6 Pains You Should Never Ignore

Friday, June 3, 2011 9:29 AM
By Donna V. Scaglione

Experiencing pain is part of being human. We all get aches and twinges — the creaky knee after exercise or the tension headache following too much time in front of the computer screen. But some pains are not so easily explained or treated. They are the ones that make us stop and pay attention — the ones we shouldn’t dismiss. Here are some of those important pains and what you should do if they hit you.

1. Chest squeeze

Pain in the chest can be especially alarming because most people associate it with heart attack. What kind of pain is a tip-off to heart attack? It can vary, but many men who are hit with a heart attack describe a heaviness, tightness, or squeezing of the chest, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Women also can experience such symptoms or others, including jaw pain and pain in the upper back, shoulders, and neck.

Fix: If your heart attack symptoms worsen or get no better after five minutes, the American Heart Association recommends calling 9-1-1. Do this whether you’re convinced it’s a heart attack or not.

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6 Pains You Should Never Ignore