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Conditions and Diseases > Chest Pain Forum > Diagnosing the causes of chest pain
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Q: Diagnosing the causes of chest pain
asked by: DoctorQuestion on March 5th, 2009
I was wondering, I have this chest pain, it comes and goes and its not extremely painful just more uncomfortable. I just started getting it. I also have a pain in my right kidney I think it would be (or around that area), Im not sure if these pains could be caused because i need insoles in my shoes to level out my back, which i should have been wearing due to my legs being two different lengths. Im really not sure what this pain could be. I was jus wondering if maybe the two are linked to eachother???


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Dr. Goce Aleksovski , MD
replied on August 16th, 2009
Chest Pain Answer A7054



Given the data you provided (chest pain and pain in the right lumbar area, legs with different length), you might be experiencing pain due to two different (perhaps unrelated) conditions.


The chest pain might be caused by heart problems. The inadequate supply of oxygen due to many possible causes might be responsible for the chest pain. The inadequate supply might be caused by vascular constriction, atherosclerosis which tends to appear in older people or problems with the heart rhythm. If the pain is severe it might be called angina pectoris which is a severe chest pain due to inadequate oxygen supply to the heart muscle.


Another cause for chest pain might be gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The pain might be more similar to a burning sensation; whereas the pain in angina pectoris is rather described as stabbing.


The pain in the lumbar area might be related to a muscular or skeletal problem caused by the different length of the legs. The different length might have caused bad posture that might have put more pressure on the lumbar vertebrae and the paravertebral muscles (the muscles that run along the spine right next to it). If the pain is located more laterally (to the side) then it might be related to kidney issues (infection, for example).


As you can see, there might be many reasons for the pain and you might want to visit your family doctor for a physical examination and laboratory tests (the examination of the urine might reveal some problems with the kidneys).

An x-ray might be needed to detect problems with the spine. In the end, the pain in the chest might require an ECG (electrocardiography) to check the heart condition.




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