Does Myocarditis Cause Back Pain

… Continued …

Myocarditis complication

In severe cases, myocarditis may cause serious damage to the heart, leading to a number of complications – one of them is a heart attack.

The classic symptoms of heart attack include sudden, crushing pain in the chest and difficulty breathing (especially on exertion). But there are also many cases that don’t happen that way – the signs and symptoms can vary greatly from person to person!

For example, sometimes the pressure and pain sensation in the chest may radiate elsewhere in the body such as the neck and back. It’s also possible to have other symptoms such as cold sweats, heartburn, abdominal pain, indigestion, nausea, sudden dizziness or lightheadedness, and fatigue.

Back pain in people with myocarditis doesn’t mean that the disease has definitely become advanced. But back pain that comes with unusual symptoms (especially chest pain and shortness of breath) should not be ignored particularly if the symptoms persist or get worse!

Lack of physical activity

During treatment and recovery, it’s recommended to take adequate rest and reduce the workload on the heart. Avoid any competitive activities or sports that can make your heart work harder, otherwise the disease will take longer to heal or could be fatal in worst cases. For some patients, this may drive them to become a sedentary individual, making back pain more likely.

Having myocarditis doesn’t mean you have to become inactive. However, it’s also important to make sure that there is no too much workload on your heart. To keep safe, ask your doctor about types of physical activity that you can do safely when your heart is healing!

Stress or feeling depressed

Though myocarditis is usually treatable without leaving lingering after effects, it’s not always easy to cope with the disease. Since the disease could turn into serious or even become life-threatening (even though in rare cases), you may worry about the prognosis of the disease! As a result, your stress increases and you’re more likely to have depression.

Stress, depression, or other psychological problems can also affect you physically. Sometimes they could be the main culprit of back pain.

What else to know?

1. There is a type of myocarditis called peri-partum cardiomyopathy, poor heart muscle function that develops soon after childbirth or in the last phase of pregnancy. And pregnancy can also cause back pain, especially in second and third trimesters.
2. Age factor. Patients age 30 to 40 or older, are more likely to have back pain. In fact, back pain is more common as you age.
3. Other factors such as obesity and smoking can also increase the risk.