This is pain felt in the upper body, from your shoulders down to your ribs. Chest pain may come in many different forms, which range from a sharp stab to a dull ache. Some can be described as crushing or burning and in certain cases the pain travels up the neck, piercing through to the back or radiates down the arms.

There are different causes of chest pain. Indigestion, muscle strain and inflammation in the rib joints near the breastbone are some of the better understood causes. Chest pain and tenderness with no swelling can be due to a pulled muscle in your chest wall. The pain can be severe but with a massage, it should ease and the muscle will heal with time. In the case of swelling and tenderness around your ribs, the cause could be inflammation in the joints between the cartilages that join the ribs to the breastbone.

Misalignment of the spine is one the reasons why people experience chest pains. Some of us do not think that this could be a possible reason as we have this notion that only heart problems can cause chest pain. The misalignment usually occurs at the middle of your back and it causes some nerves to be forced press tightly. This can cause great discomfort or pain that eventually is felt as chest pain. Do remember that the misalignment is a serious condition because if it forces pressure on the left side of your body, it may eventually lead to a heart attack.

There are certain symptoms that you may experience when your back is misaligned. Some of these symptoms are:

Heart palpitations – when the heart beats too fast even when you are really doing nothing.
Increased heart rate. This is when you notice that your heart is beating faster than usual even if you are not doing any task.

Sweating can be caused by the palpitations because it can be uncomfortable. Sweating can also be considered a symptom of an incoming heart attack.

Severe crushing or burning pain in your chest or behind the breastbone. This may feel as a tightening, squeezing or heavy pressure.