Can GERD Cause Pain In Upper Back,shoulders,chest And Underarms?

Posted on Tue, 25 Mar 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 25 Mar 2014 Answered on

Mon, 14 Apr 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I am having pain all over my upper back, shoulders, chest, and underarms. The pain seems to start under my arm or in my shoulder and radiate from there. I have pain in the upper center of my back as well. I have also been experiencing pain and sensitivity in both nipples and pain in my chest. The pain is not made worse when I breathe in deeply and in some of the spots I can pinpoint it and it is tender when I push in. Could this be caused by GERD, Heart issues, Blood clot? Or is it just inflammation and muscle strain? I have been having chest pains similar to this for a couple of months almost daily, the pain in my back and shoulders has been happening for a few days. Another note, when the pain starts in my shoulder and back it seems to also start in the same exact spot on my chest. Thank you for your answer.

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: GERD symptoms,not related to heart... Detailed Answer: Hi, I have gone through your medical history and to my opinion, all your symptoms go for GERD. However, I suggest to run: - EKG - cardiac echo - stress test - Holter monitoring to exclude cardiac problems, and: - chest X-ray to exclude pulmonary problems. If everything is ok, then, GERD is confirmed. Should continue taking dexilant and follow a strict diet. Hope it answered to your query! Do not hesitate to write me back if you have other concerns! Dr.Benard

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar