Precordial Catch Syndrome – Treatment, Symptoms, Causes
What is Precordial Catch Syndrome?
Precordial Catch Syndrome is famously known as Texidor’s twinge or Stitch in the Side or PCS. It is more commonly reportedly experience in children and adolescents than in adults.
It is reported to cause pain in the chest. It is sometimes confused with heart attack due to the fact that it has somewhat similar symptoms experienced leading them to panic and resulting to a further more symptom experienced.
Sometimes it causes inhaling and exhaling which suddenly occurs which will lead to a sensation of cracking or popping in the person’s chest. However, they are both different conditions. It is a syndrome that is benign and of unknown origin which has a characteristics of pain, which last for about thirty minutes or so, in the cardiac apex made upon whenever the person inhales and is mostly relieved through force of deep breathing. In addition to that, it resolves completely and quickly even without treatment given. This kind of syndrome is sometimes under recognized.
Precordial Catch Syndrome History
This kind of syndrome was first named and encountered by Texidor and Miller in the year 1955. The first reported persons that had experienced this kind of syndrome during those times were at the most 10 patients, one of which was Miller, the discoverer.
During the year 1978, the Precordial Catch Syndrome was further elaborated by Bird and Sparrow. By this time, there were 45 patients who suffered from such syndrome. By the year 1981, Pickering had been reported to possess the said syndrome. Then, eight years after that, 1989, Reynolds’ children were reported to have the syndrome.
Precordial Catch Syndrome Symptoms, Signs
Persons who were diagnosed to have the said syndrome were reportedly to manifest the following symptoms:
- Anterior chest pain. Also read Thoracic Outlet Syndrome – Symptoms, Exercises, Test, Treatment
- Sudden onset
- Localized pain
- Stabbing pain
- Dull pain
- Annoying pain
- Sharp pain
- Pain upon movement
- Pain upon breathing
- Popping sensation when breathing deeply
- Ripping sensation when breathing deeply
- Pain which is needle like
- Pain last for 30 seconds to 3 minutes
- Occurs when the person is at an inactive state or whenever a person is at rest
- Muscle spasm. Also read Piriformis Syndrome – Stretches (Exercises), Treatment, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis
- Muscle cramps.
- Pain is exacerbated through breathing deeply
- Dull ache after the pain is gone
- Momentary visual loss
- Blurry vision. Also read Computer Vision Syndrome – Symptoms, Treatment, Causes, Eye Care
- Sudden resolution
- Complete resolution
- No other associated symptoms
- No other abnormal physical findings
Rare symptoms experienced:
- Pallor
- Syncope
- Near syncope
- Paresthesias
- Mild headedness
- Flushing
- Palpitations. Read Tachy Brady Syndrome – Definition, Symptoms, Treatment
- Shallow breathing
The pain associated with this kind of syndrome last for about 30 seconds to a maximum of 3 minutes. It may also occur once or twice in a week. The pain becomes further intense whenever the person sits or lies down. In addition to that, it happens most often to persons who are inactive or who has a sedentary lifestyle.
Causes & Risk Factors
The persons who have Precordial Catch syndrome have an unknown etiological cause. However, the ones who discovered this syndrome, way back 1955, who were Texidor and Miller suggests that pain originates in the person’s parietal pleura which is located in the lungs.
Yet, Exeer suggests that pain originates from brief muscle spasm of the intercostals which may be relieved after which the spasm is released.
Also, the pain is does not originates via the cardiac region which makes it different from the heart attack. Another theory of this causative factor that leads to experiencing this syndrome is that it is the result of a nerve being pinched.
Other physician believes that heavy activity and posture can trigger the person to experience. The major at risk with experiencing this kind of syndrome, as mentioned previously, are persons having a sedentary lifestyle.
Diagnosis
Persons who have Precordial Catch syndrome are often diagnosed by an expert physician by:
- Careful medical history taking assessment
- Physical examination
- Radiography
- Echocardiography
- Electrocardiography
- Barium studies
The family needs to reassure that the person having the Precordial Catch syndrome is experiencing the real condition but it is harmless unless it is associated with other disease condition. There is a need to correctly diagnose persons with Precordial catch syndrome so as not to create panic and uncertainty with their love ones and with the patients themselves. Through such health teachings, they are able to gain information with the syndrome that they have.
Treatment
With regards to treating the Precordial Catch syndrome is through following these simple steps:
- Whenever the Precordial Catch syndrome happens, you have to breath shallowly
- Lie down on the bed with the person’s face turning in a downward position
- Take sudden deep breathing, although painful but is good in relieving muscle spasm
There is no need to use any form of medication to relieve this kind of syndrome, as mentioned earlier, this kind of syndrome happens fast and in a short period of time, maximum of three minutes only. When the diagnosis is done correctly, the fear is relieved. The Precordial catch syndrome may or may not interfere with the normal day to day activity.
Life Expectancy
This kind of syndrome called as the Precordial Catch syndrome imposes no danger to any child or teenager. Despite the fact that the symptoms manifested appear quickly, it also disappears as quickly as it appears. Hence, there is no life expectancy of this kind of syndrome.
Their life expectancy will only depend on the type of lifestyle they have and also the condition they are in.
Prevention
Since, mentioned earlier that the risk factor of this kind of syndrome pertains on persons with having sedentary lifestyle. Hence, it is suggested to prevent experiencing the syndrome, to exercise or engage in an active and healthy lifestyle. The person encountering such Precordial catch syndrome needs to be taught that such syndrome happens momentarily and easily goes away. There is absolutely no need for anyone to panic.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precordial_catch_syndrome
- http://www.precordialcatchsyndrome.com/
- http://www.physio-pedia.com/Precordial_Catch_Syndrome
- http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/p/precordial_catch_syndrome/intro.htm
- http://www.patienthelp.org/diseases-conditions/precordial-catch-syndrome.html
- http://www.remedyland.com/2012/10/precordial-catch-syndrome-texidors.html
- http://www.epainassist.com/chest-pain/texidors-twinge
- http://www.medicalsubstance.com/precordial-catch-syndrome/
- https://www.patientslikeme.com/conditions/2675-precordial-catch-syndrome
- http://www.ourhealth.com/conditions/i-cannot-get-a-diagnosis/do-i-have-precordial-catch-syndrome
- https://books.google.co.in/books?id=y794gKjfZGUC&pg=PA394&lpg=PA394&dq=Precordial+Catch+Syndrome&source=bl&ots=TioiueN3KX&sig=3n5liYDJ8745-qrcZIyX6vjtlUA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi1rebclf_OAhXBMo8KHWV7AMc4HhDoAQhIMAc#v=onepage&q=Precordial%20Catch%20Syndrome&f=false
I usually get chest pains and i am terrified this may be signs of heart conditions. How can i differentiate a precordial chest to a real chest pain?
Precordial catch syndrome only lasts for a couple of minutes. In a real chest pain that happens in myocardial infarction, the pain does not go away and the pain may also radiate in the left shoulders and arms. Myocardial infarction also feels an impending doom and severe pain. Precordial catch syndrome pain is usually mild to moderate. If you are unsure about your symptoms, it’ s better to consult a physician for cardiac assessments.
Thank you
Is it bad if it lasted an hour
almost every day it happens
I hope not mine lasted a night
I’ve been having one for an hour and a half. It won’t stop. Should i be worried?? Help.
Pain has been coming in short bursts, for over 10 hours. Iam a 65 year old very over weight female. Iam a diabetic 2.
You’re not within the given population, which are children and young adults. You’re considered a senior or aged adult, AND you have a co-morbidities (Diabetes, Obesity). Further, the article notes that this pain is short lived (30 mins or less), coincidental to deep breathing and is often dissipated by exhalation. So, your symptoms, as stated, is NONE OF THE ABOVE. If you walked into an emergency room, you would be immediately hooked up to an EKG and then blood tested for evidence of a heart attack.
I was diagnosis with Lupus at one time (before changing to Organic food) and used to get different types of chest pain that were thought to be x, y, or z of the more benign causes. My cardio-nurse practitioner gave me a prescription of nitroglycerin tabs to “try” if I should have any unusual chest paid to see if it would help.
Just to add, I was an RN, so well aware of how to use it properly. You doctor may, or may not, be agreeable to a trial for you depending your doctor, and how well knows you.
I thought I had PCS for about a year. After a while I thought about this along with some light-headedness I experienced that seemed worse than it should be when getting up from a seated position. I talked to my doctor and she was unconcerned with a home unit I purchased (I also bought a manual one since even Omron read high when I used them). I tracked my blood pressure throughout this time consistently. I was on blood pressure medication and it had been 320/25 mg Diovan for a little while. I realized my blood pressure was a tad low and I decided to go back to my old dose (160/12.5 mg Diovan) by cutting the pills as I did previously. The symptoms went away completely. I told my doctor later and she was actually not mad that I didn’t tell her first, but accepted my new dosage. Consult your doctor, but consider that your blood pressure medication may be too much and give you similar symptoms.
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I am anemic and I had low iron not to long ago…..my iron level was 2.1 and my doctor said 1 is dead! So I got sent the a hospital……they done a bone marrow test to see if I have lucema or something like that and it came back negative….and so they are seeing if I have fanconi anemia……and I read that both of your parents have to have it neither of them do……..but besides the point is there anyway having low iron or being anemic…well can Precordial Catch Syndrome affect me in anyway with me being anemic?
no it can not
I too have low iron and am fairly certain I have Precordial Catch Syndrome. The PCS pains happen most when I am sitting hunched over for a while and make a turn with my torso or get up suddenly and turn (even slightly) the wrong way. It’s a horrendous 3-5 second pain that feels like my left lung is being ripped (like it got caught on a rib and the rib tip just ripped into the lung), but then outside of a few mintues of dull soreness (at most) it goes away unless I make a similar movement. I also have an essential tremor in my hands. I’ve noticed that the more iron I take in my diet, the less the tremor, PCS and cold hands I have. While I should be more active, I think iron plays a large role as well because of my experiences. Though I am no doctor.
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From all I’ve read..I am certain that I have experienced Precordial Catch Syndrome..twice..but..I am not in my teens..or a young person. I am in my seventies! The first time this happened I went to the hospital and had all tests pertaining to heart problems..nothing was found. The second time it lasted just a few minutes..was the same kind of pain..same place.
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This helped alot, thank you. However, I get these almost everyday and they hurt so so much, I have to stop what I’m doing during school and try not to breath because it hurts so much. If I went to the doctors, could they give me any medicine or tablets which could prevent these episodes happening? Or is there any way in which I can stop them myself? thank you.
Treatment of precordial catch syndrome consists of a combination of reassurance and instructing the patient to take deep breaths as soon as the pain begins.
I have had PCS since i was 18 i am now 43 and have just been diagnosed after many many trips to the hospital, it mimics the feeling of a heart attack. The pain is a sharp stab like pain, but because you are so tensed up when the pain comes, you can get other pains too, i get crushing pains and an aching just above my left lung, its very unpleasant and doctors do not take it seriously since the condition is never fatal, if you bend during an attack it makes it worse, best advice i can give is, try and stay calm during an attack, it will stop your muscles tensing making it worse hope it helps.
When I was in my teens I developed this pain suddenly. My Drs. put me through many tests. Only a mild murmur was found, and that was not the cause of the pain. Nobody ever told me what it was. I did my own research.
It does come suddenly. Over time I figured out that if I slowly exhaled I could “pop” whatever was causing the pain to relieve it much quicker, but it makes it hurt worse. But, forcing the pop makes it immediatley go, although there still is soreness for a few hours. I still get this pain on and off, mostly if I sit for too long in the car.
It forces me to bend forward and exhale very slowly. Press on the area and either inhale deeply and fast or exhale slow. I can not breath in deep so I exhale. I have had it for 25 yrs. now and I am fine. It is uncomfortable but manageable if you know how to pop the pain away.
Ive dealt with the pain since childhood.. I am 32 now.. Yes the pain is scary severe at times.. But i have found a stretching/breathing exercise that helps me out, in inducing that popping sensation that we sometimes encounter before relief.. Not sure if im able to share since im not a physician.. But it helps me..
Hey, I’m 25 and this still happens to me every now and then (like right now, actually…). Would love to know your technique to help me get my chest to pop/release. I find even after the extreme sharp pain goes away, a constricting, dull pain remains until I can get it to pop.
I just had an attack around an hour ago at 22:03 and it scared me so much that I searched what I was feeling and have been crying reading some of the things i thought it was because some of them were talking about causing heart attacks and there is one quick is similar to PCS and it can cause death so me being 15 started to Panic and it felt like I was close to having another one.Anyway I have tried the technique said above about taking a large breath but I physically can’t ! It hurts do much I can’t move an inch and I can only breath in enough to stay alive.I started crying when I tried it last time because it hurt so much.I am not physically healthy but another problem I have is I cannot do excercise my body just can’t handle it so I think
I might have something else but I like the thought of having this non life threatening thing just now ! This page was extremely useful Thank god for you and I thank you as well Just THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!
Hi, im 14. I allways have the chest pains as listed especially, the poping sensations. But, it happens all over the place, it hurts so bad, I feel like crying and I do freeze. I was diagnosed with PAT heart condition, but they dont think I have it anymore. And the pain usally happens for 20 seconds, also when im excersing and even sitting down! Help please ):
Have PCS since teens, happened mostly when active. Breathe deep, it hurts bad then pops & feels better. Had 10 to 12 attacks whole life. 49 now had attack BUT this time will NOT pop or go away! It’s horrible to say least. Been 8 days since attack and still can’t pop it. But here’s the thing…I have fibro myalgia & muscle spams/twitching &other nerve, soft tissue & back injury. So I believe its lingering because of my other conditions & syndromes despite meds. Am semi sedinary but walk as much as I can. Big time bummer!! Anyone with same prob or with any advise?
I feel for more than 2 hours i thought it already disappear but when i take a deep breath its still there, what should i do?
I feel it for more than 2 hours , what should i do?
Hi I also have PCS I also have a heart murrmur will that change anything. I’m only 12 and I’m really scared. I’ve gone to the doctor and they said my murrmur doesn’t have anything to do with this but I’m really scared.
im only 12 and this just happened to me so thak you guys for the help
same it happened for an hour
hey, I am 14 years old.i have almost everything on the side effects on listed, I have allways wondered why this had happened to me….I have PAT heart condition and a hear murmur, and etc, and wondered this is why I have pain etc. I did my own reaserch and bam, I was shocked. it had the exact symptoms….funny thing is, I almost have these things everyday, and my vision gets blurry, I feel like I might pass out cause I cant take a single sip of air. if I do, on a scale of 1-10 , its a 13. no kidding. I cry, and want to scream on the top of my lungs, but I cant. I would randomly stop, and I cant say anything, nor move, cause the pain is so excruciating. it hurts, so bad. and I even have one of the rare symptoms “shallow breathing”. I really hope the doctors can properly diagnose me, its hurts so bad, to the point, everyday, I cant take it. “someone shoot me” to me. please, comment, and suggestions please. :'( im 14.
HI, I have had this ever since I was a kid, on & off. Yes, it can be very painful at times. As an adult, I finally went through THOUSANDS of dollars of heart tests. Everything showed that my heart was just fine. It still happens every now & then. The best idea is to learn how to relax, take those tiny shallow breaths, don’t move, and wait for it to pass. Explain to the people you love ahead of time so they don’t bother you when you cannot breathe or talk for a few minutes. Sometimes making myself burp helps. You must eat a LOW INFLAMMATORY diet. I do not recommend trying to make it pop with a big breathe as this can backfire and make it hurt worse. Number one thing is to RELAX, breathe shallow and massage the area. You can also take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen but, in the long run, just avoid inflammatory foods like dairy, beef, wheat, corn, soy, peanuts, nuts, shellfish, fried foods, sugary & processed foods since the ibuprofen is bad for you. I am 50yrs old and still get this. It is usually more mild now, possibly due to the diet changes. Don’t bother getting tested… it will probably be a waste of time & money. I used to be a professional athlete and still got it during those times. The best thing is just knowing that you are going to be okay and that it is not serious. I think stressing out makes this (or anything) feel worse!
I’m an athlete (highschool) and mine has gotten so bad I can barely run. It’s sad because I do soccer and track. I feel like my track coach just thinks I’m slow and lazy. I get attacks when I run, so I have to stop. I love running. I wish I could still do it.
I am in shock that not only is there a name for this pain, but there are other people who have it, too! I’m almost 39. Although I don’t experience the pain too often anymore, it was a common occurrence for me as a child, teen and throughout my 20s. Actually, now that I think about it, the frequency went down after I started having children (I have 3). I was thin in my younger days. I tried to donate blood in college and they told me I was anemic. I also have mitral valve prolapse. I always thought it was a symptom of that. After 3 kids, I’m not that thin anymore. I wonder if that is the reason I don’t have the pain anymore? I can’t even believe this thing has the word “catch” in it. As a child, I would describe the pain as feeling like something was “catching” in my chest. WOW!
My 14 year old son has been dealing with pain for 9 months everyday, several times a day-diagnosed with pcs. He has mild cerebral palsey .Ibuprofen don’t help. And taking 900 mg of gabepentin. He has got some relief from accupuncture, and doing massages with natural oils. Now I’m going to watch sugar intake after reading here. But the last three days has been terrible. And going to do some belly breathing to help him relax. We were doing this and had stopped , starting back anything to help him get relief this hurts terrible.
Finally found what it is. People thought I was crazy when I explained this “bubble popping” pain. I’ve had this pain very infrequently from when I was young boy at school around 7 years old. Literally I could have years between events. The article reads to have an “active healthy lifestyle” which I do, so I see this as a bit of common sense for your own general well being than a cause.
I am 27 years old now and the last time it occured was actually in the gym. (Fellow member thought I was having a heart attack.) I personally find that when I beat my chest around the heart region of the chest it helps to get alleviate the pain, also short breaths only prolong the pain for myself. Try to take a long deep breath in and this helps to “pop” the pain away. Hope this helps someone.
My daughter is 17 and active (cross country). She had an episode several years ago and I had hoped that would be the only one, as I had it when I was a teen on into my 20s quite often, and have continued to have an episode every few years. As far as it only lasting up to 3 minutes, tell her that. She had an episode last night that started after a work out and lasted for at least 5 hours, getting worse when she laid down. As I felt when I had the episodes, I felt bruised in that spot for a couple of days after. I also did a lot of running at the time I was having the most problems. Stretching and deep breaths, although painful, seemed to help it “pop” faster, but nothing really seemed to help last night. She finally went to sleep propped up on the sofa and me in a chair nearby. I’m glad I experienced it when I was her age so I knew what she was going through and could help give her some peace of mind, but I’d rather go through that myself than to see her go through it. Until last night, I never knew what it was, just what I had experienced.
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I can’t believe I found out about this today through an internet search on symptoms. I had another “attack” over the Thanksgiving weekend. I’m 51 and have probably had these episodes for 10 years (1-3 times a year). Pain in the same spot on my left rib, right below the breast. Extremely painful, can’t take a full breath. Usually only lasts a minute or less, but seems like a lot longer! I did have the popping sensation last summer and that really scared me. I hadn’t had that before. The pain immediately went away after the pop and I could breath normally. I went to the doctor, she did numerous tests on the heart and for blood clots in lungs, etc. She didn’t find anything. I can almost always say that these episodes happened when I’ve been sitting for a long period of time, socializing with friends, eating, drinking a beer, etc. I am an exerciser, but on these occasions I had not exercised that day or not the day before either. Always a correlation to inactivity it seems to me. When I feel a slight indication it might happen (twinge in the rib area), I always stand up for a period of time just in case, so it won’t happen. That usually helps, too. I’m not 100% certain I have PCS, but I will be bringing it up to my doctor at my next appointment in a few weeks and see what she says. Thanks for all of your insights!!!
I am so glad that I have found about this and I am fully able to identify what I have had since I was 6. I am now 14 so it is such a relief that I know that I’m not the only one and that it’s not dangerous as it was freaking me and my family out. I get them daily, and sometimes more than one a day. I tend to loose sight when I get them and absent-mindley hold my hand to my chest, which my parents or other people around me use as a sign that I am having an episode. They also tend to last 1-10 min for me usually, but have lasted as long as 2 hours,
I have only experienced these same symptoms twice within a week. I have never experienced this before. I also believe I have a pinched nerve or even a problem with my disk but I would never have thought to equate the shooting pain under my left breast with the onset of a deep breath in a resting state to possible pinched nerve, but it does make since. BTW: I am a 55yr old female with a highly stressful job. I thought I was having a heart attack, but after reading about PCS, I am fairly certain this is what I have. I will still make an appointment with my physician, but I am feeling some peace of mind in realizing it probably is not my heart. Thank you for putting this out there.
I’m a 39/M and I have had this for the last 3 years suddenly started when my mom was sick and passed away. I thought I was having a heart attack but did all tests and everything came back normal. I still have these many times a day and the way I “pop” mine is just to arch my shoulders back and cough and it pops each time and relieves the pressure. It’s sore when I squeeze my chest together no matter what I do so I believe my muscles in my chest are just super sore from the constant spasms. I’m an avid cyclist and I ride 20-50 miles a day depending on the weather and am in really good shape so that doesn’t explain the “sedentary” part of this, but I don’t think that has to do with it. Glad I’m not the only one with this issue but wish there was a way to get rid of it for good!
I’m 19 and have been getting these attacks for as long as I remember. No doctor was able to diagnose it, and I’ve visited quite a lot. I didn’t experience any for a whole year, but now they’re back and it’s like a daily thing for me. It’s really inconveniencing when I get them in public, but I guess I’ll just have to live with it. I’m just glad I finally know my diagnosis.
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I have that pain to all the time but it started when i was at work and i was really stressed out and running all the time, i work at a deli and it was really busy and it started then around late morning and i had it all day and this morning it is gone but it still feels sore and im 18 and im wondering if its normal to have it that long. Its in my left side and it feels like it is in my ribs. yesterday it was so bad for awhile that i could hardly stand up straight and it really hurt to breath in and i tried to take deep breaths to make it go away but it only hurt more and didnt go away.
I’m having one as I type this message. It has lasted for 9 hours and I have been sitting in my family couch for the amount of time the pain prolongs. I have had this excruciating pain since I was 6, thought they lasted for less than a few seconds. Compared to my 16 years on this planet, this is the worst pain I have ever felt since the time I had someone stab me in my left thigh. This “unknown” pain has no clear origin unless you work yourself too hard. It is easily misinterpreted to be a symptom of an imminent heart attack, but that is a rare case. The only thing I can help you with is to ride the pain of hell 3;-)
-FJ
I’m not sure if my symptoms are like this, but they are similar enough that I now know how to describe them in words. Mine last from 5-30 mins and I’m not sure what the popping sensation is. It hurts to breathe in deeply, but apparently that’s the way to fix it? I guess I’ll have to suffer again next time and try that way to relieve it.
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I get the same pain but in my ribs below my breast it sometimes lasts for a day or half a day and i get it frequently. I get it mostly when I am stressed out or physically exerting myself. could it be something else? should i go to the doctor?
I just had it a week ago. It even poped but a mild chest pain is still there idk how to make it go away.
I’ve had mine for years I am 13 now and got diagnosed with Texidor’s Twinge age 12. I had experienced the pain from a couple a seconds to 8 hours long and having to deal with it all day. Even if you are active you can still have this. I figure skate 4 days a week, tumble 2 days a week, cheer 2 days a week, and workout many times a week (random dates). Many do not go to the doctors and get diagnosed thinking it isn’t important. I was so confused because I didn’t know what it was and my dad had, had it all of his life without knowing what it was. When I went to the doctors he ended up finding out what was causing the pain that he has had for year and years. Don’t worry and just go to the doctors to see.
I have had the same exact problems as listed for almost 2 months. Every single day and it lasts very quickly. Itngot so bad one time that I had went to the ER. They did all kinds of tests and found nothing, told me I was stressed and sent me home. That was about a month ago and it has not subsided. I have just woken up to the most excruciating pain from it and it lasted much longer than usual, maybe about 5-8 minutes long. This is the first time it made a popping noise when I would inhale. Inhaling makes the pain very more severe. You stated what to do when this happens and I tried that and it did not subside, but made it very worse. I don’t know what else to do and it is becoming very scary for me. What else can I do? I am a 22 year old female.
Here are some things that might help ease the pain of PCS. This is borrowed from another forum post on a different website, but I thought it might be helpful to people here as well. My 8 year old son has been having chest pain for several months and we just found out this is what he has after lots of doctor’s appointments and emergency room visits and many tests.
1. According to the information on Wikipedia, deep breathing may help: “Although deep inhalation during a PCS attack will likely cause an increase in pain, many have found that forcing themselves to breathe as deeply as possible will result in a “popping” or “ripping” sensation which quickly and completely resolves the PCS episode.” This worked for me sometimes, but I found alternate methods that work faster.
2. According to the eHow website, breathing shallowly for thirty seconds or stretching can help: “lean to your right and stretch out your left side, it’ll relieve the pain as well.”
3. My favourite method is immediately lying down, facedown on my stomach. Breathe normally and the pain will suddenly disappear, I guarantee it. Of course, you probably won’t want to do this went you’re at work, at a restaurant, in class, or somewhere else where everyone else is watching.
4. So, here’s a second method that works pretty well, too: lean forewards (ideally, your core/trunk/chest would be parallel to the ground) and push your fist hard against your ribcage or wherever you feel the pain. Push your fist as hard as necessary and move it around, experiment a bit. Usually, I get a popping sensation, as if something inside that was previously out of place jumped back into its proper position or something. Feels weird, but the pain should go away.
5. Sometimes, when you begin getting the pain, sitting up straight can make it go away. I strongly suggest that all of you make sure you try to have good posture in general in order to prevent the pain.
6. Furthermore, I found that keeping calm helps prevent the chest pain we all experience. I’ve done some meditating since I get stressed out easily and it’s helped a bit. Just sit down in a comfy chair with your back straight, shoulders back, hands on your lap, legs a little bit spread apart, and muscles relaxed. Close your eyes and let your thoughts pass through your mind, but don’t respond to them, just let them pass. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, for example inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 6. When you do this “breathe with your stomach”, as some people say, let your belly move in and out. Try doing this 3 times a day or more or less, depending on your preference (for example: when you wake up, before you fall asleep, and sometime in between). This is just a prevention method and it helps you feel calmer throughout the day. Avoid procrastination as well and try to work in quiet places (if you’re a student, doing homework in the study areas at your local library is nice). Tell people about the things that stress you out and write down things that you need to remember.
1. According to the information on Wikipedia, deep breathing may help: “Although deep inhalation during a PCS attack will likely cause an increase in pain, many have found that forcing themselves to breathe as deeply as possible will result in a “popping” or “ripping” sensation which quickly and completely resolves the PCS episode.” This worked for me sometimes, but I found alternate methods that work faster.
2. According to the eHow website, breathing shallowly for thirty seconds or stretching can help: “lean to your right and stretch out your left side, it’ll relieve the pain as well.”
3. My favourite method is immediately lying down, facedown on my stomach. Breathe normally and the pain will suddenly disappear, I guarantee it. Of course, you probably won’t want to do this went you’re at work, at a restaurant, in class, or somewhere else where everyone else is watching.
4. So, here’s a second method that works pretty well, too: lean forewards (ideally, your core/trunk/chest would be parallel to the ground) and push your fist hard against your ribcage or wherever you feel the pain. Push your fist as hard as necessary and move it around, experiment a bit. Usually, I get a popping sensation, as if something inside that was previously out of place jumped back into its proper position or something. Feels weird, but the pain should go away.
5. Sometimes, when you begin getting the pain, sitting up straight can make it go away. I strongly suggest that all of you make sure you try to have good posture in general in order to prevent the pain.
6. Furthermore, I found that keeping calm helps prevent the chest pain we all experience. I’ve done some meditating since I get stressed out easily and it’s helped a bit. Just sit down in a comfy chair with your back straight, shoulders back, hands on your lap, legs a little bit spread apart, and muscles relaxed. Close your eyes and let your thoughts pass through your mind, but don’t respond to them, just let them pass. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply, for example inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 6. When you do this “breathe with your stomach”, as some people say, let your belly move in and out. Try doing this 3 times a day or more or less, depending on your preference (for example: when you wake up, before you fall asleep, and sometime in between). This is just a prevention method and it helps you feel calmer throughout the day. Avoid procrastination as well and try to work in quiet places (if you’re a student, doing homework in the study areas at your local library is nice). Tell people about the things that stress you out and write down things that you need to remember.
Oh HELL no! I can’t move, bend forward to lay down. I laid down once and nearly passed out in pain! Arms won’t move and then you try to get up but can’t, you freeze and in even worse pain. So your lay down face forward is nuts. Leaning to one side is ok and today I do another one I’ve tested. Make fists and start punching the air forward, alternating both arms and it goes away. It’s almost as if you build up pain in a joint and need to pop a knuckle or toe before you can continue hiking. Only it’s in your chest.
I get this pain 2-3 times a day every once in a while, and it’s lasts about the same amount of time. I want to know if it’s something else and not Precordial Catch Syndrome because of how much it happens..
Is it it possible that I have something else because every website I went on said that it should only last for 30 minutes but it started at 7:15 and is still going (it’s 9:04 now) and even though the pain is lessening, it isn’t going away.
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I use to get this, even in my mid 20s. I would all of a sudden try and breathe deeply and it would be like a stabbing pain in my chest under my left breast. I would then take a deep breadth and it would hurt like crazy but it would pop and the pain was instantly gone. I am 31 now and havent had them for a few years. I guess around the same time I stopped drinking soda and other carbonated beverages. I feel as though that was the cause for me.
i think i have pcs…but mine is rare it occurs for about 4-5 times in a day .What may be the readon for it?
mine occur 4-5 times….is it really serious?
This is baloney about sedentary lifestyle, I’ve had this all my life and was active in long distance running, ran marathons, active in lifting weights, aerobics and trained several hours a day. I got so sick of these pains happening right while I ran that one day, when you stop and focus on really slow exhale because you can’t inhale as it feels like your heart will burst open, I told myself, ok just go ahead and die, breathe in fast and sudden. I tried to get the courage and I did, but then intense pain on top of intense pain can and then sudden feels like a pop and goes away. That really hurt, so I just come to complete stop, can’t even walk or move and laying down is excruciating, don’t do it! My doctor said I was a hypochondriac. Pissed me off, I just thought he didn’t know what it was, so blowing me off, now I find it’s a SYNDROME, so there IS a name for it. All this time I thought my mind was playing games with me. Now I get it! It’s real. I had an episode over an hour ago, so after making dinner, I lay down with dull pain. I massaged my muscles in between breast bone and muscles were very tender up to throat, so massaged until the pain went away. Wonder if lungs stop wanting to inhale, as if infant invetro, then the lung gets cramp from lack of being oxygenated? All I know is it’s sudden, an actual pop feeling, as if vent is ripping or air bubble in a vein or vein spam that radiates pain. And it DOES hurt and worse if you breath in HUGE and Sudden to get it to pop.
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Hi. Here’s what is almost certainly the explanation for Precordial Catch Syndrome (PCS). It’s essentially a briefly lasting version of our New Zealand manual physiotherapy understanding of costochondritis.
Costochondritis is the same sort of chest pain as PCS at the joints where your ribs hinge onto your breastbone, only with costo it lasts much longer and can have some local inflammation at the joints as well. It’s usually seen as a “mysterious inflammation”; however there is no research validation of this idea for this at all.
What costochondritis is is strain at the joints where your ribs hinge onto your breastbone. Almost always it’s caused by lack of movement at the rib joints round the back, where your ribs hinge onto your spine. When these joints can’t move, the rib joints on your breastbone HAVE to move excessively to compensate, so you can still breathe and move around. So the ones on your breastbone strain, ‘give’ (with that click), irritate, get locally inflamed – and there’s the costochondritis.
PCS is almost certainly just a temporary sticking and straining of the ribs in the same way. It won’t happen for no reason – there will be a general tightness in the rib cage machinery around the back. There’s a simple home test you can do for this.
This is explained in detail on the Other Conditions page of our website – link is https://www.bodystance.co.nz/en/other-conditions/ Just scroll down until you get to the section on PCS. It’s worth looking at the Costochondritis page also, which has the home test for tight ribs on it; also how we treat it.
Good luck. PCS is scary just because of where the pain is, but we find it’s a very simply explained and treated physio problem. Cheers, Steve August (B.A.,Dip.Physio.).