Suggest Treatment For Painful Cramps In The Chest Area

Posted on Fri, 27 May 2016

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

Fri, 27 May 2016 Answered on

Wed, 29 Jun 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : a very painful cramp over
my left breast woke me up last night. It lasted about 5 minutes

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Rib nerve irritation can be the reason.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Cramps in the chest area are usually from muscles and nerves. Not from lungs or heart. Rib nerve irritation is a very common reason of such symptoms. Usually if appears spontaneously and disappears in the same way. The pain is worse when breathing and less intense when not breathing.

If the cramp was radiating to the left arm or jaw, heart ischemic disease can be the reason.
Sinuses infection along with breathing problems can a sign of lungs infection. This should be ruled out.

I suggest you to consult your doctor and have heart ECG, chest examination and chest x-ray. If this tests will be negative, you can assume that rib nerve pain is the reason.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.

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