Chest Pain in Kids and Teens

What Is Chest Pain?

Chest pain can be any type of discomfort in the chest. It could be a feeling of tightness, a burning sensation, soreness, or a sharp pain. Sometimes it can happen along with other symptoms, like coughing or wheezing.

In kids, chest pain can happen for many reasons, from a virus to asthma. Most often, chest pain in kids and teens is due to something affecting the muscles and cartilage in the chest.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Chest Pain?

Depending on the reason for the pain, symptoms can vary. Kids with chest pain might have:

• tightness and discomfort
• a burning sensation
• pain when taking deep breaths
• coughing or wheezing
• soreness or tenderness when the chest is touched

What Can Cause Chest Pain in Kids & Teens?

Many things can cause chest pain in kids and teens, including:

• Muscle spasms or cramps: When the muscles of the chest wall cramp or spasm, it can cause pain.
• Muscle strain: Active kids sometimes can feel chest pain due to muscle strain from playing sports or being very physically active.
• Costochondritis: This painful swelling and irritation of the cartilage that attaches the ribs to the breastbone (sternum) is a common cause of chest pain in kids and teens.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Kids with GERD have heartburn (acid indigestion) after meals. This feels like a burning sensation in the chest, neck, and throat. It happens because acidic stomach contents move backward into the esophagus.
• Respiratory problems and infections:Coughing, asthma, and some infections can cause chest discomfort or tightness.
• Anxiety and stress: Strong emotions like stress and anxiety can sometimes cause physical symptoms, including chest pain, in kids.

How Is Chest Pain Diagnosed?

When kids or teens complain of chest pain, doctors will:

• ask about the symptoms
• ask if the pain followed an injury
• ask about recent illnesses, exercise, or other things going on
• feel for tenderness along the area where the breastbone meets the ribs
• listen to the heart and lungs
• possibly order a chest X-ray. This can also find or rule out causes like pneumonia.
• possibly order other tests, like an EKG

How Is Chest Pain Treated?

Often, chest pain goes away with little or no treatment. Depending on the cause of the pain, treatments that can help vary:

• Costochondritis usually goes away on its own. But it can help to give over-the-counter pain medicine (the kind you can buy without a prescription) and apply a warm compress or a heating pad (on low) to the affected area.
• Kids with GERD may need to make diet or lifestyle changes to ease symptoms. Some may also need to take medicine.
• For a bacterial infection, such as walking pneumonia, doctors will prescribe antibiotics. A viral infection that causes chest pain will have to run its course (antibiotics only work against bacteria), but comfort measures can help with symptoms.
• To help with coughing from a virus, offer plenty of liquids, run a cool-mist humidifier in your child's bedroom, and use saline (saltwater) nose drops or spray to ease congestion. Honey can help with coughing, but should never be given to babies younger than 1 year old.
• If you think negative emotions are playing a role in your child’s chest pain, having them talk to a therapist might help.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Call the doctor if your child has:

• chest pain that is severe, gets worse, or doesn't get better
• chest pain during exercise
• a fast heartbeat or heart palpitations (fluttering)

Go to the ER or call 911 if your child:

• has trouble breathing or rapid breathing
• feels pressure in the chest
• faints or feels about to faint
• has blue or gray color around the lips
• has a history of any heart problems and has chest pain

Can Chest Pain Be Prevented?

It’s not always possible to prevent chest pain because of its many possible causes. But it can help to:

• Make sure kids get their vaccines on time to prevent infections that could cause chest pain.
• Follow the doctor's treatment plan if your child has asthma.
• Avoid foods that seem to bring on indigestion.
• Make sure kids get a sports physical before playing sports.
• Stretch before exercise.

What Else Should I Know?

Most of the time, chest pain in kids and teens isn’t serious. But you know your child best. If they have symptoms that worry you, call your doctor.