Causes

• Most persistent chest pain is from a hacking cough. Coughing can cause sore muscles in the chest wall, upper abdomen or diaphragm.
• Occasionally, chest pain follows strenuous exercise (e.g., throwing a baseball), lifting (e.g., weights or heavy boxes), or work that involves the upper body (e.g., digging). This type of muscle soreness often increases with movement of the shoulders.
• Most brief chest pain lasting minutes is from harmless muscle cramps or a pinched nerve.
• Heart disease is hardly ever the cause of chest pain in children.