Chest Pain During Exercise? When to Worry

If you’re getting active, part of your motivation might stem from your cardiovascular health. Physical activity helps strengthen your heart and lungs. 

That makes it both frustrating and worrisome when you have chest pain during exercise. It’s worth paying attention to that symptom. The discomfort in your chest is likely trying to tell you something.

Here at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute, our providers specialize in treating chest pain. Visit us at any of our offices — in Covington, Franklinton, or Hammond, Louisiana — to put our expertise to work for you. We can help you figure out what’s going on in your chest. 

Causes of exercise-related chest pain

If you feel chest pain when you exercise, any number of factors could be in play. Let’s explore some common issues in order of severity: 

Acid reflux

Exercise can trigger acid reflux, or stomach acid washing up into your esophagus. That can cause a burning sensation in your chest. 

You’re more likely to have this issue if you eat right before you work out or wear tight clothing during exercise. 

Musculoskeletal problems

Sometimes, this pain during exercise comes from an issue with the muscles in your chest. Deep breathing can make a pulled chest muscle hurt worse. The same goes for rib injuries. 

In other words, you might have an underlying injury that you don’t notice until exercise aggravates it. 

Breathing problems

Sometimes, exercise-induced chest pain results from an issue in your respiratory system. It might be something manageable, such as exercise-induced asthma. However, that chest pain could also indicate a collapsed lung or a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in your lungs). 

Heart problems

There’s one main reason you should keep an eye on chest pain during exercise: angina. You feel this discomfort because your heart muscle isn’t getting enough oxygenated blood. Angina can come from a number of heart issues, including coronary artery disease. 

Beyond that, your chest pain could result from other heart conditions, such as inflammation (pericarditis). 

Find out what’s behind your chest pain

Maybe your chest pain comes from something relatively easy to treat, such as acid reflux or exercise-induced asthma. But because it could indicate a serious underlying problem, you shouldn’t ignore it.

Here at Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute, our team can help you find out what’s causing your chest pain. 

We have a variety of diagnostic tools, including X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, and electrocardiograms (ECGs). We may recommend a CT scan to check for a pulmonary embolism, for example, or an ECG to check for coronary artery disease.

Don’t ignore chest pain. Call Louisiana Heart and Vascular Institute or schedule an appointment online today.