First Aid for Chest Pain
Chest pain can come from a lot of things.
Causes of chest pain that need emergency medical care include:
- Heart attack
- Injury such as to the chest wall or lung
- Collapsed lung
- Blood clot that has traveled to a lung (pulmonary embolism)
Other causes of chest pain include:
- Lung problems such as pneumonia or bronchitis (if severe enough, these might also need emergency care)
- Hiatal hernia
- Heartburn
- Shingles
- Pulled muscle
- Anxiety
- Swallowing too much air
How do you know when you need medical help for chest pain? It's not always easy to tell. If you're not sure why your chest hurts, it's best to check it out. Getting help for a heart attack, lung injury or other serious conditions, could save your life.