If you have chest pain, you know how scary it can be. When you suspect something might not be right with your heart, you know you could be in big trouble. Heart attacks kill many each year, and if you have chest pain, you have to consider that this might be what is going on. Fortunately, not all pain in the chest is a heart attack, as there are many other reasons why you may have a problem or pain in the general area of your heart.

Other than heart attack, chest pain can be something as simple as heartburn. Sometimes the pain of heartburn is so intense that it does indeed feel like you have having a problem with your heart. If you can’t tell the difference, get into the ER as soon as possible. If you are actually having a heart attack, you need medical attention straight away.

If you have recently been injured or taken a fall, you may have chest pain from your muscles. This may even happen if you have exercised too hard, or perhaps even slept in an awkward position. If the muscles in your chest get damaged, the pain can be severe. This sort of chest pain may imitate a heart attack for a moment, and so you can never be too careful. If they find your that your chest pain is the result of an injury, they can give you medications to take away the pain.

If you have chest pain and your doctor seems to be baffled, it is in your best interest to have a second or third opinion. Unexplained pain in any area of your body should be examined until a cause is found. I wish my friend had gotten a second opinion back then, as it may have helped what is going on with him now, though we may never know.