgia or a previous chest injury.
Other causes are less common - disturbances in the functioning of the bronchopulmonary system, cardiac pathologies.
Self-medication in such cases is clearly not worth it, and visiting qualified doctor- only correct option for everyone who has encountered this problem.

If suddenly there is a pressing pain in the middle of the chest and it’s hard to breathe, this most often indicates heart pathology, although other diseases can also cause this condition.

Eliminating discomfort in the sternum involves identifying the cause of the mechanism of its development as a primary task, since treatment directly depends on the disease that provokes the symptoms.

Causes of painful manifestations

The main causes of pain are the following pathological conditions:

Angina pectoris. The disease is accompanied by the manifestation acute pain right in the center of the sternum, which can turn into shoulder joint hands. Pain may occur in the neck or jaw area. Lying down causes the symptoms to worsen, so the patient is advised to sit for a while during an attack.
Aortic dissection. An extremely dangerous pathology, often causing death. A characteristic symptom is sharp pain accompanied by a burning sensation and a feeling of intense pressure on the chest. Pallor skin, increased sweating, blood pressure instability, heart rhythm disturbances, fainting– symptoms indicating the need to urgently call an ambulance.
Pulmonary embolism. Blockage of the pulmonary artery is accompanied by aching pain, reminiscent of distension of the chest in the center and radiating to the back. From additional symptoms arrhythmia, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, impaired temperature regime, bluishness of the skin. Ignoring such symptoms is fraught with serious complications up to and including death.
Stomach ulcer. Girdle pain is localized in the middle part of the chest, slightly below the chest. The most characteristic symptom is sucking pain that occurs at night.
Intercostal neuralgia. Inflammatory process, localized in the muscles, is accompanied by expressive symptoms - discomfort in the muscles, aggravated by coughing, and pain in the chest.
Osteochondrosis. Destructive changes in condition intervertebral discs in case of thoracic osteochondrosis, they provoke pinching of the nerve roots, as a result of which there is observed constant pain in the sternum, worsening with deep inspiration.
Gastroesophageal reflux pathology. Weakening of the sphincter leads to the reflux of gastric juice or food fragments back into the esophagus, which causes pain due to contraction of the muscles of the esophagus. Pain in the middle of the sternum when inhaling makes it difficult to breathe freely, causing sour belching and heartburn.
Panic attacks. Pressing pain in the sternum occurs in overly emotional patients experiencing fear. Susceptibility to depressive states, hysteria, violent reactions to stressful situations accompanied by a rush of blood to the head, ringing in the ears, confusion and difficulty breathing. Panic attacks Women are more susceptible; in men they are practically not observed.

These diseases should be considered as the most common factors, provoking the complex negative symptoms, the most prominent of which is pain in the middle of the chest, causing difficulty breathing.

Other reasons

Sensations of compressive girdling pain are characteristic of conditions such as:

exceeding permissible physical activity;
taking certain medications;
scoliosis;
herniated discs;
pancreatitis;
cholelithiasis.

In childhood, the described complex of symptoms is observed in diseases of the upper respiratory tract - pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis.

Alarming symptoms

The occurrence of discomfort in the sternum, accompanied by a condition in which it is difficult to breathe, indicates the likelihood of the development of a life-threatening pathological process.

Therefore, at the first symptoms, you need to contact a general practitioner or family doctor, who, if necessary, will give a referral to a specialist.

Negative manifestations that require immediate consultation with a specialist:

sharp pain in the middle of the sternum, accompanied by a burning sensation;
increase or decrease in blood pressure;
noise in ears;
chills;
dizziness;
fainting state.

Postponement of a visit to the clinic (in emergency situations- calling an ambulance) can cost the patient his life.

First aid

An acute pain attack requires calling a doctor. Before his arrival, it is recommended that you do the following:

It is necessary to take a comfortable position that allows you to minimize the onset of pain. It is recommended to sit or lie down and try to breathe more calmly.
If you have previously established angina, you should take a Nitroglycerin tablet. The doctor's call is not cancelled.
Deviations in blood pressure readings are normalized with the help of medications previously prescribed by the attending physician.

The patient should not be left unattended until medical workers arrive.

Don't rely on help folk remedies or medications recommended by friends, especially if the etiology of the manifestation of negative symptoms is unknown.

Diagnostic features

Due to the fairly large variety of diseases that provoke pain in the chest, there is a need for differentiated diagnosis. Only if the disease that has become the primary source of negative consequences is identified clinical manifestations, the doctor prescribes a therapeutic course of treatment.

Among the mandatory diagnostic procedures– laboratory and instrumental tests:

clinical blood and urine analysis;

electrocardiogram;
X-ray of the chest area;

Establishing a diagnosis allows you to choose the right treatment tactics.

Treatment

The fundamental principle of therapeutic action is the relief of pain with the subsequent elimination of the disease that has become a provocateur of the pathological condition.

Treatment is prescribed based on the results diagnostic examination taking into account the characteristics of the underlying disease:

In case of aortic dissection, there is a need for urgent hospitalization of the patient in the department vascular surgery, where he is injected with painkillers. The use of sodium nitroprusside helps stop the process of aortic dissection. The further course of treatment consists of the use of vasodilators, adrenergic blockers and ACE inhibitors.
Treatment of angina pectoris is carried out under the supervision of a cardiologist. In addition to Nitroglycerin, which eliminates vasospasm and normalizes blood flow, potassium and magnesium preparations are prescribed. The patient is recommended a course of physiotherapeutic procedures - electrophoresis, laser therapy, magnetic therapy and medicinal baths.
Panic attacks, stress, depression require conversations with a psychotherapist or neurologist. Sedative medications are prescribed, one of the representatives of which is Persen. Acupuncture, massage, baths with chamomile, mint or thyme are recommended.
Pulmonary embolism. Drastic measures are required with the involvement of a resuscitator and surgeon. Before the embolus is surgically removed, the patient is ventilated and medications are administered to reduce blood clotting.
Peptic ulcer disease. Gastroenterologist prescribes antibacterial drugs(Tetracycline, Claricytomin), antihistamines(Nizatidine, Ranitidine). Lansoprazole normalizes the production of hydrochloric acid, Solcoseryl - for ulcer healing. Diet food- an integral part of the treatment course.
Intercostal neuralgia. The neurologist prescribes a course of Clonazepam, Dexamethasone, Prednisone, massage, electrophoresis, and the use of a warming patch.
Gastroesophageal reflux pathology. When treating the disease they use medications Maalox, Pantoprazole, Cisapride and physiotherapy. Diet recommended.
Osteochondrosis. The effectiveness of using NSAIDs (Diclofenac, Naklofen), Mydocalm, Actovegin has been observed.

Using Methods traditional medicine for pain in the sternum, causing difficulty breathing, is allowed only as a additional treatment only on the recommendation of the attending physician.

Information about diseases and those used to treat them medications are provided for informational purposes only. Course of treatment, dosage and frequency of administration medicines prescribed by a specialist doctor.

Patients experiencing the described complex of symptoms should not rely on Lucky case and the possibility of eliminating them during self-medication. This approach to the problem will not only not bring relief from the pain syndrome, but may cause the development of irreversible consequences.