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.

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[–] 7 points 7 months ago

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

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