First of all, please understand
that we do not under any circumstances diagnose or treat
chest pain. In fact, chest pain can be a symptom of very
serious conditions involving the heart, the lungs and other
organs. Failure to properly diagnose and treat those conditions
may lead to death. Consequently, if you or a loved one have
chest pain but have not yet been fully evaluated by a medical
doctor and followed all of his or her recommendations please
do not read further. Go back to your physician, or preferably
a cardiologist immediately.
However, if you have already
been evaluated extensively and the source of your chest
pain has not been found, and you also experience frequent
headaches or face pain, the following information may be
helpful.
Over the past 30 years or
so, many of our patients whom we were treating for headaches
or face pain remarked that not only were the problems we
were treating resolving, but their chest pain was disappearing
as well. It wasn't long before we added chest pain to the
history and discovered that approximately one sixth of the
patients had this problem. Many had been to cardiologists
and most had been to their physicians or to hospital emergency
rooms. Yet in almost every case that we saw, a specific
cause for the pain could not be found. That is not to say
that the source can never be found, and that is why it is
critically important for everyone who has chest pain to
seek medical evaluation and treatment, and that is not something
which we can do.
Several years ago, we began
a statistical study. We discovered that of the last 3,000
patients whom we treated for headaches or face pain, several
hundred also had chest pain. Over 90% of these patients
reported that their chest pain resolved and almost always,
before the head or face pain went away.
How can this be possible?
While we cannot tell you with certainty that we know the
reason why, we can tell you that it has long been known
that pain can be "referred" from one structure to another.
Many people are aware that pain felt in the left arm can
result from a heart attack often due to spasm of a very
important muscle in the chest. It is also well known that
a heart attack can result in pain referral to the jaw. Consequently,
you won't be surprised to know that in 1988 when a patient
called us complaining of severe face pain, I spoke to him
for a few seconds and said, "I'll be glad to see you–but
first go to the hospital. You're having a heart attack."
He had a triple bypass operation two days later to replace
the arteries which were blocked. His cardiologist pointed
out that had I not insisted that the pain in his face was
actually referred from his chest, he probably would not
be alive today. More recently, a woman called from a distant
state wanting to make an appointment for examination. I
gave her the same advice, to go immediately to a hospital
emergency department. Once again, the source of facial pain
was a heart attack. There are physical reasons for pain
referral, involving specific aspects of the spinal cord
and brain. With this understanding in mind, it seems less
surprising that the same brain that can cause pain in the
chest to be felt in the face, can also cause pain in the
face (or head) to be felt in the chest. Let us remind you
once again that pain in the chest can result from a serious
problem in the chest, which must be evaluated by your medical
doctor as early and completely as possible.
Our patients have reported
that the pain can be felt in any area of the chest, the
quality being sharp or dull, of varying intensities from
mild to severe, and lasting from moments to hours at a time.
Some patients say that it feels as if an elephant is sitting
on their chest; while others say that it feels like a knife
is stabbing them. Others describe the pain as much milder.
However, if you have chest
pain and your physician and/or cardiologist cannot find
the cause after extensive efforts, and you also experience
headaches or face pain, it may be appropriate to seek evaluation
to determine whether you are likely to benefit from our
treatment for the headaches or face pain. While we cannot
and do not diagnose or treat chest pain, extensive past
experience demonstrates that in the vast majority of cases,
both will ultimately resolve.
“The pain
in my jaw was so bad that I couldn’t eat. My chest
hurt so bad that I couldn’t get out of bed because
it felt like someone was sitting on me - and my cardiologist
just gave me pain medicine. I’m really surprised that
it’s all gone and I’m going to miss coming here
because I really love everyone” - Sofia L. (17 years
old)
"Most
of the time the headaches kept me at home in a dark room
with a cold rag on my head. They were really incapacitating.
I even saw a cardiologist and had nuclear tests for chest
pain because I thought I was having a heart attack, but
the cause couldn't be found. It felt like an elephant was
sitting on my chest. Now I can do anything I want like be
with my kids or work at my job. This is the nicest doctors
office I‘ve ever been in. Everyone was friendly and
couldn't do enough to help me in every way." - Margaret
Z.
“My tongue
doesn’t burn anymore, my chest doesn’t hurt
anymore, and my head, face, eye, ear, and throat don’t
hurt anymore. What’s more, I’ve been given the
tools to deal with my stress.
The therapy and
everyone here is awesome. Dr. Klemons is one in a million.
I wish that other doctors were as attentive and explained
everything as well as he does.” - Joelle S.
