What are the symptoms of chest pain?
Chest pain can feel like pressure, tightness, squeezing, burning, or a sharp stab, and it may spread to the arm, jaw, neck, or back. Warning symptoms that point to a heart problem include chest pressure with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or lightheadedness.
“Chest pain” describes many different sensations, and the way it feels offers clues about the cause. Learning to read the symptom picture helps you tell an ordinary muscle strain from a possible heart problem — though only testing can confirm it.
What Chest Pain Can Feel Like
- Pressure, tightness, or squeezing — often described as an elephant sitting on the chest; commonly cardiac
- Burning behind the breastbone — often acid reflux, but can overlap with heart pain
- Sharp or stabbing pain that worsens with a deep breath — more typical of the chest wall, lungs, or lining around the heart
- Aching or sore pain that hurts when you press on the spot — usually muscular or from the rib cartilage (costochondritis)
Symptoms That Often Come With It
Chest pain rarely travels alone. The accompanying symptoms are often more telling than the pain itself:
- Radiation of pain to the arm (usually left), jaw, neck, shoulder, or back
- Shortness of breath or feeling unable to catch your breath
- Sweating (a cold, clammy sweat) unrelated to heat or exertion
- Nausea, vomiting, or indigestion-like discomfort
- Palpitations — a racing, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
- Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
Which Symptoms Are Dangerous Warning Signs
Treat these combinations as warning signs of a heart attack or other emergency:
- Chest pressure lasting more than a few minutes, or that eases and returns
- Chest pain plus shortness of breath, cold sweat, or nausea
- Pain spreading to the arm, jaw, or back
- A sudden, severe, tearing pain radiating to the back
- Any chest discomfort with fainting or a sense of impending doom
Some people — especially women, older adults, and those with diabetes — have “atypical” symptoms such as unusual fatigue, mild breathlessness, or indigestion without dramatic chest pain. These subtle signs still deserve evaluation.
If you notice dangerous warning signs, call 911. To have symptoms evaluated 24/7, walk in to Bellaire ER at 5302 Bellaire Blvd or call (713) 660-0001 for guidance.
For a complete guide, see our chest pain page.