Why does my left chest hurt?

When talking about the left chest, many people's first reaction is the heart. Indeed, most people's hearts are located in the left chest. Many times, pain in the left chest area is considered to be a heart disease, but this idea is not necessarily 100% correct. There are many organs, bones and various tissue structures in the human body outside the heart. The pain in the upper left chest area cannot be completely separated from these parts.

1. Chest wall muscle spasm: The main feature is local tenderness. Changes in body position, chest movement, and deep breathing can aggravate the pain. It can also manifest as tingling, spasmodic pain, etc. The causes are mostly due to prolonged incorrect posture, bending over, leaning on a desk, strenuous exercise, local cold, etc., which cause chest wall muscle fatigue and spasm. This kind of chest pain is very common among computer workers.

2. Chest pain caused by heart reasons: The most common is angina pectoris, which is paroxysmal and severe, mostly located in the precordial area, rarely above the heart, and without local tenderness.

3. Rib lesions: The most common is costochondritis, which occurs in the 2nd to 4th costal cartilages of the upper chest. The local area may become thicker, raised, swollen, painful and tender, but there is no redness or swelling of the local skin.

4. Intercostal neuralgia: The pain is often distributed along the intercostals, and is most obvious in the mid-axillary line, beside the spine, and beside the sternum. It presents as a stabbing or burning pain, and may be aggravated by turning around, taking a deep breath, or coughing.

5. Pleuritic chest pain: The pain is mostly located in the armpit or near the armpit, often accompanied by low fever, cough, shallow and rapid breathing, etc.