كيف أفرق بين ألم العضلات وألم القلب

How do I differentiate between muscle pain and heart pain, as the chest pains resulting from both cases are similar, but the risks associated with each are very different. It is known to everyone that the risks associated with cardiac problems are of a high degree of danger that does not amount to chest muscle pain, and given the importance of distinguishing between muscle pain and heart pain, we will write to you in our next article through the reference website the most important distinguishing signs for each of them, so that it is easy for you to differentiate between them .

pectoral muscle pain

Chest muscle pain is due to the exposure of the muscles in the chest area to severe tension and stretching, or to tearing sometimes, which may result from various reasons such as doing an improper activity or movement, or staying for a long time in unhealthy positions. Studies indicate that chest muscle pain results, in more than forty-nine percent of cases, from straining the intercostal muscles, and the intercostal muscles are those muscles located between the ribs of the rib cage, and consist of eleven groups of muscles. Each group consists of three muscles: the external intercostal muscle, the internal intercostal muscle, and the deep intercostal muscle. The task of these muscles is to help a person breathe and stabilize and stabilize the upper part of his body. The pain in these muscles usually ranges from severe to moderate, and the patient often complains of it, referring to pain in the chest area.[1]

Athlete’s high fitness heart rate ranges

heart pain

Heart pain results from a group of health problems that affect the heart muscle, or its arteries, veins, and membranes. These problems range from constrictions and infections, and the formation of blood clots blocking an artery. These problems cause an imbalance in the process of blood and oxygen delivery to the heart, or a disturbance in the process of pumping blood to the body, and in all cases the symptoms of this imbalance appear in the form of pain in the chest area near the heart, in addition to pain that spreads to other areas of the body such as the limbs and neck. and jaw. The health problems that cause heart pain are among the serious problems that may lead to human life, but the increase in public awareness of people with regard to dealing with these problems, in addition to the development of medical sciences and medicines, has greatly contributed to reducing the risks associated with heart problems.[2]

With each beat of the heart, the heart pumps out a variable amount of blood

How do I differentiate between muscle pain and heart pain?

All of the problems and heart diseases, and problems of ruptures of the intercostal muscles and other chest muscles are accompanied by the patient’s feeling of pain in the area of ​​the thoracic muscles. Where this pain ranges from mild to moderate to severe, depending on the cause of the heart problem, or according to the degree of stretching and elongation of the chest muscles. But how can a patient distinguish between muscle pain and heart pain. There are some indicators that may help the patient differentiate between chest muscle pain and heart pain, as the symptoms of a heart attack appear in the form of mild pain or an uncomfortable feeling accompanied by pressure in the chest. The pain usually begins in the middle of the chest, and sometimes moves to one or both arms, or to the back, neck, jaw, and stomach. The pain may last for several minutes, may disappear, and then reappear. Also, the symptoms of heart problems are not limited to chest pain, but may be accompanied by shortness of breath, a feeling of dizziness, nausea and a desire to vomit, in addition to the appearance of cold sweat on the body. While the pain caused by the stretching and elongation of the chest muscles is limited pain in the affected area, bruising and swelling may also appear in these areas.[3]

What is the largest part of the heart?

Chest muscle pain symptoms

Chest muscle pain symptoms can appear when making certain movements only, or when pressing on the chest wall, and the patient can also feel it on one side of the chest, and in some cases it may spread throughout the chest, and symptoms that indicate that the pain is caused by About damage to the pectoral muscles the following:[1][4]

• Pain, which may be sharp in cases of muscle tears, or moderate and lasts for long periods.
• Swelling in the chest area, which may be associated with the appearance of bruises.
• Muscle spasms in the affected area.
• Difficulty moving the affected area.
• Feeling of pain while breathing deeply, sneezing or coughing.
• Increased pain when moving the chest, twisting the trunk, or raising the arms.
• Some doctors have indicated that these symptoms may sometimes be accompanied by some pain in the upper back area.

Symptoms of heart pain

Symptoms of heart pain vary according to the health problems that cause heart disease, but these symptoms can be summarized as follows:[5]

• Pain in the chest area accompanied by severe pressure, and some patients said that they felt that an elephant was perching on their chest.
• Stomach pain with a sensation of acidity, indigestion.
• Feeling of pain in the arm.
• Feeling dizzy and wanting to vomit.
• Throat and jaw pain.
• Feeling of extreme exhaustion when doing normal activities that were carried out without getting tired, such as climbing stairs.
• Snoring during sleep is loud and unusual, as the patient appears to be gasping or suffocating.
• Cold sweats for no apparent reason.
• A long-term cough with white or pink mucus.
• Swelling of the legs, feet and ankles.
• Arrhythmia.

How much does a human heart cost?

Causes of pectoral muscle pain

Chest muscle pain results from everything that causes the chest muscles, including the intercostal muscles, to elongate above their normal limits. Possible causes of pectoral muscle pain include:

Chest muscle pain caused by sports injuries

Some exercises that include repetitive movements of the chest muscles, such as lifting weights, or practicing rowing, tennis, golf, and others, cause a rupture of these muscles as a result of stress and fatigue and the obligation to perform repetitive movements at a high pace. Inadequate warm-up before exercise can also cause these muscles to tear.

Chest muscle pain caused by raising the arms above the head

Raising the arms above the head for a long period of time may cause the chest muscles to elongate more than their normal limits, which may result in pain in these muscles, and the most common of these cases is sleeping with the arms raised above the head.

Chest muscle pain caused by improper movements

It is possible to hurt ourselves while doing some daily activities, and some types of jobs that involve lifting heavy loads, or lifting loads with twisting the torso sometimes, which may overburden the chest muscles, leading to stretching or tearing.

Chest muscle pain caused by accidents

Some accidents that a person is exposed to lead to a tear in the thoracic muscles, causing severe pain in the chest area. These accidents include everything that causes the chest area to suffer trauma, including falling or hitting something.

Chest muscle pain caused by coughing

Some respiratory diseases such as chest fever and bronchitis are accompanied by a severe cough that appears in the form of attacks that last for a long time, as the effect of this cough on the chest muscles is similar to the effect of repetitive movements on them, which may lead to its extension beyond its normal limits, causing harm. Continuous sneezing can also cause it.

Chest muscle pain caused by poor flexibility of the body

This cause overlaps with other causes of chest muscle pain. The lack of flexibility in the body increases the possibility of the thoracic muscle rupturing when exercising, or raising the hands for a long time, or when exposed to accidents and coughing, and on the contrary, appropriate flexibility reduces the possibility of thoracic muscle rupture.

With each beat of the heart, the heart pumps out a variable amount of blood

Causes of heart pain

There are a number of heart problems that cause heart pain, including:

• Coronary artery disease (angina): It is a blockage in the blood vessels of the heart as a result of cholesterol deposits in the coronary arteries or as a result of inflammation, which reduces the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle, causing shortness of breath, and chest pain known as angina pectoris. Although this disease does not cause permanent pain, and may go away with rest, it does foretell the possibility of a heart attack in the future.
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack): This condition arises when one of the coronary arteries becomes completely and suddenly blocked as a result of the formation of a blood clot in it, or as a result of slowing blood flow in these arteries, which narrow in atherosclerosis. This decrease in blood flow leads to the death of heart muscle cells. Although the pain associated with a heart attack is similar to the pain of angina, it is usually more severe and does not go away with rest.
• Pericarditis: Swelling and irritation caused by inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart (the pericardial membrane), and may cause angina-like pain, and may cause severe pain when the irritated layers of the pericardium rub against each other. These symptoms may also become more severe when breathing, swallowing, or lying on the back.
• Myocarditis: It is an inflammation of the heart muscle, which reduces the heart’s ability to pump blood. Although there is no blockage in the arteries, the symptoms of myocarditis are somewhat similar to the symptoms of a heart attack.
• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: It is a genetic disease that causes the heart muscle to thicken abnormally, pushing the heart to work harder to be able to pump the right amount of blood to the body’s organs, and this disease is usually accompanied by chest pain and some other symptoms.

There are some other heart problems that cause chest pain, such as mitral valve prolapse and coronary artery dissection, in which pain may reach the neck, back and abdomen.

Danger signs in chest pain

Chest pain may result from muscle pain or from heart problems. In all cases, these pains should not be ignored, and an ambulance should be urgently called if the patient feels sudden sharp pain in the chest accompanied by:[6]

• Feeling of heaviness, pressure, or tightness in the chest area.
• The pain persists for more than fifteen minutes.
• Pain spreading to other parts of the body, such as the arms, back, or jaw.
• Feeling short of breath, nausea or dizziness.
• Sweating and coughing up blood.
• And if the patient is a smoker, obese, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or suffers from chronic diabetes.

Sensitivity to methods of measuring the heartbeat True False

Heart pain prevention

The risk of heart disease can be reduced by adopting a healthy lifestyle, which includes:[7]

• A healthy and balanced diet, and the health care provider can be used to develop an appropriate nutritional program.
• Treating and controlling health problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
• Doing exercise throughout the week.
• Achieving and maintaining an ideal healthy weight.
• Control the number of calories taken in through drinks.
• Refrain from smoking, and all other tobacco products that contain nicotine.

Prevention of pectoral muscle pain

The risk of pectoral muscle pain caused by stretching and tearing of the chest and intercostal muscles can be prevented by following the following steps:

• Carry out warm-up exercises before starting the exercise, and cool-down exercises after it ends.
• Follow safety procedures when performing some activities in which a person may be at risk of falling or slipping. Where it is preferable to use handrails when going up or down the stairs, and it is preferable to avoid walking on slippery surfaces.
• Do not strain the muscles with exercises, as the stressed chest muscles are more susceptible to tearing.
• Avoid lifting heavy objects as much as possible, or lifting them carefully, and it is also preferable to seek help to lift very heavy weights.
• Carry heavy backpacks on both shoulders, and avoid carrying them on one shoulder.
• Eating a healthy and balanced diet, and exercising, as this may help increase the flexibility of the body, and reduce the risk of chest muscle pain.

What is the normal heart rate in humans and how is it measured?

Diagnosis of muscle pain and heart pain

As we mentioned, dear reader, chest muscle pain may not necessarily be caused by heart problems, so it is necessary to know how to differentiate between muscle pain and heart pain, as there are many causes that may result in this pain, including intercostal muscle pain. However, heart problems are considered the most serious of these causes, and this is what doctors and health care providers work to diagnose in the emergency room, as they conduct two sets of tests to check whether the pain is caused by heart problems or others, and these tests are divided into:[8]

• Immediate tests include:
  • An electrocardiogram, which measures the electrical activity of the heart.
  • Blood tests to check the levels of some proteins and enzymes in the heart muscle.
  • Chest x-ray, which shows the shape and size of the heart.
  • Computed tomography (CT) scan, which reveals the presence of blood clots.
• Depending on the results of the initial tests, follow-up tests may be required, including:
  • An echocardiogram uses sound waves to show the movement of the heart.
  • CT scan of the arteries and heart.
  • Perform stress tests.
  • Coronary angioplasty (angiography), which helps to see blockages in the arteries of the heart.

Here we have come to the end of our article on how to differentiate between muscle pain and heart pain, in which we talked about the symptoms characteristic of both diseases, with a mention of the reasons behind their occurrence, and then an explanation of how to diagnose them and prevent the risk of infection with them.