Michael H. Peters, M.D., cardiologist with the Alegent Health Heart and Vascular Institute
Find out more about Dr. Peters
Q: I am now 56 and been training heavily for over 30 years, a combination of resistance training with rowing machine 3 times weekly. During the past couple of months, I have felt a very fleeting but definite squeeze accompanied a very light pain sensation in the center of my chest when rowing. All this lasts not more than a second. This can occur several times during the excercise or sometimes not at all. I went to see my doctor on this who said that this was not a problem at all and required no treatment. He referred to it as a Presympathetic Excercise Response. I have no other ailments and feel very fit. Should I be concerned?
A: Exertional chest pain is not normal as you seem to have surmised. It is also a common sign of heart disease. However, it usually last minutes, not seconds. There are several possible causes for such symptoms but at your age a screening stress test is probably warranted. Remember, many people do not have classic symptoms and therefore these symptoms should not be taken lightly.
