Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precordial_catch_syndrome

The good news is that (other than the pain) it is completely harmless.

The way it always felt to me is like someone wrapped a small wire around something tender in my chest, and if I tried to breathe or straighten my posture, they would yank on it. I'd get it anywhere from a couple times a week to once a month. Then one day in my mid-30s it just stopped.

From what I understand this is relatively common. I was so grateful for the person on reddit who dropped this nugget of wisdom several years ago. It was nice to know I wasn't dying or whatever.

I had no idea they had a name!

I've had it as long as I can remember, though not very often. It would only be a few times a year I'd say...

For me, the way to deal with this was to raise my arms above my head in a stretch. Made it stop every time.

Thought I was having a heart attack the first couple of times it happened.

As an adult, I still have them from time to time, but not anywhere as frequently, though still without any warning.

Ahh, this is fun. Every time I'm like "Is this it? Is this the one?"

But no, it never is.

I've always heard it referred to as "wind pain"

Thanks ! Didn't know that was harmless. And people call me mad..

Same! Instead of raising my arms, I basically just take a very deep breath and try to expand my thorax as much as possible. Works quite well for me.

until it is

Oh, good, I’m not dying.

Yet.

are you fucking kidding me

That's the spirit! Got to stay positive.

Yep, always fix by slowly breathing in as soon as I feel resistance I stop and hold my breath for a bit then try to add more air to my lungs. Eventually it would go away.

There's also pleuritic chest pain, which cen resemble precordial catch but is more severe, can cause the pain to radiate to.your arm or jaw, and gets worse when you inhale. It can happen when you've got the flu or some other lung infection and feels an awful lot like a heart attack. In young/healthy people it may not be cause for concern, especially if it only happens once while you're recovering. But it can also be a sign of severe pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, lung cancer, and pericarditis. I meant for this to be a fun fact but now I'm realizing it's more existential horror and health anxiety than educational. Get your chest pain checked out folks

Oh yeah that happens to me since I'm a kid. I was told it was harmless but never had source.

I was sure the image was of buttcheeks and hanging dong

I just figured it was related to my digestive system pressure because it would go away after releasing some gas.

Oh hey.. I used to get those all the time as a kid!

Eventually I worked out that it could be made to instantly go away if I stopped breathing and just stretched my shoulders back and twisted in the same direction that the cramp was on

It always felt like a stabby, stabby muscle twinge right under my rib bones.

Wtf! I literally had this happen to me right before I scroll down to this post.

Yeah man, I’ve had this shit since I was a kid. Doctors never told me about this, couldn’t ever figure it out.

I don’t really get these anymore like I used to, but man they suck. As an adult it might hit me once a year and I’ll just be like oh yeah forgot about this. It’s just this crazy sharp pain in your chest, you can’t take deep breaths, just gotta pause and breathe shallowly till it passes.

My favorite time was when I was climbing a ladder up a roof, like really? Now?

Oh so there is a proper name for this !
I have had those once in a while since I was a kid, and still get them well into my forties.

I do still remember the anxiety the first time it happened.

a first timer! how do you like it? that "pop" sensation?

What the fuck?? I had this as a teenager. Nobody could ever find out what the fuck it was.

I think we call this a “stitch” in the UK

Oh nice post. I totally have this.

Treatment: Reasurance

Its okay. You're not dying. Calm down.

The pain is agitated by expansion and contraction of the chest. Taking a deep breath and allowing the rib cage to fully expand can relieve the pain, however it will feel unpleasant initially. At the point of full expansion, it can feel like a rubber band snap in the chest, after which the initial pain subsides.

Oh I gotta try this.

Gotta have something to look forward to!

The first time it happened to me I was sleeping and the pain woke me up. I drank some whiskey and went back to bed to try to die in my sleep. Unfortunately I did not die peacefully.

The best way to get rid of it when it happens is to fill your lungs as much as you can, and then bear down lightly like you are pooping. After that it’s gone.

Happens to me about 3x/yr and always has.

back in the day everyone told me it was in my head

Once you get used to doing this you don’t even need to buy additional spare underwear anymore

You died in agony?

Ah so it is a known thing and has a name, yay! Thanks for sharing.

And your body has been crying wolf for so long that you just ignore it

Next time you have chest pain, take a couple of aspirin. That actually helps, you can drink whiskey too if you Watts but I do not think it helps much.

Make sure to keep going until you feel and hear the snap.

Jesus. Thanks for posting this.

Yeah....but he got better!

IBS people hate this one weird trick?

I see legs and a dick in that drawing, not lungs.

No, worse, I had to go to work in the morning.

It was a "I guess this is it" drink and not a "I hope this fixes it" drink.

I have experienced this many times in my life. Was always terrifying and painful til someone posted something just like this years ago. Now it's just painful. Still scares the crap out of my wife every time she sees it happen to me to though.

I'm gonna need the tire inflator

It kinda looks like a dude bent over from behind, hangy balls flappin' in the breeze

Holy fuck it has a name.

Of course it has a name ..... Of course I'm not the only one this happens to.

My god it has a name... and so many people here seem to have it? I thought i was a freak for having this. Nobody else ever said anything about having similar pains.

I even went to the doctor once because I had it a few times a week some years ago.

That sexy lungs-shaped butt

Concerns about the condition may result in anxiety, with sufferers often fearing that the pain is a sign of a more serious condition. Similar anxieties in those who experience the syndrome on a regular basis may manifest as a worry of the syndrome itself happening, with patients feeling scared to take fuller breaths in fear of triggering a spell.

damn anxiety a sunuvabitch

I had that several times some years ago and eventually it went away. It's very anxiety inducing. Just above that thing when you get a cramp in your toes and they get stuck together for what feels like eternity.

Me, too. Used to have it quite often. GP said it comes from bad posture. So I changed that, and also started working out more. It went away for good.

Ive had it since a teen when I got pneumonia, always assumed it was related to that, however it's actually this and it's a perfect description. It a bit of a mind blown moment