Doctor Lists 5 Body Pains That Can Indicate A Heart Attack

The most common physical symptoms of a potential heart attack are pressure or discomfort in the chest, which can radiate to the arms, back, neck and jaw. Tightness, heaviness, or a squeezing sensation are common descriptions of this ailment. People may also get lightheaded, nauseated, have cold sweats, or feel dyspnea. It's important to understand that symptoms can differ from person to person and that not everyone has typical chest pain.

So it's important to pay attention to any unexpected or ongoing discomfort, particularly if it's accompanied by other symptoms. Also, early treatment can avoid long-term harm and greatly increase the odds of survival for the heart.

In a conversation with Jagran English, Dr. Bhupendra Singh, who is a cardiacologist at Manipal Hospital in Ghaziabad, talked about how these types of body pains can indicate a heart attack.

Why Do Heart Attacks Happen?

As per Dr. Bhupendra, a heart attack occurs when the flow of blood to the heart is severely reduced or blocked. This can cause insufficient oxygen-rich blood to flow to the heart, making the heart muscle weak. This blockage usually happens due to a buildup of fat and cholesterol in the coronary arteries. The fatty cholesterol-containing deposits are called plaques, and the whole process of plaque buildup is called atherosclerosis.

There are mainly two types of heart attacks: Type I occurs when the plaque on the inner wall of the artery cracks and releases cholesterol into the bloodstream, which then forms a blood clot and blocks the artery. On the other hand, Type II happens when the heart does not get as much oxygen-rich blood as required.

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Body Pains That Can Indicate A Heart Attack:

Chest Pain: A slight discomfort or pain in the chest area that can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness, or squeezing that’s lasting more than a minute may be a typical heart attack symptom. However, this sudden pain may come and go, but it should not be ignored.

Jaw Pain: When a heart attack strikes, the pain spreads from the chest to your jaw area, and you can feel a little jaw pain. Sometimes, you can feel this ache or discomfort in your jaw without any chest pain because other parts of your body are more sensitive than the chest organs.

Neck Pain: Pain in the neck area usually occurs due to neck muscle fatigue and strain. But if it is more than just muscle fatigue or strain, then it can be a sign of a heart attack as well. During a heart attack, the diaphragm and nearby accessory nerves can become irritated, resulting in neck pain. However, you can feel this pain or discomfort in the upper body even without chest pain.

Shoulder Pain: Sometimes a heart attack can cause discomfort in the shoulder area. Therefore, if a person is experiencing extreme shoulder or arm pain on the left side, then it may be a sign of a heart attack, which should not be ignored. Many people only associate the left arm or shoulder pain with a heart attack, but some people can also feel the same on the right side.

Do you know that the symptoms of a heart attack actually vary from person to person, and they can be accompanied by other symptoms as well?(Image Credit:Canva)

Back Pain: During a heart attack, sudden back pain tends to occur because when the blood flow in the coronary artery is blocked, it causes extreme pressure. This pain radiates from the chest to the back, which is why people experience back pain after a heart attack. For the uninformed, women are more likely to suffer from this back pain as they experience very subtle heart attack symptoms.

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Ways With Which Heart Attack Can Be Treated

After a heart attack, there are several tissues that get damaged, for which urgent treatment is needed to fix the blood flow and oxygen level in the body. Depending on the condition, there are specific treatments for heart attacks. Stent placement is a procedure in which a small metal tube is inserted into the blocked artery to keep it open. Angioplasty is another minimally invasive treatment in which a tiny balloon on a narrow tube, called a catheter, is used to widen a clogged artery and improve blood flow. Moreover, a pacemaker is another battery-powered device that prevents the heart from beating too slowly. It is placed under the skin near the collarbone with surgery. Additionally, there is another medical device, the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD), which helps prevent sudden cardiac death in people with abnormally fast heart rhythms.