Possible Causes For Lung Pain
Intermittent chest pain plagues almost every person, and while heart issues usually jump to mind it is more often lung pain that many are experiencing. Because lungs are front and center in the chest, any pain or discomfort felt in these organs could be misinterpreted as heart problems, especially in the elderly. But even children and teens from time to time feel that clutching or darting pain in the chest area. Any recurring chest pains should be immediately checked by your doctor, but many of the causes have nothing to do with the heart at all, and are called non-cardiac chest pain. Your doctor can make an accurate diagnosis for you after an examination and a few tests to determine what the exact cause for your symptoms may be.
There are many conditions for which one symptom may be pain in the chest area. While it is true some of these conditions are related to the heart, many of them are actually attributable to one of many conditions relating to the lungs.
Understanding The Lungs
Each human body is designed for two lungs. Protected by the rib cage or chest wall to the front and back of the body, the two lungs are nestled within two cavities that border the heart on each side. The right lung is naturally made slightly larger than the left lung, with the extra space on the left providing extra room for the heart. The lungs are the respiratory organs which move the air we breathe in to the bloodstream. During this complicated process, the carbon dioxide and the oxygen are separated; with the oxygen being fed into our body and the carbon dioxide being dispelled. They are overbuilt by design; immense reserve capabilities present, although only a small capacity is utilized when at rest. The lungs are covered with pleural membranes, with fluid in between to allow flexible movement during breathing.
Pain Caused By Collapsed Lung
Normally, the chest cavity is devoid of air. Occasionally, however, air gains entry and collects in this cavity through one of two methods: spontaneous pneumothorax or complicated pneumothorax, and pressure from this air pushing on the lung can cause the lung to collapse. Spontaneous collapsed lung can result from the bursting of a cyst or sac on the lung’s surface, while complicated pneumothorax happens after a chest injury or a lung disease. The sudden onset of sharp lung pain along with a feeling of tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, cough and fatigue are symptoms of this disorder. The condition may clear up on its own within one to two weeks. However, in some cases including those with an underlying lung disease may require that the air be suctioned from the chest cavity to relieve the condition. In a very few cases, surgery may be required to eliminate the source of air leaking into the cavity.
Pain Caused By Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a common ailment; especially when caused by bacteria. Generally, the bacteria attacks individuals who are in the process of recovering from a cold and the immune system is still in a weakened state. The bacterium causing pneumonia is usually inhaled, and it journeys to the moist atmosphere of the lungs and settles in; causing infection, congestion and lung pain. When this occurs, breathing can become quite painful and stressed, and a cough will likely develop. Treatment will generally require antibiotics, rest and moist air created by a humidifier or steam to encourage loosening of phlegm.
Pain Caused By Overexertion
Chest pain centering on the area of the lungs that occurs suddenly while performing some type of activity such as walking up a hill, jogging or running is a condition called “stable angina”. Stress can also produce symptoms of this condition, which include sharp, stabbing pains that making taking a deep breath nearly impossible. An attack of angina can be brought on eating too large of a meal, shoveling snow in cold weather, exercise or even just emotional situations. It occurs when the heart is expected to work harder than normal, which requires additional oxygen. If the coronary arteries are narrowed, the much needed extra oxygen is slow to arrive at the heart, causing pain.
Pain caused by Lung Cancer
The unfortunate truth is that often when people experience persistent chest pain, they are afraid to investigate its cause. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths, and in many cases, the symptoms are not taken seriously enough by the individual to allow a doctor’s diagnosis until the cancer is in advanced stages. A continual cough and pain in the lungs is often misunderstood by the sufferer, especially if that person is a smoker. Lung cancer pain is usually the cause of a tumor that is pressing on bones, nerves or other organs. It can also be, for those already diagnosed with the disease, the treatment of the disease itself causing pain. Pain medication can be administered to help with the pain or an alternative treatment method if the current treatment is painful.