Why does it hurt my chest when i swallow food

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Chest pain can be scary, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re having a heart attack. Here’s what else it could indicate.
Do your symptoms appear after eating?
Is your pain accompanied by a runny nose, coughing, sore throat and fever?
Do you have a rapid heart rate, fever, fatigue or trouble breathing?
Do you feel pressure in your chest and discomfort in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back? Do you feel like you have indigestion?
Are you experiencing shortness of breath, nausea, arm pain, fatigue, profuse sweating or pale and clammy skin?
Chest Pain Connection
Managing Your Pain
Why does swallowing make my chest hurt?
How do I stop my chest from hurting when I swallow?
Why does it feel like I have something stuck in my chest when I swallow?
When I swallow food it hurts going down?

Chest pain can be scary, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re having a heart attack. Here’s what else it could indicate.

Chest pain or discomfort is one of the symptoms people experience when they are having a heart attack, but it can also be a sign of something else. These questions can help you figure out whether your symptoms mean you should get immediate medical help or make an appointment with a doctor.

Do your symptoms appear after eating?

If you have overindulged or eaten greasy or spicy foods, you may experience a scorching feeling in your chest. This could be heartburn, which is a symptom of acid reflux and is caused by GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.

“30%-40% of patients presenting to ER with chest pain have chest pain due to acid reflux, or GERD,” says Caitlin Houghton, MD, a general surgeon at Keck Medicine of USC and assistant professor of clinical surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Although, “heartburn can be due to heart problems and should be checked by an ER or local doctor,” she adds.

Is your pain accompanied by a runny nose, coughing, sore throat and fever?

Acute bronchitis can make your chest ache, a pain that worsens if you have a hacking cough. The condition occurs when your bronchial tubes become inflamed. Mucus builds up, leading to shortness of breath and feeling like you have a cold.

Your doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs and ask you to rest and drink plenty of liquids to thin the mucus and keep your bronchial tubes lubricated. If symptoms continue longer than 10 days, consider getting a chest X-ray to determine whether your condition has turned into pneumonia or if there is another culprit causing your pain.

Do you have a rapid heart rate, fever, fatigue or trouble breathing?

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that produces symptoms resembling a heart attack. If you have these symptoms, seek medical help immediately.

Do you feel pressure in your chest and discomfort in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back? Do you feel like you have indigestion?

Angina signals an underlying heart condition that can lead to a heart attack. Stable angina is triggered by emotional stress, smoking, heavy meals and extreme variances in temperature, all of which cause your heart to work harder.

This type of angina is episodic but controllable. Your doctor can help you understand and manage the condition.

Unstable angina is characterized by sudden chest pain or worsening or persistent chest discomfort that occurs during sleep or reduced physical activity. It is caused by a reduction in blood flow to the heart. This is a serious health issue that requires immediate medical attention.

Are you experiencing shortness of breath, nausea, arm pain, fatigue, profuse sweating or pale and clammy skin?

If you experience these symptoms for longer than five minutes and have no explanation for them, call 911. You could be having a heart attack.

Topics

acute bronchitis

angina

chest pain

Dr. Caitlin Houghton

heart attack

heartburn

myocarditis

Heidi Tyline King is a former magazine editor who has written for numerous national publications.

If you feel a pain in chest when swallowing food or drink, you’re not alone.

Image Credit: artursfoto/iStock/GettyImages

If you feel a pain in your chest when swallowing food or drink, you're not alone. Most people will experience this discomfort occasionally, along with a feeling that it hurts to burp. But if these become regular issues, a visit to the doctor can help you nail down the exact cause, and the best treatment.

Chest Pain Connection

Sudden chest pain is obviously something many of us fear. But if it hurts to burp after eating, or if you feel a pain in chest when swallowing food or drink, there are a few potential explanations, ranging from the mildly irritating to the serious.

Heartburn: While some people may be prone to chronic heartburn, for others it's only an occasional irritant. Heartburn, or acid reflux, happens when stomach acids from eating or drinking rise up into your esophagus. When it hurts to burp — and if the act of belching helps the pain go away — that's often the sign of common heartburn, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
GERD: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is similar to heartburn, but it happens more regularly. Mayo Clinic notes that if you experience "heartburn" at least twice a week, you likely have GERD. The same is true if the pain is severe, at least once a week.
Gallstones: If gallstones have formed in your gallbladder or intestine, your gall bladder responds by pumping out bile to surround them. Harvard Health Publishing (HHP) notes that one side effect of this protective function is that you may feel pain just under your breastbone, either isolated or radiating out to your back or right arm.
Esophageal spasm: This type of "squeezing" chest pain can come on quickly, but last as long as a few hours. Some people experience it regularly, while for others it's an occasional nuisance, according to HHP. You may also have trouble swallowing your beverage, or feel like something is stuck in your throat. Many people who have this problem also find that food or drink comes back up into their mouths.
Achalasia: While some digestive issues occur after the food has reached the stomach, achalasia is a swallowing problem that prevents some food from moving from the esophagus into the stomach. Chest pain is one possible symptom, as is weight loss. Because achalasia interferes with your ability to process food, the condition can become serious.

Warning

Chest pain when drinking water and other beverages, eating food or burping, is usually not a cause for panic. However, if you also feel lightheaded, extremely fatigued, or break into a cold sweat, there’s a chance you may be having a cardiac event. Even if you’re not sure whether to rule out heartburn or esophagus issues, it’s better to be safe rather than sorry. Seek medical attention right away.

Managing Your Pain

If problems like muscle spasms or stomach acid issues become chronic, your doctor may suggest medication or surgery. A problem such achalasia will likely require surgery or a procedure known as balloon dilation. Often, however, lifestyle changes can help control pain in chest when swallowing food or drink.

To decrease your incidences of heartburn, try cutting back on coffee, orange juice and late-night snacks, advises the AHA. Sleeping with your bed raised up at the end, or propping your head and chest on several pillows, may help keep the acids from rising after bedtime.

The Cleveland Clinic suggests additional things to avoid for various types of esophageal disorders. These include chocolate, fatty ingredients, fried foods, spicy meals and alcohol.

While eating smaller meals throughout the day is often recommended for general health benefits, for people with pain after eating, it's better to have a fuller stomach, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In addition, napping or going to bed within 3 hours after eating should be avoided.

To lower instances of esophageal spasm, only consume drinks at a moderate temperature, and avoid red wine. Peppermint lozenges may also relax the esophagus muscles, notes the Mayo Clinic.

Why does swallowing make my chest hurt?

Esophagitis can cause painful, difficult swallowing and chest pain. Causes of esophagitis include stomach acids backing up into the esophagus, infection, oral medications and allergies.

How do I stop my chest from hurting when I swallow?

proton pump inhibitors, which block the production of stomach acid. medications to help relax the muscles of your esophagus, such as nitrates or calcium channel blockers. steroid medication to treat inflammation associated with esophagitis. tricyclic antidepressants to help ease pain in the esophagus.

Why does it feel like I have something stuck in my chest when I swallow?

A narrowed esophagus (stricture) can trap large pieces of food. Tumors or scar tissue, often caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can cause narrowing. Esophageal tumors. Difficulty swallowing tends to get progressively worse when esophageal tumors are present due to narrowing of the esophagus.

When I swallow food it hurts going down?

Strep throat, epiglottitis, and esophagitis are some possible causes of pain when swallowing. Throat infections are one of the most common causes of pain when swallowing. These include strep throat, which is an infection with Streptococcal bacteria.