Chest Muscle Pain

What is a Chest Muscle Pain?

Chest muscle pain, or myalgia, often results from muscle strain, overuse, or injury to the pectoral muscles. It can also be caused by poor posture, muscle imbalances, or referred pain from the neck or upper back.

Symptoms include localized soreness, tenderness, and difficulty with movements like pushing or lifting. While usually benign, persistent or severe pain should be evaluated to rule out cardiac or other serious conditions.

• Chest muscle pain is indicated when you experience breathing difficulties and have trouble moving the affected shoulder area.
• When you cough, sneeze, or take heavy breaths, the pain gets worse.
• Additionally, you have pain and soreness in the chest wall.
• There are numerous causes of this pain, including rib injuries and muscle sprains.
• The cause of this injury is muscle spasms. The RICE concept, pain relieving Medicine, and physical therapy are used to relieve chest muscle pain.

Anatomy of the Chest Muscle:

There are four muscles in the chest:

• Pectoralis Major
• Pectoralis Minor
• Serratus Anterior
• Subclavius

Pectoralis Major:

• In the pectoral region, this muscle is the most superficial.
• This muscle is big and shaped like a fan.
• It is made up of the clavicular and sternal heads:
• The humerus bone’s inter-tubercular sulcus is where both heads are distally joined.
• The anterior surface of the medial clavicle bone is where the clavicular head begins.
• The aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle, the superior six costal cartilages, and the front side of the sternum are the origins of the sternocostal head.
• The purpose of these Pectoralis Major is to draw the scapula anteroinferior and medially rotate the upper limb.
• This muscle’s clavicular head flexes the upper limb on its own as well.

Pectoralis Minor:

• Beneath the pectoralis major muscle is the pectoralis minor.
• These two muscles are a component of the axilla region’s anterior wall.
• The third to fifth ribs are the origin of this muscle.
• It enters into the scapula bone’s coracoid process.
• By pulling the scapula bone antero inferiorly against the thoracic wall, the pectoralis minor stabilizes it.

Serratus Anterior:

• The serratus anterior muscle forms the medial border of the axilla area and is situated more laterally in the chest wall.
• The lateral portions of ribs 1–8 are the origin of the many strips that make up this muscle.
• The costal surface of the scapula bone’s medial edge is where this muscle is placed.
• The scapula is rotated by this serratus anterior muscle, which also enables the arm to be elevated more than 90 degrees.
• The scapula bone is held against the rib cage by this muscle as well.

Subclavius:

• Located right behind the collarbone bone, this tiny muscle runs horizontally.
• The first rib and its costal cartilage meet to form this muscle.
• It is placed into the middle portion of the clavicle bone’s inferior surface.
• This subclavius muscle’s work is to anchor and depress the clavicle bone.

Causes of the Chest Muscle Pain:

Chest muscle strain:

• Overuse is the main cause of damage to the chest muscles.
• Chronic strains are caused by lifting heavy objects and being hurt when participating in sports like gymnastics, tennis, rowing, and golf. All of these activities require repeated action.

The following are additional activities that can also result in muscle strain:

• when you spend a lot of time raising your arms above your head.
• when contact injuries from sports, auto accidents, and other circumstances happen.
• Your body is twisting as you lift something.
• The warm-ups before to the exercise are always skipped.
• when an injury is caused by faulty equipment.
• Chest muscular strain is another symptom of some disorders.

Muscle pain is categorized as either acute or chronic based on the symptoms:

• Acute strain is caused by injuries received right after a direct trauma, such as in a vehicle accident or fall.
• Longer-term activities like repetitive motions employed in sports and other work responsibilities can lead to chronic strain.

Three grades are assigned to muscle strains based on their severity:

• Grade 1: Less than 5% of muscle fibers are mildly damaged in a grade 1 muscle strain.
• A grade 2: muscular strain is characterized by greater damage but not a complete rupture, which results in a loss of strength and mobility.
• A grade 3: muscle strain is characterized as a total muscle rupture, which occasionally necessitates surgery.

The following are some potential reasons of chest pain:

• Anxiety attacks
• Peptic ulcers
• Digestive upset, like esophageal reflux
• Pericarditis
• Bruising as a result of injury

Injured ribs:

When it will happen Chest pain can also result from rib injuries such as fractures, breaks, and bruising.
At the time of injury, a person may occasionally hear a crack and experience excruciating pain.

Peptic ulcers:

Although it is created in stomach lining lesions, it often does not cause excruciating pain. It is administered to cause persistent chest pain.
You can take antacids, which are beneficial and typically reduce peptic ulcer pain.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease – GERD:

The condition known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is characterized by the reflux of stomach contents into the throat.
It may cause a sour taste in the mouth and a burning sensation in the chest.

Asthma:

This frequent respiratory condition is characterized by airway inflammation, which results in chest pain.

Collapsed lung:

When air accumulates in the area between the lungs and ribs, it may collapse, causing an abrupt pain in the chest when inhaling.
People who have a collapsed lung report fatigue, shortness of breath, and an elevated heart rate.

Costochondritis:

This condition causes inflammation of the rib cage’s cartilage, which results in chest pain.
When you are sitting and lying down, this ache gets greater.

Esophageal contraction disorders:

Chest pain is caused by contractions and spasms in the food pipe in this situation.

Esophageal rupture:

When the food pipe bursts, causing an abrupt and severe pain in the chest.

Hiatal hernia:

Heartburn and chest pain are caused by a hiatal hernia, which occurs when a portion of the stomach pushes up into the chest.

Tuberculosis:

When tuberculosis bacteria proliferate in the lungs, symptoms include a severe cough, blood in the cough, and chest pain are produced.

The following are more significant potential causes of chest pain:

• Angina is the result of decreased cardiac blood flow.
• If a blood clot forms in your lung’s pulmonary artery, it’s called a pulmonary embolism.
• Aortic dissection is the result of an aortic rip.

Symptoms of the chest muscle pain:

• Every damage causes pain, which might be mild from a persistent strain and intense from an abrupt pull.
• You have been seen to have bruises and swelling.
• Having trouble moving the affected area as well.
• The more the chest muscle moves, the more this ache gets.
• Additionally, this ache gets greater when you cough, sneeze, and breathe deeply.
• Additionally, you have stiffness and tightness where the chest muscles hurt.
• You may get upper back ache occasionally.

Are some individuals [people of a specific age] more at risk?

• Generally speaking, anyone can get a strain in their chest muscles:
• Fall-related injuries to the chest wall are more likely to occur in older adults.
• Chest pulls and injuries from auto accidents and sports activities cause chest pain in adults.
• Children are the least likely to have damage to their chest muscles.

Under what circumstances should you call a doctor in an emergency?

These symptoms include:

• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Fainting & fever
• Difficulty breathing
• Sweating
• Sleepiness

Additional conditions that require contacting a physician include:

• If you breathe quickly or laboriously
• If the pain doesn’t go away after taking medicine and gets worse over time,
• If you experience excruciating pain and numbness for more than an hour
• If you feel weak and lethargic
• If the affected area is red and inflammatory
• Make a popping noise as soon as the damage happens.

Diagnosis of the chest muscle pain:

When you call a doctor after experiencing severe symptoms, the doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and medical history in an attempt to determine the source of your suffering.

These tests include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• X-ray
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Treatment for chest muscle pain:

RICE principle:

Since the RICE approach (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) is the first line of treatment for minor chest muscle pain:

• R- Rest = As soon as you have chest pain, stop the activity. Two days after the injury, you are engaging in light exercise, but you stop when the pain returns.
• I- Ice = Always place a towel between the ice pack and your skin to avoid ice burns. This helps you get rid of pain and swelling.
• C-Compression: To reduce swelling, wrap any inflammatory regions with an elastic bandage; however, avoid wrapping too tightly as this will hinder circulation.
• Elevation E = You have to be Maintain a raised chest, primarily at night, to make sleeping more comfortable.

Pain medication:

• To relieve muscle pain, you can also take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as Diclofenac and Etodolac.
• Stronger analgesics, muscle relaxants, and occasionally both are prescribed by doctors to treat severe and chronic pain in order to lessen pain and muscle spasms.

Physical therapy treatment for chest muscle pain:

Massage:

• You start by looking for the sensitive areas, and then you massage each one using very, extremely brief strokes.
• Maintain muscle relaxation and concentrate just on the sore areas.
• Never apply more than 15 strokes to a single vulnerable region.
• It is preferable to have brief massage sessions and repeat them often in order to address the trigger points.
• Three massages are given each day.

Exercise therapy:

• Exercise therapy for muscle pain includes both strengthening and stretching routines.
• Stretching exercises help release stiff muscles and strengthen them. Exercise can help with muscle weakness.

Stretching exercise:

• After electrotherapy has been utilized for two to three days to reduce muscle pain, the physical therapist is told to stretch to release tight muscles.
• Your muscles will feel less tense and sore after doing this stretching exercise.

• Hands-behind-the-back chest stretch
• Stability ball chest stretch
• Ball Stretch
• Corner Stretch
• Wall Stretch
• Elbow Wrap Stretch
• Back Bend Stretch
• Lying Chest Stretch
• door jamb stretch

Hands-behind-the-back chest stretch:

• Surely Interlace your fingers behind your back and maintain an elevated chest throughout the exercise.
• Then, as you continue to raise your chest or look up at the ceiling, straighten your arms and draw your shoulder blades down your back.
• After 30 seconds of holding this stretching stance, slowly unhook your hands from the clasp.
• Surely Interlace your fingers behind your back and maintain an elevated chest throughout the exercise.
• Then, as you continue to raise your chest or look up at the ceiling, straighten your arms and draw your shoulder blades down your back.
• After 30 seconds of holding this stretching stance, slowly unhook your hands from the clasp.

Stability ball chest stretch:

• Initially Stretch your right arm straight out to your right, like it’s three o’clock, while on all fours.
• Next, insert a stability ball on your right palm.
• The right palm should then be raised off the stability ball.
• For 30 seconds, hold this stretching position.
• After that, lower your palm and do it twice more.
• At two and one o’clock, repeat this stretching exercise with the ball.
• Repeat this process in each of the three spots after switching sides.

Ball Stretch:

• Look behind you and lean back.
• Your chest must be expanding toward the ceiling.
• For 30 to 60 seconds, maintain this stretching position.

Corner Stretch:

• You are facing a corner while standing, with your right foot stepped back and your left foot near the corner.
• The upper arms should then be parallel to the floor after raising them at the sides.
• On either side of the corner, place your forearms up against the walls.

Wall Stretch:

• Positioned against a doorway or the outer corner of a room, you are standing.
• To get your upper arm parallel to the floor at shoulder height, bend your right elbow joint to a 90-degree angle.
• With your left side facing the room, place your right forearm against the wall’s corner.
• To experience a stretch in your right pectoral muscle, lean your left side into the open doorway room and then softly press onto your right forearm.

Elbow Wrap Stretch:

• You are sitting or standing with both feet firmly planted shoulder-width apart, cross-legged on the floor.
• Put your arms behind your back and wrap each hand around the forearm or elbow joint on the other side.
• For 30 seconds, maintain this stretching position.
• Next, concentrate on raising your collarbones and pressing your shoulder blades together or downward.

Back Bend Stretch:

• For this stretching, you are either sitting or standing.
• Make an effort to place your hands behind your head.
• Extend your elbow joint toward the room’s sides.
• After then, open your chest and let your head drop back into your hands.
• Put pressure on your shoulder blades.
• Take a deep breath and hold it while pressing your chest upward.
• For this stretching, you are either sitting or standing.
• Make an effort to place your hands behind your head.
• Extend your elbow joint toward the room’s sides.
• After then, open your chest and let your head drop back into your hands.
• Put pressure on your shoulder blades.
• Take a deep breath and hold it while pressing your chest upward.

Lying Chest Stretch:

• You are in a prone position on a training mat while you are resting on your stomach.
• In order to form a T shape with your body, try reaching your arms to the sides of the room.
• As you slowly start rolling to the right, place your left hand on your left hip joint.
• Hold this stretching stance for 30 seconds once you feel the right pectoral muscle stretch.

Door jamb stretch:

• Place your right upper arm on the door frame while standing in a doorway, elbow joint flexed at a 90-degree angle.
• To get a nice stretch at the front of your right shoulder joint, try leaning forward with your entire body and rotating your shoulder away from the door.

Strengthening Exercises:

Following two to three days of follow-up electrotherapy and massage to relieve muscle pain, the physical therapist recommends strengthening exercises to relieve muscle weakness.

• Camel pose
• Bow pose
• Chest opener
• Floor Chest Roll
• Doorway Roll
• Standing Chest Expansion
• Push-Up Plus
• Release Chest Tightness
• Incline push up
• Flat bench press
• Decline bench press
• Cable crossover
• Resistance band pullover

Camel pose:

• Initially Place your hands at your waist and kneel on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Put your hands on your lower back if this exercise feels too tough for you.
• Then, while keeping your chin down, slowly drive your hip joint forward.
• Release your head slowly backwards once you feel comfortable.

Bow pose:

• Reach back and use your hands to grasp the tops of your feet while bending your knee joint.
• Surely Make sure your legs are as parallel as you can.
• Kick your feet into your palms after raising your chest.
• As you continue in this stretching position, take at least five breaths.
• Next, release your feet gradually and return to your starting position.
• Stretch like this five times in a single session and three times a day.

Chest opener:

• Position your right hand between waist and chest height on a bench or other sturdy surface.
• Then, without exerting yourself, straighten your arm and slowly spin to the left until you feel a stretch in your chest.

Floor Chest Roll:

• A big foam roller is placed beneath your shoulder blades, perpendicular to your body, as you lie on the floor.
• After that, roll onto your left side and keep rolling until the roller is beneath your left chest.
• Try rolling up your body and then going back to where you were before.

Doorway Roll:

• Next, Position a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, and massage ball between the wall and the left side of your chest, directly in front of your shoulder joint.
• To feel a light massage when the ball touches your chest, try reaching your left arm through the door and lifting or lowering the arm.

Standing Chest Expansion:

• After that, intertwine your fingers behind your tailbone.
• As you open your chest up and out, try pressing your knuckles toward the floor.
• For ten seconds, maintain this exercise position.
• For 30 seconds, maintain this stretching position.

Push-Up Plus:

• Perform a standard push-up after starting in the plank position with your arms shoulder-width apart.
• When you’ve finished a repetition and your arms are completely extended at the top position, you get the “plus.
• ” Now, extend your shoulder blades and thrust them upward toward the ceiling while keeping your palms firmly planted on the floor.
• Hold this posture for 30 seconds to activate the serratus anterior muscle.

Release Chest Tightness:

• Initially, using a tennis ball results in less pressure, whereas using a lacrosse ball results in higher pressure.
• Position a ball beneath the outer border of your collarbone.
• Using the ball on the top and outside of your chest, try pushing against a wall.
• When you perform this exercise correctly, you may experience some soreness in the targeted location.
• For 30 seconds, hold this workout.

Incline push up:

• You begin by placing your hands on a surface that is countertop height and the wall.
• Bring your chest down to the surface you’re resting on.

Flat bench press:

• Next, pull the weight off the rack by pressing your arms straight up toward the ceiling.
• The weight should ideally be moved above chest level.
• Surely Make sure the bar is roughly parallel to your nipples.

Incline bench press:

• To remove the weight from the rack, press your arms straight up toward the ceiling.
• The weight should be positioned above your collarbone.
• Next, Reduce the weight gradually until it is slightly over your nipples and about in line with your mid-chest.

Decline bench press:

• On the decline bench, you are laying on your back with your ankles fastened behind the ankle rests and your knee bent.
• Lifting the weight off the rack requires you to press your arms straight.
• Place the weight in the upper belly area, above your lower chest.
• The weight should then be lowered to your chest and roughly in line with your nipples by slowly bending your elbow joint.

Cable crossover:

• You are standing far from a resistance band that is fixed to the ceiling and a series of high pulley cable machines.
• Next, choose light to moderate weight to increase difficulty while ensuring your achievement.
• As you take a single foot forward, try to grasp the hands.
• Surely Maintain the handles in front of your chest by maintaining adequate tension and control.
• Next, tighten your chest muscles and lower the handles.
• Move forward across your body at about the level of your belly button.

Chest dip:

• You’re Hold the two parallel bars with your hands facing in a standing position.
• In order to raise your body into alignment with your hands, try to straighten your elbow joint and apply pressure to your hands.

Resistance band pullover:

• Your head is facing the anchor point as you lie on your back.
• The band is positioned between one and two feet above your head.
• Next, hold the band over your head so that it is somewhat taut.
• Surely Keep your palms facing apart and your thumbs pointed up at tky.
• Maintain a taut core and a straight elbow joint.
• Pull the band in the direction of your hip.
• Next, Return to the starting position gradually and under control.

Complications of chest muscle pain:

• Breathing problems are a consequence of chest trauma.
• Having trouble breathing increases the chance of getting a lung infection.

What is Recovery from chest muscle pain?

• Heavy lifting and other forms of intense exercise should be avoided while you’re recovering.
• Once the pain subsides, gradually resume your prior sports and activities.
• However, you should take a few days off from activities if you have any pain or other symptoms.
• Your injury will determine how long it takes you to recover.
• In two or three weeks, mild injuries recover.
• It may take months for more severe injuries to recover.

Prevention of chest muscle pain:

• Always exercise caution when engaging in activities that raise the possibility of falling or suffering another injury.
• When climbing and descending, try to use handrails.
• You must examine the athletic equipment before using it and refrain from walking on slick places.
• Lift heavy objects with caution, especially when performing heavy works, and carry bulky backpacks on both shoulders rather than the side.

Prognosis:

The prognosis is usually excellent because musculoskeletal disorders account for the majority of chest wall pain cases. With rest and physical treatment, the majority of people can recover completely in a few weeks.

Depending on the severity of the condition, medicines and other therapies can be used to control other causes of chest wall pain. For instance, rheumatoid arthritis treatments can help you reduce the inflammatory response, manage your pain, and eventually achieve remission.

If treatment is not received, pulmonary embolisms and heart attacks can be fatal. In addition to chest wall pain, you should immediately seek emergency medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms:

• Shortness of breath
• Nausea
• High fever
• Abrupt and intense lung pain,
• Weakness,
• lightheadedness, or fainting,
• Coughing up blood or dark sputum
• Black or dark red stools.

Conclusion:

Chest muscle pain typically not a serious condition and is caused by muscle tension, overuse, or injury. Rest, cold or heat therapy, and over-the-counter painkillers frequently help. To rule out heart-related problems, it is crucial to get medical help if chest pain is severe, ongoing, or accompanied by symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, or pain that spreads to the arm or jaw.

FAQs

References

• Ladva, V. (2024, December 11). Chest muscle pain cause, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, exercise. Samarpan Physiotherapy Clinic. https://samarpanphysioclinic.com/chest-muscle-pain/
• Professional, C. C. M. (2025a, January 13). Musculoskeletal chest pain. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/musculoskeletal-chest-pain
• Cafasso, J. (2018, March 28). Chest wall pain. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/chest-wall-pain
• Galan, N., RN. (2023, November 24). What causes chest pain on the right side? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321146