Sounds kinda similar to costochondritis, it is central chest pain. I thought it was a heart attack when I had it and went to the ER. Fortunately it was just costochondritis.
this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2026
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Now look up Proctalgia Fugax
Oh good so it’s not just been me dealing with this random pain for the last 20 years…
Oh wow I'm glad I'm not alone in this. I turned 30 and it happens from time to time and I couldn't figure out what it was. Granted I was a little too worried to look into it
So it's not a tiny London man coming to check if I got my stabbing license in order?
This thing haunts me every few months since always. You can usually stop it by exhaling deeply and relaxing muscles in affected areas.
I haven't had it in so many years, but I eventually got to the point where I'd just take a deep breath and it would seem to pop away. It would hurt, but then it would stop.
It's more common in young adults and children, and I'm approaching middle age here unfortunately, but the upside is no more precordial catch.
Oh, same, never had it since about 30.
I have this, randomly and only when sleeping on the back. one time it was more longer lasting them before.
So it doesn't mean I'm low key having a heart attack?
Thank god.
heart attacks come in many different forms. even silent ones.
my dad had a major heart attack at 51. when they evaluated him he had had three previous heart attacks that he never knew about.
Thanks for this revelation. It has a name! All my siblings got these and they told me "it's a gas in your lung" which i ran with for years, haha. Once, still as a kid, i got it for 6 hours so we called a doctor. She diagnosed it as intercostal neuritis triggered by high and unusual physical excertion the previous day. Prescribed nothing
Hey, I know this one. I've had it since I was a small child but didn't quite know the name.
I get these, I thought it was the front and back of my lung touching and behaving like universal velcro, which explained why breathing in hurt, but also why taking a full breath made it go away (fully separated.) I guess not?
Know anything about a kinda dull pain in the sternum that comes and goes, which lasts a week or month, then is gone for a few weeks or months before it comes back. Has been going on for a few years at this point. Got all kinds of scans and tests done the first year but everything showed normal. I at least don't think I'm gonna die anymore but it sucks.
Pleurisy, costochondritis, gerd, or referred pain from radiculopathy, maybe. Especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle or back trauma
I never know what people mean by sedentary lifestyle but I have been getting more exercise since it started and it hasn't helped.
As I got older those random pains have me worried "is this a cardiac event?!" despite showing no other symptoms for one.
If you're able to access primary care they may be able to bill your insurance for an EKG yearly. Wouldn't catch everything but might notice if you pick up some a-fib or another lowkey issue that might snowball (although the main issue with afib is usually clots and afib clots usually hit the brain not the heart iirc).
Do it if you can. Afib is one of those things that can take years to diagnose, with most people thinking they're just unfit. Meanwhile, half their heart isn't working properly ...
right near the xyphoid process?
Holy fuck it has a name.
Of course it has a name ..... Of course I'm not the only one this happens to.
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Well thanks for sharing this. I've been getting this since forever. Now that I think about it though I don't think it's happened in a while.
Anyway, much appreciated!
harmless
Crashed on a bicycle because of it. Broke nothing, but a few scars on my face still there
Ahh, this is fun. Every time I'm like "Is this it? Is this the one?"
But no, it never is.
until it is
It was painless though. Speaking from experience.
OK wait on second thought I can't remember. So maybe it was. Damn!
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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.
Yeah, this is how I used to deal with it. You just eat that stabbing pain for a few seconds and then it's gone.
I haven't had this in probably 15 or more years at this point, which seems to be consistent with the syndrome itself being most common in young adults, teens, and children.
I can also sometimes get it to snap by putting my left foream against a doorframe and twisting my torso rightward to stretch my chest. I've always thought it was "popping my sternum" but it only works/is necessary on the left side
At the point of full expansion, it can feel like a rubber band snap in the chest,
🤮
I often struggle with arythmia, angina, and palpitations, with up to several seconds between beats sometimes, and this sounds horrific. I'd rather double my heart problems than trade them for this
I've had this since before I was a teenager...decades ago. Still happens from time to time. I've always considered it somewhat like a cramp in my diaphragm and so always breathe just deeply enough that it starts to hurt then relax and next breath try a bit deeper and keep that up until I "work through it."
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'd take this over proctalgia.
It's a spasm of the anal sphincter and it feels like someone jamming a hot knife into your asshole without warning.
Holy shiit that has a name?! Every once in a blue moon, I'll be just sitting minding my own business then BAM! Ass lightning like Thor stabbed me in the ass with a blade that has lightning wrapped around it. Then just as suddenly as it came, it's gone...
I've called it ass lightning for the past few years. At least I know I'm not alone!
That has a name? When did they give that a name.
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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...
I wonder if it's genetic, or just very common. All five of my siblings and I have had this.
It's possible. I found this on the talk page of the wiki article.
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