muscle pain in chest when I walk

I have had a pacemaker since 2002. Every time I walk quickly I experience tight muscle pain where my pacemaker is implanted. It does not hurt when I lift weights, kayak or bike. My Dr. says there is no problem with the actual pace maker.

Has anyone else experienced this type of discomfort? If so, what were they able to do about it? Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much

2 Comments

My suggestion......

by Pookie - 2011-12-01 02:12:24

if I had what you are explaining I'd ask my cardiologist for a stress/echo.

I had one done at the Mayo Clinic.....it's a stress test, which is walking!!!! but after they get your heart rate up to a certain rate, they then throw you (almost literally) onto a table and do the ultrasound immediately so they can see what the heart is actually doing when it is beating that fast.

Couldn't hurt to ask your doctor for this test, the worst he could say would be "no" and then you could ask "why not?"

Sometimes we have to be a little more demanding these days it seems.

Pookie

Muscle Pain

by ElectricFrank - 2011-12-01 02:12:25

The muscle use in our bodies is so complex when we do various activities. My first though is that walking tends to bounce our bodies causing the shoulder/chest muscles to cycle as we walk. Some muscles near the pacer can put pressure on it pushing it around in the pocket.

Your doctor is partly right. There is nothing wrong with the actual pacer that is causing the pain, but there could be something about the way it is implanted that is.

Have you tried walking with your arm in various positions? You might also experiment with just standing and moving through a range of motions to see if you can find the movement that causes the pain. If you can find the problem muscle you could try rubbing one of the creams or gels into it before walking. Also, knowing more about it makes it easier to be specific with your doctor. Even it it isn't worth surgery to correct it, you will eventually come up on a replacement.

hope some of this helps,

frank

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