Pain when breathing in

Former Member

When I deeply breathe in sometimes I feel a pain in the left side(my left) of my chest. The pain is quite acute & feels like hundreds of needle pricks.

Anybody got any ideas as what it could be? Could heartburn be a potential cause? How the hell does one get heartburn?

Former Member

Well the obvious solution is to not breathe in. Jeeez.

Indrid Cold

Hm, I get something like this sometimes, but it's rare and it feels like one needle... When I didn't remember what a ribcage looks like exactly, I used to think it was my lung getting pinned in the pointy end of a rib.
I don't know if it's the same as what you describe, but when I get that I usually just lie down somewhere and breathe slowly a few times until it passes.

Former Member

I have had this many times, I don't know what it is thought, I thought it could be a sort of cramping and if I grit my teeth and breath right in it tends to releases the pain, but it is really painful to do, otherwise you can't laugh or anything because it hurts so badly!

Former Member

Make an appointment with your docs.

Heartburn - exactly as it says on the tin. Burning pain usually around the heart area. Caused by many things...food..timing...position etc etc

Former Member

i get this quite a lot and always thought it was of the stitch type persuasion - cramp or something - cause when i either take a really deep breath in, or breathe all the way out, it hurts like hell for a while, but then seems to 'pop' (can't really describe it, but like something popping back into place and all the pain suddenly going away) and i guess i just figured if it could go away just like that, it couldn't be that serious.

i'd love to know what causes it, too.

Former Member

Sounds musculoskeletal if it occurs from time to time.

Pain on deep inspiration is classically called pleuritic chest pain, usually secondary to a chest infection.

Heartburn is another word for indigestion, a non-specific discomfort caused by acid reflux from the stomach.

Info - pleurisy

Info - heartburn

Info - musculoskeletal chest pain

Former Member

i get the pain sometimes too i just put it down to my asthma

Former Member

i get it too. still alive after years of it, doesnt affect me day to day so cant be worth worrying about?????

Former Member

sounds a bit like pleurisy but then that would be every time you breeth in if severe and would get a lot worse if you were laughing or exercising

Former Member

I do have the tail end of a cold at the moment so that could be what's causing the pain.

Former Member

i used to get this alot and i told my doctor and he basically said that the pain is the muscles in the heart stretching when you take a breath (specially if its a deep breath) and its nothing to worry about it. i'm not sure why the muscles get contracted in the first place but he said it was fine

Former Member

i get very rarely aint had it for a very long time now tho its like when i breath in quick its like a bubble pain in my chest and its like u got to give breathing up to pop it weird .