What Triggers Precordial Pain, and What's the Best Way to Relieve it?
Apr 9, 2025
Imagine this: You’re at the gym, running on the treadmill to improve your cardiovascular health, when you suddenly feel a sharp pain under your rib cage. Precordial pain, as it’s called, can strike suddenly without warning and may even make you feel like you're having a heart attack. While this discomfort is often harmless and can resolve independently, it can be alarming, especially if it lingers with rib flare. In this article, we’ll help you quickly identify the causes of precordial pain and find practical, lasting relief to improve your comfort and overall well-being.
Posture AI’s posture correction app can be a valuable tool to help you achieve your objectives. Our app can help you determine if poor posture contributes to your rib pain and guide you in correcting it.
Table of Contents
What Causes Precordial Pain?
Precordial pain refers to sudden, sharp chest pains near the heart. “Precordial” means the pain relates to the precordium. The precordium is the area of your chest wall covering your heart. The pain can be intense; it may feel like you’re getting stabbed by a sharp object, but it goes away quickly, doesn’t affect any other parts of your body, and isn’t a symptom of a severe condition. You may experience the pain only once or multiple times throughout your life. Other names for precordial pain include precordial catch syndrome, chest wall twinge syndrome, and Texidor’s twinge.
Is Precordial Pain Serious?
No, precordial pain isn’t severe. It’s a common, harmless condition. There’s no association between precordial pain and heart or lung disease.
Who Gets Precordial Pain?
Precordial pain is common, especially in older children, teenagers, and young adults.
What are the Symptoms of Precordial Pain?
The main symptom of precordial pain is a sharp, stabbing pain on the left side of your chest, usually just below the nipple. The characteristics of precordial pain include:
It appears suddenly.
It usually appears when one exhibits poor posture at rest (such as slouching on a couch or chair), but it may also occur during light physical activity like walking.
It only affects a small area, usually no more significant than one or two fingertips. It doesn’t spread out (radiate) to other places.
It worsens when you take deep breaths, which may cause you to take short, shallow breaths. You may be afraid to take a deep breath when the pain occurs.
It goes away quickly. It may last just a few seconds or up to three minutes.
What Causes Precordial Pain?
Medical experts aren’t sure what causes precordial pain. But they think it may be due to pinched nerves or muscle spasms in the lining around your lungs (pleura) or your ribs or cartilage. Because it usually affects older children, teenagers, and young adults, it may also be a side effect of a growth spurt.
Is There Anything to Worry About?
Precordial pain isn’t a dangerous condition, but complications can arise. These include:
Dizziness from taking short, shallow breaths.
Stress or anxiety from thinking your symptoms might relate to a serious heart or lung condition.
Related Reading
• Pain Around Ribs And Back Symptoms
• Flared Rib Cage
• How To Fix Rib Flare
• Wall Angels
How Do I Get Rid of Precordial Pain?
Precordial pain, often felt as a sharp jabbing pain beneath the rib cage, can be alarming but is usually harmless and resolves quickly. Commonly occurring in children and adolescents, it may be triggered by:
Anxiety
Changes in physical activity
Poor posture
The most frequent form is precordial catch syndrome, which causes intermittent sharp pain. While precordial pain is generally not severe, treatments can address:
Underlying causes
Alleviate symptoms
Prevent future episodes
What to Do for Muscular Pain in the Precordial Area
If you experience precordial pain, it’s essential to find ways to alleviate your symptoms. The best approach to relieving precordial pain quickly involves addressing its underlying cause. In most cases, the pain is muscular and related to anxiety or sudden changes in physical activity. If the pain is muscular, suggest:
Rest
Heat or cold therapy
Gentle stretches
For anxiety-related pain, recommend relaxation techniques, deep breathing, and stress management. If the pain is due to a heart condition, seek medical treatment promptly.
What to Do for Precordial Catch Syndrome
If diagnosed with precordial catch syndrome, treatment is typically unnecessary. Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen may be recommended for discomfort. Gentle, slow breaths can often ease the pain, and in some cases, a deep breath may help, although it may cause brief discomfort. Improving posture is key to preventing future episodes, so encourage sitting and standing upright with your shoulders back. For relief, focus on:
Relaxing
Breathing gently
Maintaining good posture
Stretches or yoga poses that open the chest and counteract poor posture may also be beneficial.
How Poor Posture Causes Precordial Pain
When you habitually move in a certain way or hold your body in a particular position, your body will begin to take on that shape, says Arturo Peal, a yoga teacher and anatomy expert based in New Orleans. “All forms of connective tissue respond to stresses put on them,” he explains. “[They] respond to the pull of gravity and the pull of muscles and tendons on them.” He gives the example of musicians’ bodies. “I can look at a musician’s posture and see that they have their left shoulder forward, and their head is slightly rotated to the left. They’re probably a violinist or violist,” he says. “That’s [from] hours and hours of sitting in the same position.”
Yoga for Counteracting Poor Posture
Yoga is an excellent way to counteract poor posture, as simply pulling shoulders back doesn’t strengthen posture. An open chest and broad collarbones convey confidence and optimism. Utilizing the shoulder's full range of motion is crucial, as it’s the most flexible joint in the body. To release tightness in the upper chest, particularly where the pectoral muscles attach, incorporating poses that engage the shoulder's full range of motion is key. These asanas help alleviate the forward pull and improve posture. Here are some poses I can add to my practice to stay proud of my posture.
Bitilasana (Cow Pose)
Begin at the tabletop with your hips directly over your knees and your hands slightly ahead of your shoulders, shoulder-distance apart. Your wrist creases should be parallel to the front of your mat.
Press down firmly with your hands.
Inhale and arch your back by lowering your belly, lifting your chin and sternum, and broadening your collarbones.
Keep the back of your neck long and your core slightly toned to find more movement in the mid and upper back. Broaden across your shoulder blades and draw your shoulders down, away from your ears.
To release the pose, return to a neutral spine. Practice Marjaryasana (Cat Pose) as a counter pose.
Salabhasana (Locust Pose)
Begin on your belly with your feet together and your hands reaching back, palms down.
Extend your big toes straight back and press down with all ten toenails to activate your quadriceps.
Rotate your inner thighs to the ceiling to broaden your lower back.
Inhale and raise your head, chest, arms, and legs, leading with your inner thighs.
Roll your shoulders back and up away from the floor, reaching your hands toward your heels. Keep the back of your neck long, and emphasize lifting your sternum instead of your chin.
To come out of the pose, slowly release your arms, legs, and head to the floor.
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Lie on your belly with a blanket under your pelvis if needed. Bend your knees and reach your feet toward your torso, keeping your toes active.
Reach back with both hands to grasp the outer edges of your ankles. Flex your feet firmly.
On an inhalation, lift your head, rib cage, and shoulders. On an exhalation, lengthen your tailbone, lift your thighs, and kick your legs back into your hands as you hold on firmly.
From here, continue to lift your sternum as you gaze forward.
To leave the pose, release your ankle hold and return to your starting position.
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel/Upward-Facing Bow Pose)
Begin lying on your back. Bend your knees and plant your feet hip-distance apart and parallel, directly under your knees.
Reach back and place your hands alongside your ears, palms down, and fingers pointing toward your shoulders.
Without letting your feet or knees splay apart, inhale, then exhale to lift your hips, torso, and head enough to place the crown of your head on the mat. Do not rest any of your weight on your head.
Draw your elbows toward one another, pull your upper arms into their sockets, and start to arch your middle and upper back.
Press down with your hands and feet with the next inhalation, and lift into the pose.
Rotate your inner thighs to the floor, and reach your tailbone toward the backs of your knees. Ensure your feet have not turned out, and root down with your big toe mounds.
Let your head hang freely, and lift your sternum in the direction you are facing. Straighten your arms as much as possible, but keep a slight bend in your knees.
To leave the pose, tuck your chin and lower your body to the floor. (Don’t put the crown of your head on the floor).
Dolphin Pose
Begin in Tabletop position with your knees directly below your hips.
Lower your forearms to the floor with your shoulders directly above your elbows.
Curl your toes under, exhale, and lift your knees away from the floor. You may keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor.
Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and toward the pubis. Lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and draw the inner legs up into the groins from your inner ankles.
Continue to press your forearms actively into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them away from the spine and draw them toward the tailbone.
Hold your head between the upper arms; don’t let it hang or press against the floor. Lift the top of your sternum away from the floor.
You can straighten your knees, but if your upper back rounds, it’s best to keep them bent.
To come out of the pose, release your knees to the floor with an exhale, and come down into Child’s Pose.
Gomukhasana (Cow Face)
Start in Dandasana (Staff Pose), then cross your right leg over your left, and bring your right heel to the outside of your left hip.
Bend your left knee, bringing your left heel to the outside of your right hip.
Stack your right knee directly over your left, both facing directly forward.
Press down evenly with your sitting bones, elongate your spine, and lift out of your lower back.
Inhale, rotate your right arm out to the side so your palm faces back and your thumb points down.
As you exhale, bend your elbow and bring your right arm behind your back, with your palm facing out and the upper arm pulled in close to your body. Your elbow points towards your sacrum, and your right fingers reach the base of your neck.
With your next inhale, take your left arm out to the side and up to the ceiling with your hand facing the midline.
Bend your left elbow and reach your hand down toward your neck. Bring your elbow close to your face and up toward the ceiling as your hand reaches down the spine.
Reach your hands toward each other until they touch. Clasp hands or fingers if possible.
To exit the pose, exhale and carefully release your arms out to your sides. Then, return to Dandasana and repeat on the opposite side.
Forward fold
This standing stretch releases tension in your spine, glutes, and hamstrings. It also stretches your hips and legs.
To do this pose:
Stand with your big toes touching and your heels slightly apart.
Bring your hands to your hips and fold forward at your hips.
Release your hands toward the floor or place them on a block. Don’t worry if your hands don’t touch the ground, just go as far as possible.
Bend your knees slightly, soften your hips, and allow your spine to lengthen.
Tuck your chin into your chest and allow your head to fall heavy to the floor.
Remain in this pose for up to 1 minute.
5-Minute Yoga Practice To Relieve Precordial Pain
How to:
Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog). Bring your weight into your right hand and roll onto the outer edge of your right foot like Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose).
On an inhalation, lift your hips, bend your left knee.
On an exhalation, step your left foot back and place your toes on the floor, keeping your knee bent. Stay strong in your right hand, clawing with the fingers.
Keep the head of your right arm bone back. Arch through your upper back to create a sweeping action of the shoulder blades into the back of the rib cage.
On an inhalation, lift your hips higher until I curl into a backbend with your right foot solid on the ground.
Allow your head to extend back and your left arm from your heart to reach overhead.
To exit the pose, lower your hips and reach a seated position, or rotate your body to the left and return to Down Dog.
Repeat on the other side.
Related Reading
• Flat Back Syndrome
• How To Sleep With Intercostal Muscle Strain
• Middle Back Pain Around Rib Cage
• Flared Ribs Vs Normal
• Back Rib Pain Left Side
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