what causes chest pain

Chest pain has many causes, and not all of them are heart-related. Cardiac causes include angina and heart attacks, which often feel like pressure, squeezing, heaviness, or fullness in the center of the chest and can spread to the arm, jaw, neck, back, or upper abdomen. But chest pain can also come from the esophagus, ribs, muscles, lungs, or anxiety.

The most common non-cardiac causes are GERD or reflux, costochondritis, and muscle strain. Reflux can feel like burning behind the breastbone, especially after a heavy meal or when lying down. Costochondritis usually hurts more when you press on the chest wall or move in a certain way. A pulled muscle or irritated rib joint can feel sharp and localized instead of heavy or crushing.

The important part is not to guess. Sudden chest pain, chest pain with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, neck, or back should be treated like an emergency. In the United States, call 911 right away if you think it could be a heart attack. If the pain is mild, recurrent, or comes and goes, a medical evaluation is still the right next step.

If you are writing about this page for a general audience, keep the tone calm and direct: explain the common non-heart causes, but do not underplay the red flags. Chest pain is one of the places where clarity matters more than confidence.