CHEST PAIN

Chest pain is not uncommon and it may be serious. Unless you are ABSOLUTELY SURE to the contrary, it is best to assume that you are having a heart attack. After all, 50% of persons having a heart attack will die very suddenly within a short period of time, with no prior warning, and if you are wrong ...

However, there are many other causes of pain in the chest. Here we will discuss a few that are relevant to chiropractic.

Certainly it is best to consider whether your chestpain could be coming from source other than your heart before having expensive, and sometimes unnecessary procedures, like having a stent fitted, should you be experiencing pain in the chest.

HEART ATTACK aka Myocardial infarction or MI.

Painful chest may be caused by a blockage in the heart's arteries which reduces or completely cuts off the blood supply to a portion of the heart muscle. This can cause a blood clot to form and totally stop blood flow in a coronary artery, resulting in a heart attack with much chest pain (also called an acute myocardial infarction or MI).

Irreversible injury to the heart muscle usually occurs if medical help is not received promptly. Unfortunately, it is common for people to dismiss heart attack symptoms.

What are the warning signs of a heart attack? EVERYONE!!! should know these signs. Print this out and stick it up on the fridge. It could save your life!

Prevention is better than a cure. Think delicious fish soup rather than ...

While it is common knowledge, it is worth repeating: obese persons, particularly fat around the belly, and smokers are at high risk. As are diabetics who are not disciplined. Are you an obese, smoking diabetic? A medical disaster waiting to happen.

Should you be in this high risk category we strongly recommend you visit our olive garden nutrition page. Click here.

Do it even if you're not. Remember that Exercise and Cholesterol are closely related.

AT THE COAL FACE

'Doctor, I have pain in my chest. It started three months ago.''Have you seen your doctor, Mr Jones?''Yes, I have had extensive tests. They were all negative. Nobody seems to know what's wrong with me?''What made you decide to come here for chest pain?''My doctor says that it could be muscular. It cost me a packet, and the pain is getting worse not better ...'

For more interesting cases from the Chiropractic Coalface (late on Friday I call it the salt mines! It's hard work being a miner!), click here.

BREASTBONE / STERNUM PAIN

Costo-sternal Syndrome

Chest pain is commonly caused by a subluxation of the joint between the rib and the sternum or breast-bone. It may be associated with pain along the course of the rib, and in the midback, but this is not necessarily the case.

It is easy to test yourself: Press firmly on the breast bone, and then let your fingers slide right and left over the junction with the ribs. In this syndrome it will be very tender over some of the joints, usually on one side only, if you have this musculo-skeletal, non-heart, condition. You are almost certainly not having a heart attack! HOW COMMON ARE THESE OTHER MUSCULO-SKELETAL CAUSES OF CHEST PAIN? Follow this link

For a simple anatomy reader follow this link. Deep breathing may aggravate the chest pain, but does not usually unless it is severe.

This is a common condition which responds well to chiropractic. While your chiropractor should know it, it may be worth repeating that a heavy adjustment in the middle of the back may well aggravate this problem. It took me quite a few years to work that one out. I was napping the day we had that lecture!

Love to read? Chiropractor Bernard Preston loves to tell intriguing tales that challenge the chiropractor. His books are often described as a fun-read, but simulataneously you will find out much about the private world of chiropractors. Soaring in his glider, trout-fishing, hiking the mountains and his search for the unknown God make these delightful reads. For more about Bernard Preston's books, click here.

RIB PAIN

Chest pain is not uncommonly caused by a subluxated rib head. It can sometimes be extremely painful in the midback, between the shoulder blades. Where the rib joins the spine there are three small joints any of which can be sprained, causing severe pain. The common sign is PAIN WITH DEEP INHALATION. In fact it is often described as though someone is stabbing a rusty knife in the back, between the shoulder blades.

The condition is often caused by a violent sneeze, particularly if it is unexpected, and you are twisting or in some unusual posture.

This very painful condition responds very quickly to a gentle highly specific chiropractic adjustment of the rib head.

Home treatment should include an ice pack over the joint for 20 mins (on a dry face cloth) followed by a hot shower. Gentle massage may help too.

More difficult is when it involves the lower ribs. Patients (and doctors) may think that it is renal colic (eg from a kidney stone). A careful, thorough exam is the only way to differentially diagnose this condition. It is a more difficult area to adjust chiropractically, and may take longer to resolve.

RIB PAIN TREATMENT

Despite the fact that a subluxation of a ribhead can cause extreme pain in the middle of the back, the treatment is surprisingly not really painful. Relief is often immediate. Not having it treated, the acute pain usually recedes, but a dull gnawing ache often remains.

Pleurisy also causes pain with deep breathing. If you are feeling ill, running a fever, be sure to alert your chiropractor.

For more information about chiropractic Rib pain treatment, click here.

THORACIC OUTLET SYNDROME

This is another perplexing cause of chest (sometimes) and arm pain which confronts the chiropractor on a daily basis. The nerves to the arm and the chest muscles emerge from the lower neck, between the first rib, the collar bone, and some muscles, through a small triangular gap. The so-called brachial plexus of nerves may become entrapped in this triangle causing angina like symptoms, mimicing a heart attack. For more information, click here.

USEFUL LINKS

These three authors will amuse and entertain you while you learn more about chiropractic.

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