What is chest
pain?
Your child may complain of pain in the chest
(front or back). Most sudden, short-term (acute) chest pain
is caused by a hacking cough. Coughing can cause sore
muscles in the chest wall, upper abdomen, or diaphragm.
Heart disease is hardly ever the cause of chest pain in
children.
What causes
chest pain?
The most common cause of recurrent chest
pains in adolescents and adults is the precordial catch
syndrome. This pain occurs just below the left nipple and
comes on suddenly. The pain feels sharp or knifelike,
causing the person to not want to move. Usually within 1
minute, the pain is gone. The cause is not known for sure,
but it may result from a pinched nerve. Although these pains
may come and go for years, the precordial catch syndrome is
completely harmless. Daily stretching exercises sometimes
reduce these sudden sharp pains.
Occasionally a child has chest pain after
strenuous exercise, lifting, or work that uses the upper
body. This type of muscle soreness often increases with
movement of the shoulders.
How can I
take care of my child?
Treat sore, strained chest muscles with
acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) 4 times a day.
Continue this until 24 hours have passed without pain. You
can also relieve muscle spasms by putting a heating pad or
warm washcloth on the area for 20 minutes. Your child will
probably stop having these muscle pains within 7 days.
If the pain is caused by coughing, check
with your health care provider before you give your child
cough-suppressant medicines containing dextromethorphan
(DM). In general, you should not give these medicines to
children. Coughing helps protect the lungs by clearing out
germs.
When should I
call my child's health care provider?
Call IMMEDIATELY if:
- The pain is severe AND lasts more than
1 hour.
- Your child is having trouble breathing
or is breathing fast.
- Your child is acting very sick.
Call during office hours if:
- The chest pain is caused by coughing
or pulled muscles AND it persists more than 7 days.
- Chest pains are a recurrent problem
for your child.
- You have other concerns or questions.
