Burning in the middle of the chest
A burning sensation located in the middle of the thorax, i.e. behind the sternum (retrosternal), is a sign of heart involvement. The heart is located behind the breastbone and with its tip in the left thorax. If a burning sensation in the middle of the chest occurs repeatedly over a long period of time for several minutes under stress, this indicates a narrowing of the heart vessels, which can lead to coronary heart disease (CHD).
However, the burning sensation is not the only symptom. In addition, there is pain in the chest, arms, jaw, upper abdomen and other areas. Patients have nausea, fear of death and cold sweat.
In less pronounced forms, a general feeling of tightness in the chest is evident. If such symptoms recur repeatedly in the long term, the patient should talk to his or her family doctor or cardiologist. In the event of acute occurrence of burning, pain and other symptoms just mentioned (usually more pronounced) in the middle of the breast, an emergency doctor must be called immediately. This is probably a heart attack.
Bracing
If the burning sensation is motion-dependent and occurs in a strictly localized area of the thorax, a muscular event must also be considered. Often it is for example a simple tension. But what exactly is meant by the term “tension”?
Tension results in a permanent and painful increase in muscle tone – i.e. muscle tension – in a muscle group. Tension can be triggered by incorrect movement patterns or overloading. Classic examples are gardening or overexertion during sports.
Due to the burning sensation and the pain caused by the tension, the affected person automatically adopts a relieving posture, which in turn can put an unusually high strain on other muscle groups – a vicious circle is created. Such tension can be particularly disturbing on the rib cage, as it becomes noticeable with every movement and every breath. The good news is that apart from the burning and pain in the chest, no other organs are affected.
It is therefore a painful but harmless clinical picture. The therapy consists of breaking the above mentioned vicious circle. This can be achieved with painkillers that take away the pain, dissolve the relieving posture and thus allow the tense muscle groups to regenerate. A possible complication that should be kept in mind when dealing with tension in the thorax is chronification, which then requires a multimodal treatment concept.
Burning in the chest through the esophagus
Burning in the thorax that is caused by the esophagus is often the result of stomach acid rising into the esophagus. This ascension can have various reasons. One reason is excessive stomach acid production, which can be caused by stress, diet or medication such as acetylsalicylic acid.
Another reason is weakness in the sphincter muscle that separates the stomach from the oesophagus. It is important to treat persistent ascending stomach acid early. Continued inflammation of the esophagus increases the likelihood of developing esophageal cancer. The aim of the treatment is to reduce stomach acid and thus prevent it from rising into the oesophagus.