At a time when most people link chest pain with heart disease, medical examinations reveal that a large percentage of cases may belong to other reasons that have nothing to do with the heart, the most famous of which is known as “false angina.”
This confusing condition, which affects about 3 out of 10 patients who complain of severe or sudden chest pain, are similar in its manifestations to the real heart attack, but it often arises from problems in the cervical spine or the surrounding muscles.
How do you know that you have a false angina?Feeling compressor or burning pain in the middle of the chest may be the first to draw attention, but in the case of false angina sometimes the pain extends to the neck, shoulder, or even the arms.
It may be accompanied by numbness in the extremities, or a feeling of unjustified coldness in the hands, sometimes dizziness or slight shortness of breath, especially after moving the neck or sitting in an uncomfortable position for a while.
How does false angina last?Often the seizure lasts a few minutes to half an hour, then it disappears automatically or with rest, but it may return in the form of intermittent attacks, especially when the movements that cause pressure on the vertebrae or the neck or Nerves The surrounding.
How to save yourself from angina?The first step is to stop any effort immediately and sit in a comfortable position.
If the pain is accompanied by strong symptoms such as severe shortness of breath or abundant sweating, you should go to the emergency immediately to exclude the real heart attack.
If the pain is repeated in the same circumstances, it is better to review an orthopedic doctor or nerves to examine the cervical spine.
Is angina due to anxiety?In real angina, tension and emotion may increase the severity of symptoms, but in false angina, the psychological factor is not the direct cause, but stress may make the patient more sensitive to muscle or nervous pain in the chest and neck area.
Symptoms of false angina in young peopleAlthough it is more common with age due to the problems of the spine, young people may also develop them, especially if they spend long hours in front of the computer or practice violent sports on the neck and shoulders.
The most prominent symptoms include sudden chest pain with neck stiffness or upper shoulder pain.
Symptoms of false anginaPain in the middle of the chest or above.
Numbness or cold in the ends.
A headache starts from behind the head and extends to the eyes.
Stiffness in the neck or shoulder muscles.
Simple sweating or dizziness.
