Caregiver examining patient with stethoscope

Chest Pain in Children

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It’s hard not to worry when your child says their chest hurts.

Occasional chest pain in children happens. Usually, it’s not a sign of anything serious, like a heart problem. Muscle irritation, infections or growth spurts can cause pain, too. But it’s important to work with experienced pediatric healthcare providers to find the cause and start treatment — if necessary — as soon as possible.

Cleveland Clinic Children’s experts take the time to get to know your child. They’ll answer your questions, listen to your concerns and find out what’s going on. You can rest easy knowing your child is in excellent hands.

Why Choose Us for Chest Pain Care in Children?

Caring approach:

When your child isn’t feeling well or is in pain, it can be stressful for them — and you. Our child life specialists and social workers can help you both feel more comfortable with our care and understand what’s next — every step of the way.

Comprehensive treatment:

Cleveland Clinic Children’s pediatric cardiology providers will find out what’s causing your child’s chest pain. We use the latest tests and treatments to make sure your child gets the best possible care and results.

Collaborative care:

Depending on what’s causing your child’s pain, they may need to see pediatric providers from different specialties. We build their care team based on their needs and diagnosis. We can also easily move them to adult heart care at Cleveland Clinic when the time comes. Meet our team.

Innovation and research:

Cleveland Clinic Children’s heart care providers constantly look for new ways to treat even the most complex conditions. We do this through dedicated research and clinical trials. Sometimes, we can offer treatments that aren’t yet widely available.

Virtual visits:

Not all appointments need to be in person. When you’re short on time or your child isn’t feeling up to leaving the house, our virtual visits are a great way to connect with their provider. You’ll still get the same great one-on-one care but from the comfort and convenience of home.

National recognition:

Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a trusted healthcare leader. We’re recognized throughout the U.S. for our expertise and care.

What To Know About Chest Pain in Children

Chest pain in children is more common than you might expect. Many kids will likely feel a twinge or two while growing up. A strain, growing pains, an infection or even acid reflux can cause chest pain in kids. And all of these may go away on their own. Or if not, they’re treatable.

Sometimes, your child might feel a quick, stabbing pain in their chest — right over their heart. It might last seconds or even minutes but goes away. It usually happens when they’re at rest rather than physically active. And when you hear this, you may think, “heart attack.”

But the chance of that is pretty low. Instead, your child may have precordial catch syndrome (PCS), also known as Texidor’s twinge. This condition isn’t linked to heart problems. We think it could be triggered by a pinched nerve or muscle cramp.

More serious chest pain can be intense and relentless — particularly during sports or exercise. You’ll also want to note concerning signs and symptoms. Your child may look pale. They may faint. They may cough a lot or feel short of breath. They may say their heart is racing. Some things that can cause this kind of pain are:

Broken ribs
Chest trauma or injury
Heart inflammation (myocarditis)
Heart sac inflammation (pericarditis)
Weak or enlarged heart muscles (cardiomyopathy)
Collapsed lung (pneumothorax)
Blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
Severe asthma

Diagnosing Chest Pain at Cleveland Clinic Children’s

Any sort of chest pain in children is worth getting checked out. To effectively treat this pain, we’ll first need to learn what’s causing it. And that’s why having your child come to an evaluation is important.

What to expect at your child’s first visit

When you arrive, you and your child (if they’re old enough) will want to be prepared to answer a lot of questions. Their provider will want to know things like:

When did their chest pain first start?
What type of pain is it? Is it sharp? Dull? Stabbing? Aching?
Does the pain come and go? Is it constant?
Has your child been diagnosed with any health conditions?
What’s your family medical history?

Your child will have a physical exam during this appointment. Their provider will listen to their heart and lungs with a stethoscope and look for signs of tenderness. Their provider may also order tests like:

Our team will use your child’s physical exam and test results to pinpoint what’s causing their chest pain and start personalized treatment.

Meet Our Team for Treating Chest Pain in Children

We build your child’s care team with pediatric providers from the specialties they need. These providers work together to plan and manage your child’s treatment. This care team may have:

Pediatric cardiologists
Pediatric pulmonologists
Pediatric gastroenterologists
Pediatricians
Child life specialists

Providers Who Treat Chest Pain in Children

Locations

Our healthcare providers see patients at convenient locations throughout Northeast Ohio.

Treating Chest Pain at Cleveland Clinic Children’s

Your child’s treatment plan will depend on what’s causing their chest pain:

Irritation, inflammation and injury

For mild pain caused by muscle irritation or inflammation, we may wait and see if it goes away on its own.

If the pain lingers or your child has severe inflammation, we may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines. Common over-the-counter ones are ibuprofen (Advil^® or Motrin^®) or naproxen sodium (Aleve^®). Your child may also take acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) to relieve pain.

Sometimes, acid reflux can trigger chest pain. Stomach acid backs up in their food tube (esophagus) and can cause irritation. This pain (heartburn) can radiate to their chest. If your child’s provider suspects this might be the cause, they may recommend reflux medications.

Heart and lung symptoms

If we discover your child’s chest pain stems from heart or lung problems, our pediatric cardiology or pulmonology providers will craft a care plan to treat and manage these conditions. Depending on your child’s diagnosis, their care team may prescribe medication or special therapies. Sometimes, we may need to schedule surgery. Our team will go over all recommendations with your family before starting treatment.

Taking the Next Step

While chest pain in children is common, it’s worth getting it checked out when your child notices it. Most kinds of chest pain in kids go away on their own or respond to medications. Other times, it can be a sign there’s something more serious going on. No matter the reason, Cleveland Clinic Children’s is here to give you and your child answers and peace of mind. And we’ll help you take those next steps, whatever they may be.