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HOME/Healthy Living/6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain

6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain

October 18, 2022
Adam Powell, MD
819 Comments

I see this scenario quite frequently in cardiology clinic. Generally speaking, about a quarter of my new patients complain of the following set of symptoms at their appointment:  chest pain lasting for several months, maybe 2-4 times a week, for less than 10-20 seconds at a time, at a moderate intensity, sometimes with activity, but more often not. And the child just recently told his or her parents about it.

Understandably, the parents are worried.

But the good news is that while it’s pretty common for children to say that their chest hurts or even that their “heart hurts,” it’s rarely caused by heart disease.

Most kids will complain of chest pain sometime between age 7 and their teenage years, but thankfully, it will be caused by an underlying heart condition in less than 1% of them. More frequently it is related to a viral illness, stress, or most commonly, musculoskeletal pain.

It is my hope that this information will give parents a little peace of mind: the pain manifesting in your child’s chest is rarely caused by heart disease. But I also understand how concerning it can be for parents, and sometimes further investigation may be necessary to narrow down the cause. So where should parents start?

I suggest answering the following questions:

  1. Has my child been sick recently?
    One of the more common causes of chest pain in children is from costochondritis. This is a condition characterized by inflammation in the joint between the breastbone and the ribs, typically caused by a viral illness or frequent coughing. Costochondritis is not concerning, but in some cases it can be long lasting and your child may need a prescription anti-inflammatory to get rid of it.
  2. Was my child injured recently?
    If your child was hit in the chest during a sporting event or even a fall, this could be a more obvious cause of the chest pain. However, even heavy lifting, frequent coughing, or intense aerobic exercise can strain the rib muscles and cause chest pain. You’ll want to contact your pediatrician if the pain is severe, persistent, or associated with difficulty breathing.
  3. Is my child stressed?
    While it might be difficult to imagine a 7-year-old being stressed, school pressures and the loss of a loved one, for example, can all contribute to feelings of stress. What may be even more surprising is that stress can cause chest pain. While chest pain caused by stress is harmless – it’s really no different than a stress-related headache – the duration of the pain is understandably worrisome for parents.
  4. When does it hurt?
    Does it hurt when your child is sitting down, or only when he or she is active? Chest pain from non-cardiac causes usually happens both when a child is at rest and when they are active. My first question is often whether the pain occurs during gym class or while watching TV. Chest pain that only happens with or immediately following moderate to vigorous activity, such as while running and playing competitive sports, is a different matter which does warrant further medical investigation.
  5. How long has it been hurting?
    Has it been going on for months or even years? If yes, then it is almost certainly not caused by heart disease. Chest pain caused by cardiac disease is either so severe that no child could cover it up or ignore it, or it is progressive and associated with other problems such as passing out or worsening fatigue, that it would be highly unusual for the symptoms to continue over several months. However, non-cardiac chest pain is the very opposite; it can often be ignored, is not associated with other concerns, and often just lingers in the background.
  6. How painful is it? Mild-to-moderate or severe?
    Typically mild-to-moderate chest pain is not related to the heart, and isn’t a cause for concern. However, the more concerning chest pain is when the pain is sudden and severe. Typically it will hurt so bad that your child will not want to go to school and will look like he or she is struggling with the pain. This kind of pain is most often caused by pericarditis, which is an inflammatory condition of the heart. Thankfully, pericarditis is very rare. But what’s interesting about it is that it’s the most common reason that a child’s chest pain is related to the heart. If your child has sudden onset of severe chest pain that is continuous and often occurs around the same time of an illness – contact your child’s pediatrician that same day.

The vast majority of the time, chest pain in children is not related to the heart. While there is no single medical history question or medical test that can determine the source of chest pain, hopefully the six questions discussed above can help parents and teens narrow down what’s potentially worrisome and what’s not. If you have any concerns at all, schedule an appointment with your pediatrician, and have your answers to the above questions ready. They will help steer your pediatrician in the right direction.

Read a related blog post to help your child find relief from chest pain. 

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Musculoskeletal Chest Pain in Kids: What Can Be Done About It?
 

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TAGS:
  • costochondritis
  • heart disease
  • Home
  • pericarditis

About the author: Adam Powell, MD

Adam Powell, MD, is a pediatric cardiologist in the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s. Dr. Powell specializes in general cardiology and pediatric exercise cardiology and has published multiple papers regarding the exercise performance of children with and without heart disease. Prior to his time at Cincinnati Children’s, he served in the United States Air Force as a general pediatrician for 7 years. When he is not doctoring, he lives an active lifestyle involving early morning runs, coaching youth sports and chasing his three young children.

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Yadiel July 1, 2019 at 1:54 am

Hello doc so I’m a 13 yr old for the past few days I’ve been having like mild chest pain that stops then starts and continues and I’ve seen that it gets worse when I start stressing about it and when I actually forget I feel like it gets better but I haven’t been able to do that because I’m concerned about it, thank you

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    Rachel Camper July 15, 2019 at 8:21 am

    Hi Yadiel,

    I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please talk to your parents about it. You might even want to watch Dr. Madsen’s video together, that way you can determine if your symptoms warrant a trip to the doctor.

Annie September 8, 2019 at 10:15 am

Hi! I’m a 13 year old girl and have noticed chest pains that come and go since I was 12. I can only find sources of temporary relief. I’ve spoken with my nan about it.

The chest pain comes and goes in random severity, and stopped for a while, then a few weeks ago – ouch! Back it came and now it will not go away!

I had very bad gastroenteritis 2 months ago.

It comes on multiple times in the day, and I’m really worried! What should I do?!

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    Rachel Camper September 17, 2019 at 12:55 pm

    Hi Annie,

    I am sorry to hear that you have been experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please watch Dr. Madsen’s video at the top of this post. You might even want to watch it with your nan to help determine if your symptoms warrant a trip to the doctor for peace of mind.

Freddie February 3, 2020 at 11:40 am

Hi! I’m a fourteen year old girl and I have been experiencing chest pain for half a year. It’s usually feels like a pressure on the left side of my chest but sometimes short pain on both sides, I can also feel shorten of breath sometimes. I’m really worried about it sometimes and I mostly feel it when I’m still watching TV or just in generel after I’ve come home from school. What should I do?

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    Rachel Camper February 5, 2020 at 5:25 am

    Hi Freddie,

    If you haven’t already, please speak with your parents about your chest pain. It might be a good idea to watch Dr. Madsen’s video together to help determine what symptoms are worrisome and warrant a trip to your doctor.

Tia February 19, 2020 at 11:47 pm

Hello, I am 12 years old and I occasionally have chest pain. But most of the time I’ve noticed that recently it’s like my rib is popping. It can hurt a bit, and cause a short breath.

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    Rachel Camper February 27, 2020 at 11:00 am

    Hi Tia,

    I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please talk to your parents about this. It might be a good idea for you to watch Dr. Madsen’s video together to help determine which symptoms may be worrisome and warrant a trip to your doctor.

Molly March 11, 2020 at 3:51 pm

Hello, my 10 year old boy has been hitting his chest every so often with his fist. I asked today why hes been doing that, for approximately the last month, and he said his chest hurts and also said both undersides of his wrists hurt too and he takes his thumb to give them a circular rub to make them feel better. I’m worried what this could be? Thanks for the great informative video.

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    Rachel Camper March 18, 2020 at 5:35 am

    Hi Molly,

    I reached out to Dr. Powell, and here is his response:

    Thank you for the question Molly. I agree with you that this is concerning behavior. At 10 years old, children can respond to pain and stress sometimes different then we would. From a heart standpoint I am reassured that the pain is improved with pressure as heart pain is inside the rib cage and is not improved or worsened by touch. I think the next step should be a visit with his pediatrician so that he or she can help look into some of the most common causes of chest pain. Hopefully they can give you some answers and he starts feeling better soon.

lee April 22, 2020 at 1:28 am

i have twins an b/g

the girl complains about chest pain after every meal

should i call pediatrician

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    Rachel Camper April 27, 2020 at 7:50 am

    Hi Lee,

    I am sorry to hear that your daughter is experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please watch Dr. Madsen’s video at the top of this post. It helps explain which symptoms are worrisome and which are not. If you are still concerned, a trip to her doctor for peace of mind is never a bad idea.

May June 6, 2020 at 1:35 pm

Hi, I’m 12 years old and I have had chest pain so bad it brings me to tears and it makes me crouch into a ball. I am not sure what to do because this has been happening very often. My mother said to just relax but it has come to the point I almost can’t breath at all. Do you know what I should do?

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    Rachel Camper June 9, 2020 at 5:26 am

    Hi May,

    I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please watch Dr. Madsen’s video at the top of this post with your mom. It may help you both decide if your symptoms warrant a visit to your doctor for peace of mind.

Chandler June 16, 2020 at 2:54 pm

Hi I’m 9 and a half years old and I have been experiencing chest pains for 6-8 months and I’m really scared. Do I have a disease or blood clot. Am I going to die?! Please can someone help. I’ve told my mom but she just tells me to calm down. I’m scared.

    Avatar photo
    Rachel Camper June 17, 2020 at 8:00 am

    Hi Chandler,

    I am sorry to hear that you’ve been experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please watch Dr. Madsen’s video at the top of the post. You might even want to watch it with your mom. It may help put your mind at ease — remember that the vast majority of the time, chest pain in kids is not related to the heart.

Carina January 9, 2021 at 11:32 pm

Thank you so much!!! Dr.Madsen reading this helped me so much and has brought relief! Blessings!!

Brian August 12, 2021 at 9:34 am

Hello, My 11 year old son had his first football practice and came off the field in tears saying his heart was hurting and he couldn’t catch his breath after he had run several sprints in a row. The pain went away about 10 minutes later after he was able to calm himself down. Because of the current health crisis, this was the first time in months he had pushed himself to this level of exertion. He is definitely out of shape but I’m curious how concerned should I be and is this somewhat normal?

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 7:07 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    Hi Brian. This is a common story we hear, but it doesn’t make it any easier to experience, especially when it is your own child. I would encourage you to read the blog for the concerning aspects of cardiac chest pain. If he has any of these, I would encourage you to take him to see his pediatrician. Thank you for your question and I hope your son feels better soon!

Kevin December 4, 2021 at 9:43 am

I am Kevin , 13 years oldAfter 6-7 months (during corona time), I went out for running with my friends , I went out jogging the previous day and was walking/cycling till then. But when I went running , a sudden pain started in my back in the heart region. I had to immediately stop. Then I had to go home because when ever I moved swiftly or when I had to bend or when I had to lift stuff , the pain hit me again. It even pains in my chest now in the heart region. It’s not severe pain , it’s not even that painful. But, I’m not able to go out now and run with my friends , because whenever I do some physical activity , it hurt, both my back and chest in the heart region. I’m not too concerned about it now because physical activities during corona isn’t one of my biggest priorities. But let me know if this is serious and I have to be concerned about this

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    Social Media Team June 15, 2022 at 6:45 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his reply:

    Hey Kevin. I’m sorry to hear about your pain when you resumed exercise after COVID lockdown, but I commend you for wanting to be active and get fit! This is an unfortunately a common thing that has happened to many other people. During lockdown, a lot of us decreased our levels of physical activity and this resulted in our bodies becoming deconditioned and not used to the rigors of exercise. I would encourage you to read the blog to make sure you don’t have any concerning aspects of cardiac chest pain. If you don’t, I would be suspicious that this pain is related to deconditioning and I would encourage you to gradually return to exercise until your fitness returns to its pre-COVID levels. Thank you again for the question and I hope you feel better soon. Happy exercising!

Judith December 16, 2021 at 5:10 pm

Hello Mrs.Camper,I am 14 years old and I have question to ask.So my chest has been hurting for seven years now, I feel this pain everyday, like a stabbing kind of pain. We went to the doctors several times and they said it’s asthema and now they are saying it’s asthema and anxiety. But recently I have found out it’s not my chest hurting but my lungs and want to know what the problem is. The pain is getting alot worse than usaul and getting a little hard to breather sometimes.

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    Social Media Team June 1, 2022 at 6:39 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    Hi Judith. I am sorry to read about your issues with chest pain and difficulty breathing. This is unfortunately quite common in teens with asthma, which is what sounds like is going on with you. I would continue to follow-up with your pediatrician to work on getting your asthma under better control. Sometimes that involves trying different medications and different doses until they find something that works. You also mentioned that anxiety sometimes makes your chest hurt. This is also quite common and can get better once we understand how to better deal with stress and anxiety. I would encourage you to talk to your parents and pediatrician to see if there are some strategies they can have you try to help with this. Thank you again for your question and I hope you feel better soon!

Mohammed Javed January 16, 2022 at 11:51 am

Based in Saudi. My daughter is 8, complains chest pain (pain like something is holding her up in cheast). At the same time her head gets similar kind of pain. Both lasts about 10 to 15 seconds and if she breaths soft/slow it goes away. Any worring sign Dr. Pls advice.

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:37 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here is his reply:

    Mohammed, thank you for the question and for reading our blog, We set out writing this blog with the idea of trying to help children like your daughter understand when chest pain is dangerous or not and what to do about chest pain when it occurs. Based on your question, I suspect that your daughter has musculoskeletal chest pain. Typically this pain will resolve by itself after several months, but sometimes gentle massage and ibuprofen can help. I would encourage you to read to make sure she does not have any high-risk features of cardiac chest pain. If she does not, I would feel better that this isn’t involving her heart. If there is doubt, I would encourage you to follow-up with her pediatrician as well. Thank you again for the question and I hope she feels better soon!

Adrija January 26, 2022 at 9:01 am

Hi.. I am 13 yrs old and I am having mild chest pain the morning when I wake up and I feel it when I try to deep breathe. Slowly it reduces as the day pass by . what do I do to reduce it?

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:53 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s what he had to say:

    Hi Adrija. Sorry to hear about your pain. This is very common and I encourage you to first talk to your parents to get their advice. You can also read both this blog and our other blog titled “musculoskeletal chest pain in kids” for advice on how to deal with this pain. Based on your story, I suspect that this pain is not related to your heart but instead related to the muscles in your chest. When you take a deep breath in, you stretch these muscles and if they are injured, this stretching can cause pain. This is very common in children your age and I myself have experienced this. While it definitely does not feel good, it does not mean that the heart is abnormal or that this pain is dangerous. I would encourage you to read about the cardiac causes of chest pain in this blog and if you have any of these would then ask you talk to your parents and pediatrician. Thank you for your question and I hope you feel better soon!

Luke February 16, 2022 at 11:01 pm

I’m 15 and I feel I should give some background first, I’m thinking I may have a lactose intolerance or some food sensitivity Im not sure. I’m in a household where if you say you think something is wrong your told to calm down and not be dramatic. But aside from that I have had a lot of gas and things of that nature for a while now and have no idea but today or at least I think it started today I have this strange ache that seems like it’s from my heart and I’ve done as much research as possible but I don’t know what it is. I’m overly stressed about everything and the not knowing but until I’m of age I assume I won’t be visiting a doctor so thank you to anyone who can help

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:57 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his reply:

    Hi Luke. Thank you for your question and I am sorry to read about your stomach and chest pain. I encourage you to read this blog and see if you have any of the worrisome symptoms concerning for heart causes of chest pain. If you don’t as I suspect, then I would feel better than you don’t have a dangerous heart cause of your pains. Various foods and diet changes can cause stomach and chest pains in both teens and adults, and I wonder if this is what is happening with you. You could always try some subtle changes in your diet to see if it makes this better. I would also encourage you to ask your pediatrician at your next well visit to see what they think. While it can be frustrating at times to talk to people who you think are ignoring you, I would also continue to keep a dialogue with your parents going, especially if you are very worried or stressed about what you are experiencing. That way they can take you to the doctor if these feelings worsen. Thank you again for the question and I hope you feel better soon!

Jack March 1, 2022 at 8:13 pm

Hi, I’m 13 years old and I’ve been getting chest pain but mostly around the heart,I’ve been getting these chest pains everyday for 3 months now, and then it starts to spread to my ribs and hip. When I push down on my chest, I don’t feel any musculoskeletal pain and I’m worried. I got a chest x ray and blood test done and the doctors said it was fine and my chest pains were not related to the heart. I also wanted an ECG test done but they said that there was no need. These chest pains give me anxiety because I always think it is going to result in a heart attack. Should I be worried

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    Social Media Team May 21, 2022 at 7:17 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s what he had to say:

    Hi Jack. Thank you for the question. Chest pain is not a fun feeling and can be quite painful. I encourage you to read our blog to see if there are any clues to possible causes of your pain. I’m glad you have seen a physician for this pain and I am reassured that they feel that your heart is healthy. Still, there are many other causes of chest pain that may not be as dangerous as heart causes, but can still hurt! I encourage you to keep an open dialogue with your parents and pediatrician. Should this pain change in any way or you have other questions, bring this up with your physician who can always alter opinions and the treatment plan based on how you are doing. Thanks again for the question and hope you feel better soon!

Simoni March 13, 2022 at 11:51 am

Even my daughter have left chest pain,after her birth 45dys later our doctor found that her heart has a hole in it,now she’s 8yrs old n the pain started in chest.I’m worried that is it something related with heart sir!

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:59 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here is his reply:

    Hey Simoni. Chest pain is anxiety provoking, but more so in our own kids! Please read the blog to see if any information in this is helpful. It sounds as if she has had an echocardiogram in the past to diagnose the hole in her heart. As I don’t have all of her medical records, I would encourage you to reach out to your pediatrician or her cardiologist to discuss whether they think this hole in the heart is related to her chest pain. Hopefully it is not, but I think it is a good idea to ask. Thank you again for your question and good luck!

William March 25, 2022 at 1:48 pm

Hi, i am a 15 year old boy. I have had chest pains for a few months and have went to doctors and they told me i was fine. But a few weeks later iv had a sharp pain in my chest which was worse than before. What should i do ?

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 7:09 am

    Hi William,

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    I am sorry to read about your chest pain. I’m glad you spoke to your doctor about the pain, and I encourage you to keep that dialogue open. Definitely discuss the pain again if it is different than before as there are multiple different causes of chest pain. Most of the time chest pain in teenagers has nothing to do about the heart, although there are some high-risk symptoms that are discussed in the blog that could possibly point to heart reasons for chest pain. But these non-heart causes of chest pain can still really hurt. I would also discuss the pain with your parents too to help determine whether a repeat visit with the pediatrician is needed. Sorry again to read about your pain and I hope you feel better soon!

Ann April 10, 2022 at 7:56 pm

My daughter had the flu in 2017 she has been complaining about chest pains ever since I took her to her dr but they said it was growing pains should I seek more test

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 7:01 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s what he had to say:

    Hi Ann. Thank you for reading our blog and for the question. Your daughter’s story is unfortunately quite common in children recovering from viral illnesses. Sometimes we can have muscle sprains/strains from the illness itself that last months. Other times, we can have chest pain from things like growing pains that is unrelated to the viral illness. I would encourage you to read the blog to see if she has any aspects of her pain concerning for cardiac causes, and if she does would encourage you to bring this up with your pediatrician. I also encourage you to keep an open dialogue with your pediatrician so that they can respond in case the pain changes in any way.

Christy April 12, 2022 at 3:58 pm

My 10 yrs daughter is complaining of her heart being squeezed and hurting her and she was having shortness of breath

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    Social Media Team May 21, 2022 at 7:12 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    Hey Christy. Thank you for the question. As you have probably seen in our blog there are many reasons for chest pain in children with the heart being the least common cause of chest pain. If she does not have any of the high-risk attributes related to cardiac causes of chest pain discussed in the blog, I would be reassured that this pain is not likely to be the heart. Sometimes a visit with your pediatrician can help differentiate other causes of chest pain, such as musculoskeletal and lung causes, especially if it’s not obvious to you after reading the blog. Thanks again for the comment and I hope your daughter feels better soon!

Bailey April 15, 2022 at 10:23 am

Hello, im 16 and every time im the slightest bit stressed or anxious, my chest hurts so bad i can barely breathe and i cry and curl up in a ball. Its been going on for a while, and its often hard to keep my emotions down low enough that it doesnr hurt. Ive tried talking to my mother about this but she blows it off, should i be more concerned about it than i already am?

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    Social Media Team June 12, 2022 at 6:34 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s what he had to say:

    Bailey, I’m sorry to read about your issues with chest pain and trouble breathing. I think you have done the right thing by talking to your mother about these episodes. These feelings can be quite uncomfortable and scary. I would read the blog to see if you have any of the high-risk features of chest pain that would make me concerned for heart abnormalities. If you don’t have any of those, I would feel reassured that what you are feeling is not because anything is wrong with your heart. The part of your question that grabs my attention is that you say that your chest pain is brought on by stress and anxiety. Stress/anxiety-induced chest pain is quite common in teenagers, can be really uncomfortable and make you more stressed, but isn’t dangerous. If you think that stress and anxiety is making your chest pain worse I would encourage you to talk to your mother or pediatrician about techniques to limit stress and anxiety. These could include speaking to a psychologist/counselor, starting yoga, or practicing stress reduction techniques and mindfulness using a phone-based App. Your pediatrician may also have other ideas that I have forgotten to include. Thank you for your question and I hope these feelings go away soon!

Sanjay April 27, 2022 at 12:20 am

My daughter who is 6 years old having pain in the center substernal only at one point since last 4 months now. The pain is not continous and seems more when she is not active. She was reffered to various child specialist and everyone says no physically issue she has. In fact we had a 2d eco test, ecg; bp check but everything is fine. Now we don’t do what we should do as pain still continue. One of the reason we were told might be muscular pain however no medicine helped. We were also been told to refer to psychiatrist as might be because of stress. These are all guesses but still don’t know what is the root cause.

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    Social Media Team May 21, 2022 at 7:23 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, with your question, and here’s his response:

    Hey Sanjay. Sorry to read about your daughter’s chest pain. It seems like she has had a pretty thorough evaluation and I am relieved that it does not appear that the pain is related to her heart. There are multiple other causes of chest pain, and I will refer to our blog to learn about some of the non-heart causes of chest pain. Anxiety is a quite common cause of chest pain in children. There are also muscular causes of chest pain, and these pains can come and go. I encourage you to continue to keep an open dialogue with your pediatrician so that they can continue to assist you with finding the best treatment plan for your daughter. Thank you again for your question and for reading our blog!

Tracey May 6, 2022 at 1:21 am

Hi, my son is 13 and in the first 15-20 minutes of vigorous exercise and running h has had 2 episodes where he has drop to his knees complaining his heart hurts and its pounding out of his chest and he cannot breath. As a Physio I thought exercise induced asthma and took him to gp. His father was found in a complete heart block at 38 and nearly lost his life, now with pacemaker, so they did an ecg. No problems. We were given salbuterol and to monitor. We’ll it happened again yesterday, only 2nd time and again he complained of his heart pounding and he panicked setting off rapid breathing. I calmed him down and placed arms above his head in case it was his airway, gave salbuterol once he had calmed down precautionary. He tells me that it’s his heart that palpitatrs and pounds first, when he panics that effects his breathing. My sister s at 50 and 46 had a similar thing happen whilst playing netball and have been diagnosed with an aortic valve that is bicuspid not tricuspid which they have been told probably hereditary. I’m thinking back to the GP. The only reason they found bicuspid aortic valve was US showing pressure gradient 19 with my eldest sister. Do you think it Warren’s further investigation if ECG clear?

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    Social Media Team March 21, 2022 at 7:21 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    Hey Tracey. Thank you for the well thought out and organized question. In short, I agree with you that your son should see a physician for these episodes, although I am not fully convinced that these episodes are related to his heart. He may benefit from seeing a cardiologist to better determine if the family history of bicuspid aortic valve and if he needs any additional testing, such as an echocardiogram. Additionally, your story of chest pain and trouble breathing is somewhat suspicious for pulmonary causes of exercise intolerance. Trying Albuterol prior to exercise is a good first step and is what I would have recommended. As it looks like he has failed this, he may also benefit from seeing a pulmonologist to determine if different medications or perhaps an exercise test is needed. Thank you again for the question and I hope this helped!

Ali May 24, 2022 at 2:18 am

Hi I have a 7 yr old who has only just started complaining of chest pain when he is being active. I’ve watched the video and he has no other symptoms should I take her to get looked at or is it common

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:22 am

    Hi Ali,

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    Thank you for your question and I am sorry to read about your son’s chest pain. Thankfully, as both the video and the blog show, chest pain in young children rarely has anything to do with the heart and is quite common. I would recommend seeing if he has any of the worrisome feature of cardiac chest pain as discussed in the blog and if he does would encourage follow-up with your pediatrician. If he doesn’t have any of those high-risk features, I would be more reassured that this pain isn’t serious. I would also encourage though if this pain is worrisome and stressful to either you or your son to make an appointment with your pediatrician to discuss this further. Thank you for the question and I hope you son feels better soon!

Concerned parent May 28, 2022 at 8:07 pm

My son is 12, and for the last couple days he has occasionally had a sudden sharp pain right in the heart area. It is not severe pain, and he describes it as an “explosion”, meaning it is just a brief instance where he feels something there. I would not describe this as “chest pain”. I am reassured by the article above, but given the sudden, quick explosion style pain he is feeling I wanted to ask if this is something to be concerned about. Thanks.

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    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:28 am

    Hi Concerned Parent,

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here is his response:

    I am sorry about your son’s pain, but I am glad that the article was able to reassure you. There is a second companion blog post entitled “Musculoskeletal pain in kids” that I would encourage you to read to see if your son’s pain seems consistent with some of the conditions discussed. Musculoskeletal chest wall pain is the most common type of pain for young children, and it often can be sudden, sharp, severe and anxiety provoking. This type of pain usually happens at rests, lasts a second or two, and resolves rapidly. Usually it will get better by itself after a few months. If he has palpitations (rapid heart rates faster than 180 beats per minute) or passes out with the pain, he should see a physician. Additionally, if there is any concern that this could be dangerous a visit with his pediatrician may also be a good idea. Thank you for your comment and I hope you son’s pain resolves soon!

Wendy June 11, 2022 at 12:56 am

Hi, is there any medicines i can get at any pharmacies? My son is suffering from chest pain.

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:30 am

    Hi Wendy,

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here is his reply:

    Thank you for your question and for reading our blog. The typical medications we prescribe for musculoskeletal chest pain are non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, which include Motrin, Advil, and ibuprofen. All of these can be found in any local pharmacy or grocery store. Thank you for the comment!

Gelchami June 16, 2022 at 4:51 pm

Greetings Dr. let me thank you for this blog and here is my sorry. I am a father of 4 beautiful kids, my second daughter had light chest paint last year and we were directed to a cardiologist by her pediatrician due to a heart murmur, she was diagnosed with BAV but the cardiologist and the pediatrician asked me not to worry. We did a second check this year and again as per the Dr. there’s nothing to worry about but she is having occasionally a light chest pain mostly when resting and nome when doing activities, should i be worried? Should i stop asking her of she is feeling anything? Forgive my weakness but you know how it goes with parents, I can share with you the report separately.Thanks much!Kindest regards,

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 6:25 am

    Hi Gelchami,

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here is his reply:

    Thank you for the kind words and for reading our blog. I am sorry to hear about your daughter’s chest pain and her somewhat serendipitous finding of a bicuspid aortic valve. Bicuspid aortic valve is often found accidently in children and is one of the more common heart conditions. While it can be progressive and serious, the vast majority of the time it is minor and does not cause symptoms or other issues. Based on your question, it sounds like her bicuspid aortic valve is mild and unlikely to cause chest pain, however I would defer to her pediatric cardiologist who has access to her most recent medical records, including echocardiogram. I would encourage you to ask them if they think the chest pain is related to the bicuspid aortic valve. Thank you again for the comment and I hope her pain resolves soon!

Tori June 19, 2022 at 10:37 am

My 13 year old was lying in bed 2 nights ago and had a pain in the middle of her chest that felt like someone was squeezing her heart, she said it was hard to breathe and that she couldn’t move for a second or two then her arms were tingling. This all lasted less than two minutes. We have an appointment with a cardiologist on Monday but want I want to know if I should be more concerned. She is on a progesterone only birth control to control long periods.

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team February 21, 2022 at 7:15 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his response:

    Hey Tori. Thank you for the question and I am sorry to read about your daughter’s episode of chest pain. Chest pain while lying in bed at night that lasts only a few seconds and is worse with breathing is usually not cardiac in nature, but I’m glad it sounds like she has an upcoming visit to see a cardiologist to discuss this further. I am not sure the birth control is a factor in this pain but her pediatrician and cardiologist can look at this when they see her. I hope you receive good news and that she feels better soon!

Roisin June 20, 2022 at 11:20 am

Hi I’m 17 years old and I’ve been having chest pain with the last 4 weeks, is it heart attack? The pain also spreads to my left arm when my chest gets sore but when my chest isn’t sore I notice I get a head ache and a stiff neck, the symptoms vary between eachother , I’ve also been to the hospital 3 weeks ago after I got a scare with chest pain and had tests done and said I was ok at that time.

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team June 21, 2022 at 7:04 am

    We reached out to Dr. Powell, one of our cardiologists, with your question. Here’s his reply:

    Hey Roisin. I’m sorry to read about your chest pain and it sounds like you have done the correct thing by receiving medical care. Most of the time these feelings still have nothing to do with the heart, but a visit to the emergency department or your pediatrician can be quite helpful in making sure your heart is healthy. Thank you for the question and I hope you feel better soon!

steven Row December 28, 2022 at 7:20 am

Hello Doctor
I am 14 years old and from few time I’ve been having like mild chest pain tell me what to do Mostly it appear at night time.

    Cincinnati Children's Social Media Team January 2, 2023 at 6:08 am

    Hi Steven,

    We are sorry to hear that you have been experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please talk to your parents about it, and perhaps watch the video at the top of this post with them. It may help you determine if further investigation is warranted.

Sara Ramirez January 9, 2023 at 11:47 am

Good morning Dr. Powell
My 15 year old daughter has been having chest pain, palpitations, out of breath, arms pain and numbness which goes all the way to her jaw, legs pain and numbness, and extreme fatigue. She has been having these symptoms for 6 months already, and ibefore it was three times a week, but now is on a daily basis, some days worst than others. Every time she exercises or has strong emotions these symptoms get really bad, to the point of making her cry of pain and not being able to move. She had a heart monitor for a week, but it didn’t show anything wrong with her heart. She has been tested for autoinmune system disease, autonomic disease, leukemia, and they came out negative. Her vitamins are good and she doesn’t have anemia.
Dr. I will appreciate if you can tell me what test should I ask for her? or what are the questions I should be asking to her cardiologist?
Thank you for taking the time to read my comment. I really appreciate it.

    Adam Powell, MD January 20, 2023 at 5:44 am

    Dear Sara,
    I’m sorry to read about your daughter’s issues with chest pain. Her symptoms sound quite uncomfortable. I’m glad that she has seen a cardiologist and I am reassured that she has had a normal heart monitor. I also assume she has had a normal resting EKG, and if she has not I would recommend one of those. I am also assuming that the cardiologist listened to her and was not concerned by her exam. I would also let your cardiologist know if there is a family history of cardiac disease as most of the concerning heart causes of chest pain are genetic. In the absence of any of these, I would feel reassured that her heart is likely not the cause of her chest pain. I’m also relieved that she has tested negative for leukemia and autoimmune disease. I would work with your pediatrician to discuss other possible causes of chest pain, which can include musculoskeletal, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and stress/anxiety. I hope my response and this blog offers some guidance on next steps for your daughter.

Sam Lucas January 17, 2023 at 12:04 am

I feel sorry after reading all the comments. So many people are going through this problem nowadays. I wish you all a speedy recovery. Also, I’d like to thank the author for publishing this blog. Adam has done a great job of educating readers about chest pain.

Stephanie January 29, 2023 at 4:15 am

Hello, I have a 8 year old turning 9 in a few days. She has been complaining with heart pains. I’ve asked her if it’s heart or chest and she says it’s her heart. She has the pains randomly. It’s not severe but my question is, how concerned should I be? I ask her regular doctor about it but he isn’t a pediatrician. He said it could be a number of things but he isn’t concerned. What should I do?

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team February 1, 2023 at 6:30 am

    Hi Stephanie,

    We are sorry to hear that your daughter has been complaining of heart pains. We recommend asking yourself the six questions listed in the above blog post. If you determine that it isn’t likely the heart – as an underlying heart condition is the cause of kids’ chest pains in less than 1% of them – you might want to read this blog post about helping kids find relief from chest pain: https://blog.cincinnatichildrens.org/healthy-living/musculoskeletal-chest-pain-in-kids-what-can-be-done-about-it/

Tafessework B Mageru May 2, 2023 at 11:54 am

Very helpful writing from Ethiopia. After i read your article sigh of relief. Thank you very much.

Nicole November 23, 2023 at 1:06 pm

Hi , I am 17+ and I have been having chest pains for almost a year now . I feel pain in centre of my chest and sometimes where my ribs are connected to the sternum bone.
The pain is there all day but it’s mild ,so I ignore it ,but sometimes it comes on strong for like 2-3 days ,then the pain goes back to being mild .When i think about the pain it worsens too. The pain also remains the same during rest or when I breath calmly. I am really worried and think I have a heart condition.

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team December 4, 2023 at 7:33 am

    Hi Nicole,

    We are sorry to hear that you are experiencing chest pain. If you haven’t already, please watch Dr. Powell’s video at the top of this post. You might even want to watch it with your parents. Together you can determine if your symptoms warrant a visit to the doctor.

Adel Alrashidi December 1, 2023 at 7:00 am

Hello …
My 7 years son got hit on his chest and staring to have the pain that increase while soccer sport. We visited the doctor and he confirmed everything normal from heart to lungs.

And he confirmed after the xray that nothing worrying.

But my son love soccer and he playing continuously which I am afraid that this will impact the healing.

Please let know know how long expected to have this injury healed and if the sports will delay it or make it worse.

    Cincinnati Children's logo
    Social Media Team December 5, 2023 at 6:57 am

    Hi Adel,

    We reached out to Dr. Powell and here’s his reply:

    Thank you for the comment and I am sorry to read about your son’s injury. Pain related to being hit in the chest is unfortunately common and may linger for several weeks, much like pain due to getting hit on another body part like a leg or arm. I am glad to read that the chest x-ray was normal and he does not have any broken bones. Normally, if there is no concern for a fracture or heart/lung issue, a child can gradually return to sports and over a week or so start to feel close to normal. If after a week or so he still has chest pain, then it would be reasonable to see his pediatrician again. Thank you again for the comment and I hope this helped!

Christie Salyer January 15, 2024 at 9:29 pm

My 5 almost 6 year old granddaughter complains of chest tightness all the time. Literally all the time. She tries to explain this feeling by stating it’s anxiety because she’s excited. I am not sure if she understands how to explain her feelings. We are all stressing. She is very active in ballet and plays without any issues. Heart rate is good and regular. We just don’t know what to do! We don’t want yo ignore the matter but we truly feel she’s fine. She is also on a kick explaining every pain she is having, she will say my fingernail hurts or I had a pain there or here. It’s all day bless her heart.

Tobylene Chinhoyi January 24, 2024 at 11:41 pm

This is very helpful, I was thinking my daughter could be suffering from a heart problem…she experiences sharp pains in her chest and it the pain will subside and we forget about it for some time and it comes again after a few weeks or months but when it comes it seems really painful

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