The good news is that (other than the pain) it is completely harmless.
The way it always felt to me is like someone wrapped a small wire around something tender in my chest, and if I tried to breathe or straighten my posture, they would yank on it. I’d get it anywhere from a couple times a week to once a month. Then one day in my mid-30s it just stopped.
From what I understand this is relatively common. I was so grateful for the person on reddit who dropped this nugget of wisdom several years ago. It was nice to know I wasn’t dying or whatever.
Oh good so it’s not just been me dealing with this random pain for the last 20 years…
Know anything about a kinda dull pain in the sternum that comes and goes, which lasts a week or month, then is gone for a few weeks or months before it comes back. Has been going on for a few years at this point. Got all kinds of scans and tests done the first year but everything showed normal. I at least don’t think I’m gonna die anymore but it sucks.
Pleurisy, costochondritis, gerd, or referred pain from radiculopathy, maybe. Especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle or back trauma
I never know what people mean by sedentary lifestyle but I have been getting more exercise since it started and it hasn’t helped.
It means do you sit or lie around most of the day. Do you have an office job where you sit at a computer all day then go home and play on your phone or whatever until you go to bed? That’s sedentary. If you exercise that’s good but if it’s something like a radiculopathy you’d benefit from seeing a physical therapist who can target the section of the back that is impacted (though you may need to start with primary care or orthopedic and mri). If it’s the other stuff treatment is generally medications and varies from stuff like NSAIDs or proton pump inhibitors (though if it’s gerd and you treat with NSAIDs that may worsen things)
Basically go see a doctor
I get these, I thought it was the front and back of my lung touching and behaving like universal velcro, which explained why breathing in hurt, but also why taking a full breath made it go away (fully separated.) I guess not?
I’ve always heard it referred to as “wind pain”
Thanks ! Didn’t know that was harmless. And people call me mad…
Oh, good, I’m not dying.
Yet.
are you fucking kidding me
So it’s not a tiny London man coming to check if I got my stabbing license in order?
As I got older those random pains have me worried “is this a cardiac event?!” despite showing no other symptoms for one.
If you’re able to access primary care they may be able to bill your insurance for an EKG yearly. Wouldn’t catch everything but might notice if you pick up some a-fib or another lowkey issue that might snowball (although the main issue with afib is usually clots and afib clots usually hit the brain not the heart iirc).
Do it if you can. Afib is one of those things that can take years to diagnose, with most people thinking they’re just unfit. Meanwhile, half their heart isn’t working properly …
harmless
Crashed on a bicycle because of it. Broke nothing, but a few scars on my face still there
Hey, I know this one. I’ve had it since I was a small child but didn’t quite know the name.
This thing haunts me every few months since always. You can usually stop it by exhaling deeply and relaxing muscles in affected areas.
I haven’t had it in so many years, but I eventually got to the point where I’d just take a deep breath and it would seem to pop away. It would hurt, but then it would stop.
It’s more common in young adults and children, and I’m approaching middle age here unfortunately, but the upside is no more precordial catch.
I have one where my lung diaphragm gets pinched between my lung and ribs, it’s really not fun, and you have to bend backwards + inhale before it gets better
Huh. I always thought this was part of my asthma since exercise-induced asthma is a thing and I usually get this after an intense cardio-heavy session.
Thanks for this revelation. It has a name! All my siblings got these and they told me “it’s a gas in your lung” which i ran with for years, haha. Once, still as a kid, i got it for 6 hours so we called a doctor. She diagnosed it as intercostal neuritis triggered by high and unusual physical excertion the previous day. Prescribed nothing
