Will an indigestion pill do . . . or should I call an ambulance?

WITH chest pain, the main worry is that it could indicate a heart attack, which means part of the heart muscle is no longer receiving adequate blood flow.

If you’re having chest pain and haven’t already called an ambulance, you’ll be relieved to learn that most of the time it turns out to be wind or a pulled muscle.

But how do you know which way it’ll turn out? Do you need emergency heart surgery? Or just an antacid?

TREAT YOURSELF AT HOME

You strained your chest, and now have sharp chest pain when you twist your body or raise your arms: PERHAPS yesterday you decided to go all out at the gym or took a tennis ball in the ribs. Either way, if your pain is worse when you contort your chest, it’s likely to be from a sore muscle or even a rib fracture.

As long as the pain isn’t disabling, soldier on with an ice pack and ibuprofen. See your doctor if you took a major blow to the chest and now have shortness of breath or tenderness over multiple ribs. You have sharp pain in one spot when you take a deep breath: THE most likely explanation is that you pulled one of the muscles between your ribs, which produces sharp pain when you take a deep breath and stretch it out. The pain usually improves with ibuprofen or paracetamol.

If you also have a fever, chills and a cough, you could have pneumonia, an infection in the lungs. The infected area inflames the adjacent part of the chest, causing pain with deep breathing.

If you do think you have pneumonia, see your doctor ASAP. You had chest pain for a few seconds, but then it went away and hasn’t come back: THE truly fearsome causes of chest pain usually aren’t shy or shortlived. If you felt uncomfortable for a single, short episode (lasting less than a minute), you may have just had wind or a brief muscle spasm. You can safely wait to see if it happens again. You’ve been coughing a lot and now have sharp chest pain when you cough: REPEATED coughing bouts can pull chest muscles. They also irritate the airway. Both situations can result in sharp chest pain with coughing. Thankfully, neither is a big deal. The cough, on the other hand, may be a reason to see your doctor.

SEE YOUR GP

You get chest pain when you really exert yourself, and you feel better with rest: THE arteries supplying your heart muscle with blood may have severe blockages (also known as plaques). As a result, the heart isn’t getting enough flow when it’s working hard and needs extra blood. You may need an exercise stress test. You have sharp chest pain that improves when you lean forward, but you otherwise feel fine: YOU may have an irritation of the lining around the heart, a condition known as pericarditis.

This can be an isolated problem, can occur alongside or shortly after a bad cold, or can be a sign of a serious disease, such as the autoimmune condition lupus.

See your doctor as soon as possible. If you also feel lightheaded or very short of breath, just head to A&E. You get burning chest pain after eating or when you’re lying down: YOU may also have a sour taste in your mouth: You could have acid reflux, where digestive juices from the stomach bubble back towards the mouth.

If a glass of water improves the pain, consider the diagnosis confirmed (since water washes acid back down into the stomach).

Try taking antacids to neutralise your stomach acid. If those fail, try taking ranitidine (brand name Zantac) or omeprazole, which you can get over-the-counter from your pharmacist; these stop the stomach from generating acid in the first place.

If the problem (or need for medications) lasts for more than two weeks, see your doctor.

GO TO A&E

You’ve had severe, constant, pressure-like chest pain for several minutes, and it’s not getting better: YOU may be having a heart attack; call an ambulance. You’Re also short of breath: THE combination of chest pain and shortness of breath can indicate a heart attack, fluid around the heart, a blood clot in the lungs, a bad asthma attack or pneumonia — all require prompt attention in A&E. You have sharp chest pain along with a fever and cough: YOU could have pneumonia. See your GP today. However, if you’re feeling lightheaded or really short of breath, go to A&E.