Pain or discomfort in the chest is certainly cause for concern because it could be a sign of lung (or heart) disease. In fact, pain in the upper torso is more often caused by much less severe problems such as indigestion, stomach acid, and muscle tension. Distinguishing pain caused by lung problems from muscle tension is fairly easy if you understand the common symptoms of both. If in doubt about the cause of your chest pain, especially if it worsens or if you have risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or obesity, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible for a thorough physical examination.
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Part 1 of 2: Understanding the Differences in Symptoms
Step 1. Pay attention to the duration and type of pain
The onset of muscle pain is usually very different from that of lung pain. Muscles of moderate to severe severity tend to hurt right away, while those of mild strains take about a day to start to hurt. Muscle pain is almost always associated with fatigue or trauma. So, the causes of muscle pain are generally pretty self-explanatory. Muscle pain is often described as a sharp pain, like an electric shock, and is influenced by body movement. In contrast, lung pain due to illness will appear more gradually and be preceded by other symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing, fever or malaise (lethargy). Furthermore, lung pain is usually unaffected by time or activity, and tends to be constant.
- Vehicle accidents, slips and falls, sports trauma (football, basketball, futsal) and lifting too heavy weights in the gym can all trigger sudden pain.
- Cancer, infection, and pneumonia get worse gradually (over days or months) and are accompanied by many other symptoms. Pneumothorax is a life-threatening lung disease that develops gradually.
Step 2. Observe cough symptoms
Many lung diseases/problems can cause chest pain, for example lung cancer, lung infections (viral and bacterial pneumonia, bronchitis), pulmonary embolism (blood clots), inflammation of the pleura (lung membranes), pneumothorax, and pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure). in the lungs). Almost all of these illnesses and problems trigger coughing and/or wheezing. On the other hand, a pulled muscle in the chest or torso will not trigger a cough, even if it interferes with taking deep breaths if the muscle is attached to the rib cage.
- Coughing up blood is common in lung cancer, advanced pneumonia, and stab wounds to the lungs. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice blood in the sputum.
- The muscles connected to the ribs include the intercostals, obliques, abdominals, and scalenus. This muscle moves with the flow of breath. So, pulling/tensioning those muscles will trigger pain when you take a deep breath, but not cause coughing.
Step 3. Try to find the source of the pain
Pulled muscles in the chest or upper torso are commonly caused by activities at the gym, or exercise. Pain from muscle tension is often described as a sensation of stiffness, soreness, or aches. This pain is usually unilateral (only occurs in one part of the body) and is easily found by palpating around the source of the pain. So, try to feel the area around your chest and see if you can pinpoint where you feel uncomfortable. When you're injured, your muscles often tense up, making them feel like tight fibers. If you can find an area that feels uncomfortable, it means your muscles are stretched, and you have no lung problems. Most lung problems cause radiating pain (often described as sharp pain) that cannot be determined from outside the chest.
- Gently feel your ribs, because that's where the muscles are most often pulled from too much twisting or sideways bending. If the source of the pain is near the breastbone (sternum), you may have a cartilage injury to the ribs, not just a pulled muscle.
- A pulled muscle usually only causes pain when you move your body or take a deep breath. On the other hand, problems with the lungs (especially cancer and infections) can cause persistent pain.
- The muscles located above the lungs include the pectoral muscles (both major and minor). These muscles can be pulled by push-ups, chin-ups, or using a pec deck device at the gym.
Step 4. Watch for bruising
When you are shirtless, look closely for bruising or redness on the chest/torso. Moderate to severe tension in the muscle can cause its fibers to be partially cut off, allowing blood to escape into the surrounding tissue. The result is a dark purple/red bruise that gradually fades and turns yellowish. In contrast, lung disease/problems are usually not accompanied by bruising, unless the lung is punctured by a broken rib.
- Mild muscle tension is rarely accompanied by bruising or redness, but often causes swelling in a specific area.
- In addition to bruising, injured muscles can sometimes twitch or vibrate for hours (or even days) during recovery. This fasciculation is corroborating evidence that you have a muscle strain, not a lung problem.
Step 5. Take body temperature measurement
Many causes of lung pain are caused by pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) or environmental irritants (asbestos, sharp fibers, dust, allergens). So, apart from chest pain and coughing, an increase in body temperature (fever) is common with most lung problems. In contrast, pulled muscles almost never affect core body temperature, unless they are severe enough to cause hyperventilation. So, measure your body temperature with a digital thermometer from under your tongue. The result of oral temperature measurement with a digital thermometer is generally around 36.8 °C.
- A low-grade fever is often useful because it signals that the body is trying to defend itself against infection.
- However, a high fever (39.4 °C or more for adults) is potentially dangerous and should be closely monitored.
- Long-term chronic lung disease (cancer, obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis) often does little to raise body temperature.
Part 2 of 2: Seeking Doctor's Diagnosis
Step 1. Make an appointment with your GP
A pulled muscle sometimes heals on its own within a few days (or weeks if it's severe). So, if your chest/torso pain doesn't go away within that time, call your doctor to make an appointment. The doctor will consider your medical history, perform a physical exam, and listen to the sounds of your lungs when you breathe. Breathing sounds (cracks or wheezing) are a sign that something is blocking the airway (flakes or fluid) or making it narrow (due to swelling or inflammation).
- In addition to coughing up blood and chest pain when taking deep breaths, other signs of lung cancer are hoarseness, loss of appetite, short-term weight loss, and a lethargic body.
- The doctor may take a sample of sputum (mucus/saliva/blood) and perform a culture test to determine if the infection is caused by bacteria (bronchitis, pneumonia). However, the doctor will most likely take X-rays or perform a physical examination to support the diagnosis.
Step 2. Take X-ray photos
After the doctor has confirmed that the muscle strain is not present, and suspects you have a lung infection, he or she will take a chest X-ray. A chest X-ray will show broken ribs, fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary edema), lung tumors, and damage to lung tissue from smoking, environmental irritants, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, or previous attacks of tuberculosis.
- Advanced lung cancer is always detected on X-rays. However, in its early stages, the disease is sometimes not detected successfully.
- A chest X-ray can help detect signs of congestive heart disease.
- Chest X-rays do not show pulled or tense muscles in the chest or upper torso. If your doctor suspects a muscle or tendon has been severed, he or she will order a diagnostic ultrasound, MRI, or CT scan.
- A CT scan will produce a cross-sectional image of the chest. These images will help your doctor diagnose your condition if a physical exam and X-ray can't confirm it.
Step 3. Get a blood test
Although it is almost never used in the detection of lung disease, your doctor may order you to have a blood test if deemed necessary. Acute lung infections (bronchitis, pneumonia) will spur an increase in the number of white blood cells that function to kill pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Blood tests can also give an idea of the amount of oxygen in the blood, which is an indirect measure of lung function.
- Blood tests can't detect pulled/tight muscles even if the injury is severe.
- Blood tests cannot measure oxygenation levels.
- A blood sedimentation test can help determine if your body is stressed and has chronic inflammation.
- Blood tests are not useful in the diagnosis of lung cancer, X-rays and tissue sampling (biopsy) are more useful in this regard.
Tips
- Pain accompanied by coughing up blood, colored phlegm or mucus, coughing congestion, and a persistent cough may indicate a lung problem.
- Lung irritation may be caused by inhaled materials such as smoke, or from a disease that irritates the surrounding tissue, such as pleurisy.
- Problems related to breathing that can cause pain include asthma, smoking, and hyperventilation.
- Hyperventilation most often occurs as a result of anxiety, panic, or response to an emergency situation.
