Cause of chest pain? angina?

I am a 21 y/o female with occassional chest pains that I've never been too concerned over but I want to know if I should be worried at all. I am questioning angina only because most other chest pain I have researched seems as though it would not fit with my timeframe of having this for years. More specifically, about 8 or 9 years I believe, on an average of once a month. It is not necessarily associated with physical activity, but it occurs worse if I'm physical. It lasts normally under 5 minutes but last time was 10-15 minutes. The pain feels as though it's under my ribcage and always located slightly left of center. The pain is a crushing or squeezing feeling. It stops me in my tracks, gets better quicker if I stop right away and do nothing, takes my breath away, can't take deep breaths or talk much, and I always have an impulse to put more pressure against my chest to ease the pain (like squeezing my arm against it). Please help, any ideas? Angina or some other chest pain?

Possibly, but not likely. Angina can often felt in wierd places like down your arms, as well as your chest, or between your shoulder blades. Sounds like a muscle thing, often called a "stitch" in your side., can take your breath away! Can't hurt to talk to your doc, see if there any ideas.

Get yourself to a doc and get a treadmill test. It sure sounds like a classic cardiac problem to me.

Hi I dont know about your case. But I had same problem for many years and no doctor in the World could help me, except, the final adviise that I got from my mother in Iran, she told me, that I should not eat certain food, like Milke, Tomato, YoghurtCabbage, Turnip, Cauliflower, Cherries, Raw Onion and certain Beans and all other food that create GAS. My mother told me, to start jogging for a long time until all gases discharge from budy. She aslo told me to drink my tea with HARD SUGER and HONEY; DATES it helped me alot, and now I am very happy:) You may try, it does not hurt, Finally, your posture while you are sitting, sleeping, working may contribute to certain muscle pains; you mood is very important, and try to Dance a LOT and BE HAPPY; there are a lot of pains that does not have a real physical evidence, except out bad lifestyle. Doctor, for me is the last choose! Good Luck, tell me if you became better: at
okayokayokaynono@yhoo.com

Watch out the heart is a muscle too, in most athletics they becom big (hypertrophy) causing obstruction to outflow of blood. This means less blood outflow to the vessels supplying your heart hence having the pain - yes it would be described as angina pain if this is what is going on inside your chest.

Get it checked by your doctor

Major risk factors for angina include family history of premature heart disease, cigarette smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
Please take ECG, Treadmill test and Echcardigraphy to detect the underlying cause of Unstable angina. Consult a Cardiolgist.
Please see the webpages for more details on Angina

Best thing is to under go a tread mill stress test and it will show where the problems is .It is simple 10 minutes tread mill test where you will be asked to run/walk on the tread mill.Depending upon your problems the results will show you how serious it is about your heart .

Any chest pain should be checked out without hesitation. It may be indigestion or something easily fixed but a trip to the doctor may save your life. Chest pain that increases with activity is a bad sign. Angina is not a disease it is a warning that something is wrong. You have to find out what is causing the Angina if that is what it is.

This might sound stupid but it could be trapped wind.
I was worrying about my chest pains for years before I figured out that's what it was.

Movement does make it worse, and ESPECIALLY if you are doing actual exercise and drinking water as that can produce more wind (!) or it can just disturb it which will draw your attention to it.
One time it was so sore and hard for me to breath I almost ended up in the ER!

Try paying attention to if it happens after certain foods or drinks or in relation to your menstrual cycle as wind is a problem for some women then.

When I get it the pain is the same, crushing, breathless, and sometimes the pain is sharp. It usually doesn't last long but it can. Also I have an urge to rub the area which is pretty normal. Rubbing and beating it (or your back) like you would do with a baby breaks it up, although touching the area sometimes hurts me. Hope you figure it out and keep this in mind just in case.