If you have any level of health anxiety, you’ll know three things for certain. One, every symptom means cancer. Two, stabbing pains in your chest means an imminent heart attack. Three, Dr. Google diagnoses everything as cancer or heart disease. More often than not, it’s something much less serious, especially if it’s one symptom on its own. For example, stabbing chest pains can signify a cardiovascular event, but if it goes away after a few minutes and there’s no shortness of breath or shooting pain down the left arm, it’s probably just a minor ailment like precordial catch syndrome.
Also called chest wall twinge syndrome and Texidor’s twinge, precordial catch syndrome can feel like sharp, stabbing pain in the chest while taking a breath. And unlike heart disease, it’s completely harmless and comes with no other symptoms and doesn’t radiate pain to other parts of the body. It may occur occasionally or only once a lifetime.
“Precordial catch syndrome is not well understood, but it is believed to be related to irritation or inflammation of the nerves in the chest wall,” said Dr. Joe Whittington, a board-certified emergency physician, to HuffPost. “The pain may result from the pinching or trapping of nerves, especially the intercostal nerves that run between the ribs. The condition may also be associated with muscle spasms or tension in the chest muscles.” However, it has no association with heart or lung disease.
It usually happens during poor posture, like slouching, or light physical activity, like taking a walk. It worsens with deep breaths, which could lead to small and shallow breaths. Fortunately, it affects only a small area of the chest and lasts a few seconds or up to three minutes. Doctors are unsure of what causes this random burst of stabbing chest pain, although it’s likely muscle spasms or pinched nerves, according to Cleveland Clinic. Since it’s more common in older children and young adults, it may come from growth spurts.
Precordial catch syndrome usually goes away quickly. People can help relieve the pain by sitting or standing up straight, and trying to relax while taking slow, deliberate breaths. Although it’s painful, some find deep breathing makes it go away faster. The syndrome stops or becomes less intense for most individuals in their 20s.
