How do I know if I am suffering a heart attack?
The Heart Foundation of Australia recommends that if you experience the warning signs of a heart attack for 10 minutes and, if the symptoms are severe or get worse, you must call 0-0-0 immediately for an ambulance. The warning signs are pain, pressure, heaviness or tightness in the chest, neck, jaw, arms, shoulders, abdomen, or back. If you experience these signs, you should:
- stop and rest
- tell someone about our symptoms and, if you take angina medicine, you should take a dose
- if your symptoms are severe, getting worse or have lasted more than 10 minutes you should call 0-0-0.
Refer to the Heart Foundation website for more information.
Chest pain from other causes
Depending on the cause of the chest pain, the symptoms can be variable. The pain may be rapid or sudden onset, sharp, dull, stabbing, constant, pressure, tightness, squeezing, heaviness, burning, a tearing or ripping sensation or generalised non-specific pain. Mostly, it is felt in the chest region. A GP will help diagnose the cause of chest pain. They will do a variety of tests, including ECG, blood tests and X-rays, to try to identify the cause of the chest pain, and may send you to a specialist medical doctor (respiratory physician or cardiologist). If you are experiencing chest pain associated with musculoskeletal dysfunction, a physiotherapist can help diagnose the specific cause and identify the appropriate treatment for this.