I suffer with moderate stenosis of the aortic valve and left bundle branch block. I have always enjoyed long brisk walks. Over the past couple of years i have often had what i can only describe as a small chest spasm, usually during the early stages of my walk. This never bothered me and i would walk on with no problem. Recently these spasms (not pain) have become more prominent and a little worrying as they now occur when i am walking uphill or very briskly rather than at the start of my walk. There are sometimes small follow up spasms to the main one.
Last week i had a hospital appt with my cardiac consultant who has decided that i do not need any treatment yet for my aortic stenosis as i have no symptoms. When i mentioned the worrying chest spasms on exertion he was adamant that this is not a known symptom of heart disease and must be caused by something else. I was disappointed not to be offered an exercise ECG which may have induced a spasm.
I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience. Thank you in advance for any advice.
Written by
MrPrognosis
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm sorry not to be able to offer any advice but you have described something similar to something I have experienced, a spasm in the centre of my chest. Mine wasn't a small spasm though, it was quite intense.
I've only experienced it twice - a few weeks ago and within a week of each other.
The first time I was in the waiting room of A&E for a particularly severe angina episode. I had been asleep in the chair, woke up and felt a bit funny and then the centre of my chest felt like I'd been cattle prodded, it left me reeling & very lightheaded. My chest felt a pressure afterward but that quickly went. I had an ECG in A&E within about 10 minutes of the event and it didn't show anything. My BP was through the roof but it had been a bit of a shock. Never had anything like it before!
The second time it came out of nowhere as I was making dinner, leaving me lightheaded and shaking but I recovered within about 5 mins. It wasn't as intense as the first time but was still a shocker. I've not had it for a few wks now.
My cardiologist wasn't too concerned about it and only offered up something to do with my microvascular angina. Not entirely helpful, so I'm looking for a more specialist assessment. Part of me wondered if it was something to do with my new stent settling in or something but the cardiologist said nope.
I hope you get it sorted and if I get any advice that could be of interest to you, I'll be sure to let you know!
Thank you very much for your response. It would seem that our symptoms are caused by very different triggers but no less worrying! I used to enjoy lovely long brisk walks but now i just pootle along as i am always waiting for the chest spasm to hit me and i dare not power up a slope! I find it hard to believe that my symptoms are not heart related as they only come with exercise but the consultant was adamant. It would be sad but could it be that a 73 year old man is treated differently to, say, a 45 year old?
I very much hope that you can get your symptoms properly assessed.
I’m sorry to hear about your spasms. I can’t say much on the moderate stenosis of the aortic valve side of things however, I do have a condition called vasospastic angina, also known as coronary artery spasms. Last year, one of my arteries, my myocardial bridge went into spasm and triggered a heart attack. My arteries were all clear.
Incase it helps, my spasms are triggered by the cold, extreme heatwaves, emotion and stress. I can only describe the pain as a temporary squeeze or a tight grip which releases after a short while. Sometimes I’ll get clusters of them, so one after another before they calm down. I experience the pain from the spasms in my chest, upper back, arms, and sometimes my jaw. I don’t always experience this type of angina on exertion, and I can see yours are triggered by walking up hill.
Will your cardiologist considered further investigations to rule out microvascular and vasospastic angina?
I am on a Facebook group which has patients on it with both microvascular and vasospastic angina. There is a lot more info on there as well regarding specialist cardiologists in this area in case you’re interested.
It may not be any of the above, and it could be other things such as a pulled muscle or costochondritis for example. However, you won’t fully know until you can see a cardiologist who is willing to further investigate your case as I am not sure if these symptoms are also similar to your current diagnosis of having moderate stenosis.
You will find out as time goes on that coronary artery spasms are under diagnosed. In fact I suffered with it for 1.5 years before it triggered a heart attack. There are people who have waited even longer to be diagnosed however.
Keep a log of your symptoms and triggers in the meantime. This is good information to present to your cardiologist. If you have a smart watch, it might also be a good idea to check your heart rate during one of these spasms and also keep a note of these too.
I hope others come along to share their experiences.
Thanks for your friendly reply to my post. When i looked up vasospastic angina the symptoms and triggers seemed different to what is happening to me. You will know better than me but apparently vasospastic can strike at any time, for instance, at rest in home, during the night in bed or if you get stressed or anxious. My spasms only occur with exercise, especially if i am walking very briskly or up hill. Also, no spread to arms, back or jaw. Still a classic heart problem you would think but the cardiac consultant dismissed any link. I'm turning into a conspiracy theorist as i wonder if my age (73) means they do not want to spend money on tests.
I do suffer with quite bad acid reflux and have wondered if my spasms may be related to that but why only with exercise?
When i first went to the cardiac unit in June i was given a diary booklet to log any symptoms and told to give it to the consultant when i returned. It was pretty full by the time of my consultation on October 31st! The guy glanced at the front cover and then ignored it completely!
Anyway, thank you so much for your response and best wishes for the future.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Coronary Artery Spasm - return.
Recurrence of coronary artery spasm
Coronary artery spasm 
MVA and Spasms
Coronary artery spasm
