ashero34
23-05-07, 03:11 PM
Hi monday i was admitted to hospital for chest pains ( central area of the chest ) well arfter blood test ,ECG's the doctor said that he wanted to keep me in over night just incase i had a heart attack and they wanted to take blood from me 12 hours arfter the attack to see if there was any damage done to my heart meaning i did have a heart attack. Well arfter all these tests ive been given the all clear no heart attack and my lungs , pulse , breathing , blood pressure are all fine. So why now today do i still fell like crap my chest hurts all round the lower rib cage and also shoulder blade area , ive got back ache my left arm feels like ive been lifting weights and my chest just generaly hurts is this due to anxiety and mussle tension :confused:
rabidbadger
23-05-07, 05:19 PM
Hi ashero
While I can't say for sure that your aches and pains are caused by muscular tension, what I can say confidently is that the muscular tension that accompanies anxiety can make you feel like you HAVE been lifting weights or running a marathon. This is made worse by prolonged periods of inactivity.
One of the affects of adrenalin is that your muscles adopt a 'ready' position in which they are unconsciously semi-tensed. This is not always noticeable, and if it is, it is not always easy to get rid of the tension.
The pectoral muscles in your chest, abdominal muscles, and the inter-costal muscles between your ribs are especially prone to the effects of inactivity because it is easy to go for hours without moving these muscles.
When my anxiety was at its worst, about 8 months ago, I was spending a lot of time sitting or lying still because I felt like my heart was going to pack up if I did anything strenuous. This led to days on end of feeling like I'd been hit by a train. I was aching everywhere from my neck to the balls of my feet.
In March of this year I started working on my mum and dad's garden. This made my aching worse for about the first two weeks but now I feel so much better.
Do you do any exercise? It is best to start with a light routine if you are not used to it - about 20 minutes of walking is a good way to start.
Anyway, hope this has helped. Best of luck.
Chris
Free links to anxiety related documents - http://anxietylinks.blogspot.com
