Shoulder muscle chest area pain
Fractured clavicle (broken collarbone): Falling on your outstretched arm can cause your collarbone to break. This will cause pain in the collarbone but also in the shoulder and sometimes in the upper chest. Bursitis: A bursa is a sac over the joints to provide a cushion to the joints and muscles. Bursae can become swollen and painful after injuries. Bursitis of the shoulder may cause pain to radiate to the chest. Sometimes the smaller bursae in the chest wall can become inflamed and cause pain. Heart attacks: Although the problem is the heart, heart attacks can cause referred pain to the shoulder or neck. Excessive coughing can also cause chest wall pain due to muscle spasm that may be referred to the shoulder. Fractured scapula (broken shoulder blade): An injury to the shoulder blade usually is associated with relatively forceful trauma. Pain is typically in the posterior chest wall. Rotator cuff injuries: The rotator cuff is a group of muscles at the shoulder. These muscles can be injured playing sports with a lot of throwing or after repetitive use over a long time. Rotator cuff tendonitis occasionally causes pain referral to the upper chest. Shoulder or A-C separation: The collarbone and shoulder blade are connected by a ligament. With trauma to the shoulder, this ligament can be stretched or torn. The upper chest near the collarbone will be painful. Whiplash injury: Injury to the ligamentous and muscular structures of the neck and shoulder can be caused by sudden acceleration or deceleration, as in a car accident. Any neck injury can cause pain referral to the chest and shoulder. Gallbladder disease: This can cause a pain referred to the right shoulder and to the right side of the chest.
To reiterate...any part of the chest can cause pain in the chest, including the heart, lungs, esophagus, muscle, bone, and skin. Because of the complex nerve distribution in the body, chest pain may come from another part of the body. The stomach or other organs in the belly (abdomen), for example, can cause chest pain. And anything that causes chest pain can be referred to the shoulder. Examples: A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the arteries that supply the heart (coronary arteries) becomes blocked. With decreased blood flow, the muscle of the heart does not receive enough oxygen. This causes damage and deterioration of the heart muscle. This is a life-threatening situation. Angina is chest pain related to an imbalance between the oxygen demand of the heart and the amount of oxygen delivered via the blood. It is caused by blockage or narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. Angina is different from a heart attack in that the arteries are not completely blocked. Also, angina causes little or no permanent damage to the heart. Stable angina occurs while exercising and goes away with rest. Unstable angina is not relieved by rest or actually occurs at rest. The aorta is the main artery that supplies blood to the vital organs of the body, such as the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and intestines. Dissection means a tear in the inner lining of the aorta. This can cause massive internal bleeding and interrupt blood flow to the vital organs. Sharp searing intense pain in the upper back and chest is a classic symptom. A pulmonary embolus is a blood clot in one of the major blood vessels that supplies the lungs. It is a potentially life-threatening cause of chest pain but is not associated with the heart. Spontaneous pneumothorax occurs when air enters the space between the chest wall and the lung tissue. Normally, negative pressure in the chest cavity allows the lungs to expand. When a spontaneous pneumothorax occurs, air enters the chest cavity. When the pressure balance is lost, the lung is unable to reexpand. This is often called a collapsed lung. A perforated viscus is a hole or tear in the wall of any area of the gastrointestinal tract. This allows air to enter the abdominal cavity. Air in the abdominal cavity irritates the diaphragm, which can cause chest pain. Because the diaphragm is irritated, pain in the shoulder may also occur. Acute pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, which is the sac that covers the heart. Pericarditis pain is sharp and relieved by leaning over when seated. It may- if there is irritation of the diaphragm cause shoulder pain. Mitral valve prolapse is an abnormality of one of the heart valves in which the leaves of the valve bulge into the heart chamber during contraction. When this occurs, a small amount of blood flows backward in the heart. Fleeting chest pains can occur with this disorder. Since mitral valve prolapse is a common finding in patients with fibromylagia, accompanying shoulder pain is sometimes seen. Fibromyalgia is another cause of chest muscle pain. Costochondritis which is a localized form of fibromyalgia, is a particularly common cause of chest wall muscle pain. Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs. Pain is typically located in the mid chest, with intermittently dull and sharp pain that may be increased with deep breaths, movement, and deep touch. It can mimic a heart attack.
Pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue. Chest pain occurs because of inflammation to the lining of the lungs. Referred pain to the shoulder is relatively common. Chest pain from esophageal disorders can be alarming symptom because it often mimics chest pain from a heart attack. Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD occurs when acidic digestive juices flow backward from the stomach into the esophagus. The resulting heartburn is sometimes experienced as chest pain. Likewise, esophagitis which is inflammation of the esophagus may also cause chest pain. Another esophageal cause of chest pain is esophageal spasm.
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