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Types of Chest Pain

What to Do

Frequently Asked Questions

Chest painshould always be taken seriously, and that is especially true if you have recently had surgery.

However, there’s the chest pain that can mean you’re having a heart attack and then there’s pain that happens to be located in the chest. Knowing the difference is key to protecting your health and having a full recovery.

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Senior man in the hospital after surgery

The good news is that chest pain after surgeryisn’t always a life-threatening emergency.

Depending on the type of surgery you had, chest pain may be a normal part of the healing process, especially if your incision was in the chest area. Chest pain can also be a result of:

The most important type of chest pain you should know is the type of chest pain that could be a sign of a life-threatening cardiac problem.

Life-Threatening Chest Pain Signs

People with diabetes, other types of illness that may decrease the sensation of pain, or taking prescription pain medication may experience less severe chest pain with a heart attack. While it’s rare, remember that some people feel much less chest pain than others during a cardiac event.

If you had a blood clot form after surgery, known as a deep vein thrombosis orDVT, you have a higher risk of a blood clot that moves to your lungs, which is called apulmonary embolism (PE)and is extremely serious.

If you have a diagnosed blood clot (DVT), always consider chest pain a serious complication until proven otherwise. Seeking emergency treatment is the best course of action. At the very least, the surgeon should be made aware of new chest pain symptoms.

What Is Deep Vein Thrombosis?

Pain in the chest is expected if:

Typically, surgery-related chest pain doesn’t cause the same symptoms as a life-threatening heart or lung issue.

While it may hurt to take a deep breath, the pain is usually only severe when something causes the chest wall to move, such as a cough or a sneeze, or physical activity. (Ask your healthcare provider how to decreasepain from coughingor sneezing.)

If you have a chest tube in place, your pain may be significant, especially when taking a deep breath or directly around the site of chest tube placement. This is normal and most chest tubes are temporary—pain typically improves after the tube is removed.

If your chest pain is unexplained and you don’t know what’s causing it, you need immediate care to determine the reason. Go to a local emergency room or dial “911” immediately.

Surgery-related chest pain signs include:Increasing pain with movement of the chestGreatly increasing pain with sneezing or coughingIncreasing pain with deep breathsSteadily decreasing pain as recovery continuesImprovement in pain with over-the-counter medications such as IbuprofenNo difficulty breathing or shortness of breathAn increase in pain when lifting arms above the head

Surgery-related chest pain signs include:

If you’re having chest pain, take these symptoms seriously. The presence of surgical chest pain does not mean you can’t have life-threatening chest pain as well. If you have concerns that your pain isn’t just due to healing from surgery, seek immediate treatment.

Frequently Asked QuestionsIt can be difficult to take deep breaths after surgery because you feel weak and sore. If you underwent chest or abdominal surgery the pain may be worse. However, it’s important to practice deep breathing despite this discomfort. If you avoid coughing or breathing deeply, mucus that needs to be cleared from your airways can linger, which could lead to an infection.Learn MoreWhy Does My Throat Hurt After Surgery?Typically, a blood clot causes swelling in the area where the blood clot is. You may have pain or tenderness and discoloration in the leg. If the clot moves to your lungs and develops into a pulmonary embolism, you might have sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.See a doctor as soon as possible if you think you have a blood clot.Learn MoreHow Deep Vein Thrombosis Is TreatedChest pain is very common. Even if your surgery wasn’t near the chest, you may have muscle soreness from lying on the operating table or because you’re having trouble taking a deep breath post-surgery. If you can’t manage pain with medication or if it lasts longer than your surgeon estimated, call your doctor.Learn MoreCardiothoracic Surgery: Everything You Need to Know

It can be difficult to take deep breaths after surgery because you feel weak and sore. If you underwent chest or abdominal surgery the pain may be worse. However, it’s important to practice deep breathing despite this discomfort. If you avoid coughing or breathing deeply, mucus that needs to be cleared from your airways can linger, which could lead to an infection.Learn MoreWhy Does My Throat Hurt After Surgery?

It can be difficult to take deep breaths after surgery because you feel weak and sore. If you underwent chest or abdominal surgery the pain may be worse. However, it’s important to practice deep breathing despite this discomfort. If you avoid coughing or breathing deeply, mucus that needs to be cleared from your airways can linger, which could lead to an infection.

Learn MoreWhy Does My Throat Hurt After Surgery?

Typically, a blood clot causes swelling in the area where the blood clot is. You may have pain or tenderness and discoloration in the leg. If the clot moves to your lungs and develops into a pulmonary embolism, you might have sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.See a doctor as soon as possible if you think you have a blood clot.Learn MoreHow Deep Vein Thrombosis Is Treated

Typically, a blood clot causes swelling in the area where the blood clot is. You may have pain or tenderness and discoloration in the leg. If the clot moves to your lungs and develops into a pulmonary embolism, you might have sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.See a doctor as soon as possible if you think you have a blood clot.

Learn MoreHow Deep Vein Thrombosis Is Treated

Chest pain is very common. Even if your surgery wasn’t near the chest, you may have muscle soreness from lying on the operating table or because you’re having trouble taking a deep breath post-surgery. If you can’t manage pain with medication or if it lasts longer than your surgeon estimated, call your doctor.Learn MoreCardiothoracic Surgery: Everything You Need to Know

Chest pain is very common. Even if your surgery wasn’t near the chest, you may have muscle soreness from lying on the operating table or because you’re having trouble taking a deep breath post-surgery. If you can’t manage pain with medication or if it lasts longer than your surgeon estimated, call your doctor.

Learn MoreCardiothoracic Surgery: Everything You Need to Know

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fu R, Li SD, Song CX, et al.Clinical significance of diabetes on symptom and patient delay among patients with acute myocardial infarction-an analysis from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2019;16(5):395-400. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2019.05.002Bilora F, Ceresa M, Milan M, Sarolo L, Prandoni P.The impact of deep vein thrombosis on the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events: a 14-year follow-up study.Int Angiol. 2017;36(2):156-159. doi:10.23736/S0392-9590.16.03664-6Bellet RN, Lamb RL, Gould TD, Bartlett HJ.Prevalence of neuro-musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction in open-heart surgical patients preoperatively and at 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively: a prospective longitudinal observation study.Pragmat Obs Res. 2017;8:211-222. doi:10.2147/POR.S131060Penn Medicine.Breathing After Surgery.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo. Deep vein thrombosis.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.After Your Thoracic Surgery.Additional ReadingNational Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Chest Pain.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fu R, Li SD, Song CX, et al.Clinical significance of diabetes on symptom and patient delay among patients with acute myocardial infarction-an analysis from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2019;16(5):395-400. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2019.05.002Bilora F, Ceresa M, Milan M, Sarolo L, Prandoni P.The impact of deep vein thrombosis on the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events: a 14-year follow-up study.Int Angiol. 2017;36(2):156-159. doi:10.23736/S0392-9590.16.03664-6Bellet RN, Lamb RL, Gould TD, Bartlett HJ.Prevalence of neuro-musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction in open-heart surgical patients preoperatively and at 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively: a prospective longitudinal observation study.Pragmat Obs Res. 2017;8:211-222. doi:10.2147/POR.S131060Penn Medicine.Breathing After Surgery.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo. Deep vein thrombosis.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.After Your Thoracic Surgery.Additional ReadingNational Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Chest Pain.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Fu R, Li SD, Song CX, et al.Clinical significance of diabetes on symptom and patient delay among patients with acute myocardial infarction-an analysis from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2019;16(5):395-400. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2019.05.002Bilora F, Ceresa M, Milan M, Sarolo L, Prandoni P.The impact of deep vein thrombosis on the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events: a 14-year follow-up study.Int Angiol. 2017;36(2):156-159. doi:10.23736/S0392-9590.16.03664-6Bellet RN, Lamb RL, Gould TD, Bartlett HJ.Prevalence of neuro-musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction in open-heart surgical patients preoperatively and at 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively: a prospective longitudinal observation study.Pragmat Obs Res. 2017;8:211-222. doi:10.2147/POR.S131060Penn Medicine.Breathing After Surgery.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo. Deep vein thrombosis.Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.After Your Thoracic Surgery.

Fu R, Li SD, Song CX, et al.Clinical significance of diabetes on symptom and patient delay among patients with acute myocardial infarction-an analysis from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) registry.J Geriatr Cardiol. 2019;16(5):395-400. doi:10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2019.05.002

Bilora F, Ceresa M, Milan M, Sarolo L, Prandoni P.The impact of deep vein thrombosis on the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events: a 14-year follow-up study.Int Angiol. 2017;36(2):156-159. doi:10.23736/S0392-9590.16.03664-6

Bellet RN, Lamb RL, Gould TD, Bartlett HJ.Prevalence of neuro-musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction in open-heart surgical patients preoperatively and at 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively: a prospective longitudinal observation study.Pragmat Obs Res. 2017;8:211-222. doi:10.2147/POR.S131060

Penn Medicine.Breathing After Surgery.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.OrthoInfo. Deep vein thrombosis.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.After Your Thoracic Surgery.

National Institutes of Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Chest Pain.

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