Posts by Eric Brown40

fadedmarlin402 said:Chest pain and general discomfort in the ribcage area are probably among the most common reasons people end up at the doctor's office. It makes sense that folks get spooked, given that you've got all your vital cardiovascular and respiratory organs sitting right there. That said, pain doesn't always have a direct link to something life-threatening. I suppose the intensity of the ache isn't really a reliable indicator of how serious things are either; a sharp, intense pain might be nothing, while something dull could potentially be significant. Generally speaking, causes for chest pain fall into categories like cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, or just other miscellaneous issues. Usually, a doctor will run a standard cardiology screening first just to rule out anything critical. From there, they might move on to pulmonology or GI tests if it seems necessary. I should probably point out, though, that more often than not, we’re looking at musculoskeletal issues. Given his age and activity level, I doubt it's anything related to spinal disc issues or those typical ailments that tend to plague older patients. It could very well just be an intercostal muscle spasm or something similar. Anyway, if the sensation persists, I'd say insist on getting further testing done...

Thanks, you've calmed my nerves a bit.

So, does this mean it's just supposed to clear up on its own? Now I'm left wondering if I should be taking it easy or if I ought to push myself harder physically.

I guess I’m dealing with the exact same thing. I’m 17, I don't smoke, I don't drink, and I stay pretty active. I played basketball from when I was eight all the way until last June. Back in early January 2009, I started feeling this pain in the left side of my chest; it lasted for maybe two weeks before settling down, but then it would just flare up again whenever I did anything physically intense. Since then, the pain has sort of wandered around—moving from my chest to my shoulder blade, under my neck, and into my back, though it’s always relatively mild. Right now, though, I can feel it on the right side of my chest. I’ve actually been to the doctor twice, but both times they just told me everything seems perfectly normal, nothing to worry about, and suggested I just try to avoid stress. It’s not like I lead a particularly high-stress life or anything. Does anyone happen to know more about this, or perhaps someone could offer some actual professional insight?