Chest Pain in Children: Care Instructions

Overview

Chest pain is not always a sign that something is wrong with your child's heart or that your child has another serious problem. Chest pain can be caused by strained muscles or ligaments, inflamed chest cartilage, or another problem in your child's chest, rather than by the heart.

Your child may need more tests to find the cause of the chest pain.

How can you care for your child at home?

• Be safe with medicines. Give pain medicines exactly as directed.
  • If the doctor gave your child a prescription medicine for pain, give it as prescribed.
  • If your child is not taking a prescription pain medicine, ask your doctor if your child can take an over-the-counter medicine.
  • Do not give your child two or more pain medicines at the same time unless the doctor told you to. Many pain medicines have acetaminophen, which is Tylenol. Too much acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be harmful.
• Help your child rest and protect the sore area.
• Have your child stop, change, or take a break from any activity that may be causing the pain or soreness.
• Put ice or a cold pack on the sore area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Try to do this every 1 to 2 hours for the next 3 days (when your child is awake) or until the swelling goes down. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your child's skin.
• After 2 or 3 days, apply a warm cloth to the area that hurts. Some doctors suggest that you go back and forth between hot and cold.
• Do not wrap or tape your child's ribs for support. This may cause your child to take smaller breaths, which could increase the risk of lung problems.
• Help your child follow your doctor's instructions for exercising.
• Even if it hurts, try to get your child to cough or take the deepest breath they can at least once every hour. This will get air deeply into the lungs. This may reduce the chance of getting pneumonia. Have your child hold a pillow against their chest to make this less painful.
• Gentle stretching and massage may help your child get better faster. Have your child stretch slowly to the point just before pain begins, and hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds. Do this 3 or 4 times a day, just after you have applied heat.
• As your child's pain gets better, have them slowly return to normal activities. Any increased pain may be a sign that your child needs to rest a while longer.