Muscle Spasms that feel like a heart attack

[Thorns]

I'm asking everyone if they have experienced this type of muscle spasm, it happened the first time when I was away on vacation in Punta Cuna 7yrs. ago going out for supper and all of sudden I felt this pain start in the middle of my back and radiate around to the front, it felt like I was in a bear hug with difficulty breathing, I was in a 3rd. world country and thought I was having a heart attack so I went to my room and took some ibuprofen and layed down scared to death and it took about 10 minutes and then it was gone. When returning home I went to my family doctor who in turn sent me for test's which came back fine. I've had this happen only a few times since but it can be very scary at the time, after this happened I was talking to my brother and he said the same thing has happen to him. Thorns

[Robin Wood]

Have You ever looked up "muscle anatomy" to see if You could identify which muscles are located in the area where the pain orginated.

I know when my shoulders pull back, my pecks become awefully sore even though they themselfs are not dystonic.

Here's a lil' blog I wrote April 18, 2007, I get a type of spasm like You are speaking of, someone once told me it was more of a strain type spasm. When I get these spasms they are fast and furious in nature, they take the breath right out of me and put me down in a hurry. There have been times I've had to go to the car, recline the seat back to let the spasm subside before I can do another thing.

The Softness Of My Heart
Over the past couple of months I have noticed more and more spasms in my abdominal muscles and forearms ... more progression and another big dose of reality for this Lil' Girl.

Spasming abdominal muscles make it very hard to breath. Unloading my groceries from the cart at the check out stand told me this. The twisting and turning of my forearms and wrist from sustained spasms, not being able to tie my shoes or do my hair delivers yet another devasting blow to my world and makes me reach even deeper from within to find the strength to keep on keeping on even with Dystonia, messy hair and all.

As my Dystonia continues to progress I know the softness in my heart will keep it free from spasms, as the heart is considered a soft muscle, as is the bladder muscle .... soft muscles do not spasm.

[Lene]

Just a thought..it sounds more like a gall bladder attack of some sort. I use to have them when I had a stone stuck in the duck. It did feel just like a heart attach although mine did not go away as fast. I was usually stuck with that pain for awhile.
I have cervical dystonia along with some spine deterioration and I have had some muscle spasms in my thoracic (middle of back) that leave me in alot of pain for days before they decide to release. This happens every 3 months. I have documented it... The dr seems to think all this has to do with the constant spasms I have that radiate down my spine that are grinding away at my spine.

[Thorns]

I know it's not a gallbadder attack because the doctor check this out and only happens when I've been upright for long periods of time without the option to lay down or recline to relieve my neck and back muscles. I've had 3 while on 3 different vacations one while in Myrtle Beach just before see a show and at the time I was with friends at a resturant and had to wait it out very painful. I feel it could be because I'm out of my comfortable home where I have my reclining chair, sofa and neck pillows, I tend to try and keep up with everyone too. As I said before my brother also has these same kinds of attacks and another type of spasms we experience is with our stomach muscles, when we first started with dystonia our stomaches felt someone was massageing them it was very weird. I no longer get this because of taking baclofen but my brother eventually did get worse and more painful, but the DBS has taken care of this. Thorns

[beka]

T- Being a cardiac ICU RN- NP, it sounds as if you have " angina " , which is temporary, periodic chest pain. Angina is equivalent to chest pain. And warrants immediate medical attention.
This does not sound like a dystonia event as rest made it go away, classic sign of classic heart pain.
In medicine - we have a rule - anybody that comes into the ER with pain that exists above the waist level, needs to be evaluated for heart - cardiac issuesFIRST. No buts, ands, or ifs about this.
I would ensure that your cholesterol, lipid levels, especially that HDL vs LDL ratio is good, glucose levels are reasonable, weight, dietary changes, repeat stress test, a holter monitor to detect abnormal heart rhythms, and cardiac angiogram or even a calcium score, a homocysteine level, a C-Reative protein - the new marker for heart disease- have all been done. An EKG often does not show changes, as often once the pain is gone, the EKG may return to normal. Do have everything checked out.


Heart Sources : www.americanheart.org
www.webmd.com/heart

beka

[Thorns]

Thank you Beka, next time I see the doctor I'll ask to be tested for angina, I'm at the right age 54 for this to be the problem, it just seemed that if my brother was getting this same pain that it could be dystonic muscle spasms.
Thorns

[beka]

Hi -
Does your brother have dystonia too ? Are you twins ? Have you both undergone genetic testing for dystonia ??? Susan Bressman at Beth Israel in NYC is the guru of dystonia gene research !

beka

[Thorns]

Beka, yes I have two brothers with dystonia one with general dystonia and one with his left side affected cervical with arm and hand. The one that has had the muscle spasms in his chest like mine is the one with general dystonia and he just had the DBS done, that is one of the reasons I was asking the question. He has had dystonia over 30 yrs. like myself and we were just talking one day and I mentioned this type pain and he said he also had this happen to him. Thorns

[Karen]

I've had muscle spasms in my chest several times now, and each time was evaluated medically with no problems found in my heart. I've found that heat sometimes helps it resolve quicker, but otherwise I just have to wait it out. Now that I think about it, I had this several times as a child, too, and the pediatrician said I had a virus in the muscles between my ribs. (That would have been about 30-40 years ago.

[beka]

Hi Karen - the answer offered your physician 30-40 years ago really sounds foolish. I have never heard of a virus inducing muscle spasms between the ribs. Spasms often can be related to abnormal potassium, phosphorus , Magnesium and calcium levels. Feeling a muscle spasms that feels like a " tightening around the chest is often associated with MS. Viruses more often cause generalized acs and pains similar to the flu ! I must ask you how long and who finally diagnosed your dystonia? Please share on the Blog post !

Links : www.labsonline.org
www.nationalmssociety.org

beka

[Robin Wood]

Beka,

Just a thought but could her doc possibly of been speaking of pleurisy ???

Robin

[beka]

Thats a very good thought , Robin. But pleurisy is usually temporary.

Pleurisy is an inflammation of the membrane that surrounds and protects the lungs (the pleura). Inflammation occurs when an infection or damaging agent irritates the pleural surface. As a consequence, sharp chest pains are the primary symptom of pleurisy.

Pleurisy, also called pleuritis, is a condition that generally stems from anexisting respiratory infection, disease, or injury. In people who have otherwise good health, respiratory infections or pneumonia are the main causes of pleurisy. This condition used to be more common, but with the advent of antibiotics and modern disease therapies, pleurisy has become less prevalent.

The pleura is a double-layered structure made up of an inner membrane, whichsurrounds the lungs, and an outer membrane, which lines the chest cavity. Thepleural membranes are very thin, close together, and have a fluid coating inthe narrow space between them. This liquid acts as a lubricant, so that whenthe lungs inflate and deflate during breathing, the pleural surfaces can easily glide over one another.

Pleurisy occurs when the pleural surfaces rub against one another, due to irritation and inflammation. Infection within the pleural space is the most common irritant, although the abnormal presence of air, blood, or cells can also initiate pleurisy. These disturbances all act to displace the normal pleuralfluid, which forces the membranes to rub, rather than glide, against one another. This rubbing irritates nerve endings in the outer membrane and causes pain. Pleurisy also causes a chest noise that ranges from a faint squeak to a loud creak. This characteristic sound is called a "friction rub." ( You can actually hear this thru a stethoscope ! Actually sounds like leather crunching ...!)

Pleurisy cases are classified either as having pleural effusion or as being "dry." Pleural effusion is more common and refers to an accumulation of fluidwithin the pleural space; dry pleurisy is inflammation without fluid build-up. Less pain occurs with pleural effusion because the fluid forces the membrane surfaces apart. However, pleural effusion causes additional complications because it places pressure on the lungs. This leads to respiratory distress and possible lung collapse.

A variety of conditions can give rise to pleurisy. The following list represents the most common sources of pleural inflammation.

Infections, including pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other bacterial or viral respiratory infections
Immune disorders, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and sarcoidosis
Diseases, including cancer, pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis, and heart or kidney failure
Injury, from a rib fracture, collapsed lung, esophagus rupture, blood clot, or material suchas asbestos
Drug reactions, from certain drugs used to treat tuberculosis (isoniazid), cancer (methotrexate, procarbazine), or the immune disorders mentioned above (hydralazine, procainamide, phenytoin, quinidine).

The hallmark symptom of pleurisy is sudden, intense chest pain that is usually located over the area of inflammation. Although the pain can be constant, it is usually most severe when the lungs move during breathing, coughing, sneezing, or even talking. The pain is usually described as a shooting , stabbing pain. ( This is a key symptom ! )

Additional symptoms of pleurisy are specific to the illness that triggers thecondition. Thus, if infection is the cause, then chills, fever, and fatiguewill be likely pleurisy symptoms.

The pain of pleurisy is usually treated with analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and indomethacin. People suffering from pleurisy may also receive relief from lying on the painful side. Sometimes, a painful cough will be controlled with codeine-based cough syrups. However, as the pain eases, a person with pleurisy should try to breathe deeply andcough

[BDrake]

I've had issues with chest pain twice. The first was back when I was first having symptoms and a diagnosis still wasn't given with certainty. I wore a monitor and my PCP told me it was more than likely panic attacks. My husband could lay his head on my chest and hear my heart "trip" and it would leave me short of breath...then about 2 months ago for about 5 days I would get these stabbing sharp shoots of pain that would automatically cause me to grab my chest and hold on to something as not to fall. I never went to the ER or doctor to have it checked out (even though all the symptom checker websites told me to) because of all the dissappointment and frustration I feel from going to the doctor and not being taken seriously. I have no idea what was going on whether it be dystonia related or otherwise.