Chest pressure during exercise?

honkytonks85 · June 2015

Hi there,
I should start out by saying I have seen my GP and I am not looking for health advice. Actually I have been cleared by the GP.
I am 30 years old and fairly active. I do a lot of cardio but for the last 6 months every now and then during a workout I'll get a sudden sharp chest pain. I will stop working out and can hear my heart beating very quickly / almost skipping a beat. It goes away and in fact I have gone back to working out. I described this to my GP and we did some blood tests and my cholesterol, blood pressure etc. is perfect. So what's going on? Is this just "something that happens" when working out? Should I seek another opinion?

ohmscheeks · June 2015

Cardio can be so many things... Which exercises were you doing? How long after the you begin the exercise session does the pain kick in?

markiend · June 2015

Do you wear a HRM ?

honkytonks85 · June 2015

I do a lot of dance based fitness / aerobics. I have worn a HRM but wasn't at the time. It is during exercise that the problem occurs, and it is completely random and out of the blue. In fact, I am sometimes not even working that hrd and have it. But it goes away after time.

honkytonks85 · June 2015

I should say with my HRM during these exercises my heart rate typically fluctuates between 155 and 180

LKArgh · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Hi there,
I should start out by saying I have seen my GP and I am not looking for health advice. Actually I have been cleared by the GP.
I am 30 years old and fairly active. I do a lot of cardio but for the last 6 months every now and then during a workout I'll get a sudden sharp chest pain. I will stop working out and can hear my heart beating very quickly / almost skipping a beat. It goes away and in fact I have gone back to working out. I described this to my GP and we did some blood tests and my cholesterol, blood pressure etc. is perfect. So what's going on? Is this just "something that happens" when working out? Should I seek another opinion?

No, it is not something that happens. Forget the GP, stop exercising at least at this intensity and get an appointment with a cardiologist.

honkytonks85 · June 2015

I need a GP to get an appointment with a cardiologist. I will find another one.

beemerphile1 · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

I need a GP to get an appointment with a cardiologist. I will find another one.

It is not normal.

Please ask your GP for a second opinion from a specialist. A good doctor is not offended by that request.

professionalHobbyist · June 2015

180 is cranking!

Do you know your max heart rate?

Chest pains and irregular beats.

Yikes!

Have you called your insurance dial a nurse?

htimpaired · June 2015

I wouldn't worry about the 180 by itself, everyone's different, I can get to 180 no problem. I operate comfortable at 165-170. But the chest pain-yea, that's not normal. Get yourself to another doctor.

MamaBirdBoss · June 2015

It may be a problem. It may not. You won't know until you see a doctor.

I get stitches high in my chest, not just in my side. It's more toward the outside than my heart. It's fine--my heart's in perfect shape. But see a doctor.

honkytonks85 · June 2015

Thanks!
I don't know my max heart rate

I saw my GP again today and we did an ECG, no problems, listened to heart and no issues there and I have had blood tests and my cholesterol was something less than 4..

I am considering getting a referral to a cardiologist. But there are 0 signs of any heart issues so far.

FitForL1fe · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Thanks!
I don't know my max heart rate

I saw my GP again today and we did an ECG, no problems, listened to heart and no issues there and I have had blood tests and my cholesterol was something less than 4..

I am considering getting a referral to a cardiologist. But there are 0 signs of any heart issues so far.

IME GPs often suck at interpreting ECGs

I would def get a referral. a cardiologist will likely do a stress test and ultrasound, and possibly have you wear a Holter monitor for a day or two

jrodri0105 · June 2015

Do you eat before working out ?

IamUndrCnstruction · June 2015

You may want to see a cardiologist, just to be sure. That being said, if you are otherwise in good heath, and the sensation goes away quickly, there is probably nothing to be too concerned about. I have a few very serious health issues, one of which is congestive heart failure and another is pulmonary hypertension (high bp in the lungs). I work out a lot and usually my heart rate ranges between 140 and 160. I do get pressure and palpitations on occasion, I was told by my cardiologist to slow down until they pass then it was safe to resume.

Tl; Dr : See your cardiologist, but no need to freak out

honkytonks85 · June 2015

I didn't eat that day before my work out (as in I had fasted that day until 630pm), but sometimes I do and sometimes I don't eat before it depends on the time of day etc

IamUndr - thanks I really don't want to have to cut back on my workouts cos I LOVE hitting the gym and would be very depressed if I wasn't able to go anymore

jrodri0105 · June 2015

Are you getting chest pressure or palpitations or both? Are you having other symptoms like dizziness? Have you upped your cardio intensively? If it's palpitations it may be a run of supraventicular tachycardia (SVT) which may not be seen in ECG since it was induce by exercise. If you don't have any genetic history of cardiac. I wouldn't think it was anything serious. By looking at your age maybe it's some type of syndrome like WPW. Which a GP may not be able to identify on an ECG, but a cardiologist will or electrophysiologist.If you are really worried about it and are sure it's not some type of strain or acid reflux or even anxiety I would see a cardiologist.

missiontofitness · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Hi there,
I should start out by saying I have seen my GP and I am not looking for health advice. Actually I have been cleared by the GP.
I am 30 years old and fairly active. I do a lot of cardio but for the last 6 months every now and then during a workout I'll get a sudden sharp chest pain. I will stop working out and can hear my heart beating very quickly / almost skipping a beat. It goes away and in fact I have gone back to working out. I described this to my GP and we did some blood tests and my cholesterol, blood pressure etc. is perfect. So what's going on? Is this just "something that happens" when working out? Should I seek another opinion?

Please see a cardiologist ASAP. I have supraventricular tachycardia (a heart arrhythmia) and have had it my entire life, and I get those symptoms when working out sometimes. Strenuous exercise is one of my triggers. My tachycardia is one that can see my heart rate spike to 200+ BPM, and take only a few seconds to a few minutes to return to normal.

@draznyth mentioned it above, but one thing you will want to ask the cardiologist about is wearing a Holter monitor for a few days; this tracks your heart rate over 24 hours, and your cardiologist can use the data to pick up on any irregularities. Any time you get an irregular heart rate, write down what you were doing, and the time it happened.

Additionally, an EKG can also track irregularities in your heart's rythmn.

But yes. Please see a cardiologist asap, and get a referral to one as soon as you can. You want to rule out and locate the problem of any heart rythmn irregularity as soon as possible. Additionally, while I am not a doctor, I can say from experience that you should discontinue exercise until you are cleared by a cardiologist. If your GP cleared you without considering that you may need a referral to a heart specialist, I would not take their advice to continue exercising.

emtjmac · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Thanks!
I don't know my max heart rate

I saw my GP again today and we did an ECG, no problems, listened to heart and no issues there and I have had blood tests and my cholesterol was something less than 4..

I am considering getting a referral to a cardiologist. But there are 0 signs of any heart issues so far.

A normal ECG taken at rest while asymptomatic is meaningless when the provoking factor is exercise. Tell your GP that you would like to see a cardiologist so that he can refer you. No one here is going to be able to help you definitively with this problem. Good luck!

missiontofitness · June 2015

emtjmac wrote: »

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Thanks!
I don't know my max heart rate

I saw my GP again today and we did an ECG, no problems, listened to heart and no issues there and I have had blood tests and my cholesterol was something less than 4..

I am considering getting a referral to a cardiologist. But there are 0 signs of any heart issues so far.

A normal ECG taken at rest while asymptomatic is meaningless when the provoking factor is exercise. Tell your GP that you would like to see a cardiologist so that he can refer you. No one here is going to be able to help you definitively with this problem. Good luck!

This. ECGs/EKGs are great if you are experiencing symptoms, and they want a short-term log of what your heart is doing. I've had them during SVT episodes before.

A Holter monitor is better, because they can track you over a set period of time, and gather data to diagnose you properly.

Please do not put this off, OP; I missed this post when you said there are 0 signs of issues so far. Hearts are not something to mess with or put off care for, and from my personal experience, you need to rule out every possibility for the cause of that irregular heart rate/pain.

Dawn410 · June 2015

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor and thisbis not medical advice, just information based on my personal experiences. Talk to your doctor to follow up on your tests.

Honestly, a sudden, sharp chest pain that goes goes a way quickly does not sound cardiac in nature at all. Cardiac pain is typically in the center, and feels like a crushing pain. It does not go away quickly, and you would not be able to resume exercise if it were a heart attack. An EKG would show cardiac damage related to reduced blood flow (which is what a heart attack is ), even at rest.

If your have an arrhythmia, that could produce the tachycardia feelings and skipped beats. Usually arrhythmia are nothing to be worried about. My HR jumps to the 180's sometimes too. I'm an RN, so I have done EKGs at work when that happens, and it's completely sinus, just a regular tachycardia, so yours could be the same. Skipped beats are also normal, particularly when your heart is beating very fast or very slow. They can be triggered by low magnesium and low potassium, so make sure you're eating are good diet. An arrhythmia, like SVT or atrial fibrillation (the most common arrhythmia associated with tachycardia) would not cause pain, but could cause the fast heart and skipped beats.

Your best bet right now is to get a cardiologist and get an echo cardigan to rule out any structural abnormalities that might be causing the fast heart rate, and get a stress test to make sure exercise isn't putting you into any crazy rhythms.

Dawn410 · June 2015

Also, if you aren't getting dizzy or fainting, or having any additional symptoms, the odds of this being anything worrisome are low.

Noelv1976 · June 2015

Holy crap....are you taking tons of caffeine? If not, definitely seek medical help. Chest pains are not normal. I know I've hit 190s but that's from doing sprints or going all out in HIIT. But never had chest pains.

tiffanybrooks530 · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Thanks!
I don't know my max heart rate

I saw my GP again today and we did an ECG, no problems, listened to heart and no issues there and I have had blood tests and my cholesterol was something less than 4..

I am considering getting a referral to a cardiologist. But there are 0 signs of any heart issues so far.

Could be gas...no seriously... I've had similar issues.
Im 5'8, 165, 33yrs old, but i've had these issues for years, went to GP & cardiologist.
Only when i was 17 did they find a small heart murmur, but since then nothing but a clean bill of health. I too keep an active heart rate bwt 140-170...with random sharp pain in and out of the gym
so much so that my husband would get worried.

When I started changing my diet I noticed that when I had a lot of gas I would get chest pain...
I finally decided to goto a gastro-Dr to get this checked out, still waiting for results...
It actually took me years to notice that when I had gas (excessive) I would have sharp chest pain too.
I felt stupid not having noticed this sooner, I could of saved myself so much pain.
Good luck to you.

here are some articles that discuss gas-related chest pain:
http://answers.webmd.com/answers/1198397/can-gas-cause-chest-pain
http://www.myhealthtips.in/2013/09/home-remedies-for-gas-pain-in-chest.html

honkytonks85 · June 2015

jrodri0105 wrote: »

Are you getting chest pressure or palpitations or both? Are you having other symptoms like dizziness? Have you upped your cardio intensively? If it's palpitations it may be a run of supraventicular tachycardia (SVT) which may not be seen in ECG since it was induce by exercise. If you don't have any genetic history of cardiac. I wouldn't think it was anything serious. By looking at your age maybe it's some type of syndrome like WPW. Which a GP may not be able to identify on an ECG, but a cardiologist will or electrophysiologist.If you are really worried about it and are sure it's not some type of strain or acid reflux or even anxiety I would see a cardiologist.

Thanks - I have no other symptoms and to be honest the couple of times it has happened I haven't been working out at max intensity (I have definitely worked out much harder without issue). I tried to cut back on caffeine when it first happened but it's creeping back up again. I have heard some people suggest irregular heart beat so I will look into that. Gas / anxiety is a possibility, I have digestive issues & a history of anxiety. I will look into these. Thanks for all your help.

davert123 · June 2015

aggelikik wrote: »

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Hi there,
I should start out by saying I have seen my GP and I am not looking for health advice. Actually I have been cleared by the GP.
I am 30 years old and fairly active. I do a lot of cardio but for the last 6 months every now and then during a workout I'll get a sudden sharp chest pain. I will stop working out and can hear my heart beating very quickly / almost skipping a beat. It goes away and in fact I have gone back to working out. I described this to my GP and we did some blood tests and my cholesterol, blood pressure etc. is perfect. So what's going on? Is this just "something that happens" when working out? Should I seek another opinion?

No, it is not something that happens. Forget the GP, stop exercising at least at this intensity and get an appointment with a cardiologist.

^^^
It could be any number of things but it could be something going wrong with your heart. Get it checked out. ECGs , dynamic ECGS (running on a running machine with trained staff and a defibrillator next to it) and 24 hr HRM tests are common in the uk, There are lots of things it could be (and most probably is) but you want to make sure its not something serious before you go though the list of other things.

FitForL1fe · June 2015

let me reiterate since this thread continues to be full of internet doctors trying to diagnose OP

go to your GP and get an ECG

ignore whatever he says about the ECG and demand a referral to a cardiologist

go to the cardiologist and let them take care of you

smh

jnv7594 · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

Thanks!
I don't know my max heart rate

I saw my GP again today and we did an ECG, no problems, listened to heart and no issues there and I have had blood tests and my cholesterol was something less than 4..

I am considering getting a referral to a cardiologist. But there are 0 signs of any heart issues so far.

This is all good, but in order to completely rule it out, they should be having you wear a holter monitor so they can see what the heart is doing WHILE you are having one of these episodes. Either that or they need to do a stress test, but since it does not happen every time you exercise, that may not catch anything. I had a friend that was having chest pains during exercise. They ran an EKG, blood work, etc, and everything seemed fine. It wasn't until she wore her halter monitor that they found out there was, in fact, a problem as they could see what her heart was doing during one of her chest pain episodes. I'm not trying to scare you as you very well may be fine. Just letting you know that some conditions don't always show up on an EKG. I would keep pushing to see a cardiologist. This isn't something you want to mess around with.

jnv7594 · June 2015

honkytonks85 wrote: »

jrodri0105 wrote: »

Are you getting chest pressure or palpitations or both? Are you having other symptoms like dizziness? Have you upped your cardio intensively? If it's palpitations it may be a run of supraventicular tachycardia (SVT) which may not be seen in ECG since it was induce by exercise. If you don't have any genetic history of cardiac. I wouldn't think it was anything serious. By looking at your age maybe it's some type of syndrome like WPW. Which a GP may not be able to identify on an ECG, but a cardiologist will or electrophysiologist.If you are really worried about it and are sure it's not some type of strain or acid reflux or even anxiety I would see a cardiologist.

Thanks - I have no other symptoms and to be honest the couple of times it has happened I haven't been working out at max intensity (I have definitely worked out much harder without issue). I tried to cut back on caffeine when it first happened but it's creeping back up again. I have heard some people suggest irregular heart beat so I will look into that. Gas / anxiety is a possibility, I have digestive issues & a history of anxiety. I will look into these. Thanks for all your help.

I have PVCs. Premature ventricular contractions. I've had them my whole life and have been told they're benign. They are much, much worse when I'm stressed and around my menstrual cycle. Those (in my experience anyway) usually don't cause the chest pain you're describing. Maybe others have had different experiences, but I've had them for roughly 20 years and never experienced sharp chest pain with them. My heart just usually beats prematurely, pauses, and then gives another hard beat. Even if this is what you are having, you still need to see a cardiologist.

LKArgh · June 2015

OP I had been examined at rest by several drs, including a couple of cardiologists. They never found anything. My feelings of something unusual going on were attributed to panic attacks. Then one cardiologist told me that the resting ECG was pointless, I could be perfectly fine and then end up dead the next day. I was referred to a specialist for a u/s and stress test. It turns out I have mitral valve prolapse. Not life threatening in my case, but some restrictions apply. If the first, second or third dr cannot explain your symptoms, keep looking for a new one. It might be somethign completely innocent, but still you need a diagnosis.

Chest pressure during exercise?

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