Overview
Left-side chest pain can have multiple causes, ranging from benign muscle strain or heartburn to severe issues like heart conditions. It’s crucial to pay attention to accompanying symptoms such as shortness of breath or pain radiating to the left arm and seek immediate medical attention if heart-related concerns are suspected, as it may indicate a heart attack.
Chest pain is a medical issue that can happen due to different medical problems. It can indicate a heart problem, digestive disorder, lung problem, or side-effect of an external injury due to an accident. Hence, it needs immediate medical attention to avoid harsh or worse circumstances.
Causes of Left Side Chest Pain
Heart Issues- One of the most prominent and common causes of pain in the left side of the chest can be heart or vascular issues. The chest pain indicates a low blood supply to the organ, causing it to function abnormally. Blockages in the blood vessels due to different health issues can lead to low blood flow, causing heart attack symptoms.
The chest pain can be aching sharp and make it difficult to breathe under such circumstances. Heart attack, coronary artery disease, pericarditis, aortic dissection, and other similar issues can cause acute chest pain.
Digestive Issues- Digestion issues also make one feel an aching chest pain on the left side. It happens due to improper digestion, leading to food getting blocked in the throat or the chest, making one feel uneasy while breathing, burping excessively, or anxious to perform a heavy physical activity. Hiatal hernia, gastritis, pancreatitis, and GERD are digestive issues that can cause chest pain. Avoiding junk food, having a healthy diet, and exercising for a few minutes daily can help lower digestive problems and naturally improve gut health.
Lung Issues- Different lung issues can also lead to bad chest pain. It can be accompanied by difficulty in breathing, excessive coughing, wheezing, or difficulty performing intense physical activities. Lung issues also affect breathing harshly, and the situation worsens if left untreated for a longer time. Lung issues such as pulmonary embolism, COPD, pneumonia, pleuritis, pneumothorax, pulmonary hypertension, and asthma can cause extreme chest pain. People who smoke excessively are also at a higher risk of getting affected by chest pain and different types of lung issues.
Physical Injuries- Different types of physical injuries caused by an accident can also lead to chronic chest pain. Injuries in the form of broken rib cage, muscle sprain, or costochondritis can lead to extreme chest pain, leading to issues in breathing comfortably.
Nerve Conditions- Conditions such as shingles can lead to chest pain along specific nerve pathways.
Psychological Factors- Anxiety and panic attacks may manifest as chest pain.
Other Causes- Sometimes, left-sided chest pain may be due to issues with the aorta, oesophagus, or even referred pain from organs such as the spleen.
Symptoms of Left Side Chest Pain
Mentioned below are a few more health issues that accompany left-side chest pain and indicate immediate medical attention to get to the root cause:
Jaw Pain
Neck Pain
Back Pain
Breathlessness
Wheezing and Excessive Coughing
Upset Stomach
Arm or Shoulder Pain
Crushing Pain in the Chest
Treatment Options for Left Side Chest Pain
Treatment to cure chest pain depends upon the cause and severity of the issue faced by each patient. Mentioned below are a few treatment options that help to lower chest pain and allow one to get back on track:
Medications- Different types of medicines to treat the root cause of chest pain are prescribed by doctors. Medicines to cure a heart attack, coronary artery disease, pericarditis, aortic dissection, hiatal hernia, pneumonia, asthma, and other similar issues are suggested by doctors. These medicines help ensure proper and required blood flow to the organs in need and lower chest pain as soon as possible.
Surgical Procedures- The last resort is surgery when medications and other remedies cannot cure the issue. Different types of surgical procedures such as radiation therapy, or surgeries to resolve heart and lung issues help to treat chest pain and other related issues.
