OHSU

Chest Pain

DEFINITION

  • Pain or discomfort in the chest (front or back)
  • This includes the area from the lower neck to the bottom of the rib cage

Causes

  • Most persistent chest pain is from a hacking cough. Coughing can cause sore muscles in the chest wall, upper abdomen or diaphragm.
  • Occasionally, chest pain follows strenuous exercise (e.g., throwing a baseball), lifting (e.g., weights or heavy boxes), or work that involves the upper body (e.g., digging). This type of muscle soreness often increases with movement of the shoulders.
  • Most brief chest pain lasting minutes is from harmless muscle cramps or a pinched nerve.
  • Heart disease is hardly ever the cause of chest pain in children.

See More Appropriate Topic (instead of this one) If

WHEN TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR

Call 911 Now (your child may need an ambulance) If

  • Severe difficulty breathing (struggling for each breath, grunting to push air out, unable to speak or cry or lips are bluish)
  • Not moving or too weak to stand

Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If

  • Your child looks or acts very sick
  • Your child has heart disease
  • Difficulty breathing, but not severe
  • Taking a deep breath makes pain worse
  • Severe chest pain Heart beating very rapidly or has fainted
  • Followed a direct blow to the chest
  • Unexplained chest pain present (EXCEPTION: pain due to coughing, sore muscles or other obvious cause)
  • You think your child needs to be seen urgently

Call Your Within 24 Hours (between 9am and 4pm) If

  • You think your child needs to be seen, but not urgently
  • Fever is present

Call Your Doctor During Weekday Office Hours If

  • You have other questions or concerns
  • Chest pains only occur with vigorous exercise (eg, running)
  • Sore muscles lasts over 7 days Heartburn persists over 2 days on treatment
  • Chest pains are a recurrent chronic problem

Patient Home Care If

  • Normal chest pain from sore muscles or heartburn and you don't think your child needs to be seen

HOME CARE ADVICE FOR CHEST PAIN

Reassurance:

  • Chest pains in children lasting for a few minutes are usually harmless muscle cramps. They need no treatment.
  • Chest pains (sore muscles) from vigorous exercise or work using the upper body usually start soon after the activity and need the following treatment.

Pain Medicine: Give acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol) or ibuprofen. Continue this until 24 hours have passed without pain.

Local Heat: Apply local heat for 20 minutes 4 times a day. Use a heating pad, warm washcloth or hot shower to the area.

Stretching Exercises: Gentle stretching exercises of the shoulders and chest wall in sets of 10 twice daily may prevent recurrence of muscle cramps. Stretching exercises can be continued even during active chest pain. Avoid any that increase the pain.

Expected Course: For sore muscles, the pain usually peaks on day 2 and lasts 6 or 7 days.

Call Your Doctor If:

  • Pain becomes severe
  • Pain lasts over 7 days on treatment
  • Your child becomes worse


Disclaimer: This information is not intended be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

 

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Author and Senior Reviewer: Barton D. Schmitt, M.D.
Last Reviewed: 9/15/2011
Last Revised: 1/22/2012
Content Set: Pediatric HouseCalls Symptom Checker
Copyright 1994-2012 Barton D. Schmitt, M.D.

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