Pain In Back, Behind The Heart When Coughing. How To Overcome This?

Posted on Tue, 22 Oct 2013

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

Tue, 22 Oct 2013 Answered on

Fri, 8 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have pain in my back, behind the heart and is pronounced when I cough or breath hard. What might it be?

Answered by Dr. Moustafa Saeed (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Detailed answer below

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for your question.

Although it could be muscular pain, but we should first role out any serious causes such as heart or lung related.

Chest infection or blood clot on the lung can give similar symptoms.
Chest infection should associate with cough and raised temperature,
Blood clot associate with short of breathing and high heart rate.

I will recommend you to have ECG to the heart (Heart tracing) and chest X-ray at the least to role out those serious conditions.

kind regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D

Follow up: Dr. Moustafa Saeed (1 hour later)

I have both tests recently and they were normal.

Answered by Dr. Moustafa Saeed (9 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Detailed answer below

Detailed Answer:

Hello again,

Thanks for the follow up.

I am glad to know that you have been investigated and the results are reassuring.
Most likely it is muscular pain, but other option is arthritis in the thoracic spine which can give you radiating pain.

You need analgesia ( pain killers) regularly and few sessions with physiotherapy and that should hopefully help in easing your symptoms.

Wish you speedy recovery

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D