Upper back/neck strain caused heart palpitations.

Thank you, I had one session pt and got the MRI results said I tend to keep my neck pushed back a bit much so recommended me chin tucks without retraction. BTW did they tell you about any protrusions?

Thanks again

So interesting that you mention swallowing. Do you get palpitations after swallowing?
I have had palpitations since november. I first noticed them after I slept one night at a friends house on an extremely bad mattress and woke up with back pain. Since then I get them, about every 4-5 weeks for 2-3 days. In between I am always completely symptom free. Since then I also often wake up with back pain, but i never really connected those symptons until now.
I get the palpitations especially when swallowing, I swallow and 1-2 seconds later I feel my heart stumbling. Sometimes I even have several extra beats in a row, which really scare me. I have had a holter monitor twice so far. However, I never had any symptoms while wearing it, and it always came back normal. My heart echo also was normal.

Yes I get them just after swallowing, many similarities as you are describing.
I wore a zio patch for 14 days similar to Holter monitor, my result have not been released, but it's been a long journey trying to figure it out.
I have some theories myself, the bad posture you said, it's a potential one in my opinion.
If you or anyone in this topic wants to ever wants to talk, please post, I figure sometimes it takes a long time to reply understandingly so. And it may help us to communicate to share notes, etc.

It was pretty clear what was wrong because I could hardly bend my head forward and down. This was due to the weakening of my upper back and neck muscles over a long period of time. I avoided working them out because it always felt wire and bothered me. Turns out that feeling was due to poor posture and my CT junction being very off and not aligned. The PT has had me strengthen my CT junction mobility and neck and back muscles. Lots of exercises with small weights (Ys, Ts, and Ls), band pull aparts, planks, anything that strengthens my neck/back and corrects posture is good. When my posture has gotten better and stronger, my chest symptoms and others have subsided. I did PT for 2 months and now feel a lot stronger and know what exercises to keep doing, it has helped tremendously. So please go to PT if you haven’t already and have them check your CT junction.

@bigredak
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I am beginning a journey that is sounding very similar to what has been outlined here. After a strain in my upper back while working out my symptoms began, which included some face/arm numbness as well as heart palpitations and dizziness. I have been able to confirm also some some issues in my upper spine after an x-ray which all likely are contributing. I am just starting PT and grateful to know some folks have been down this road with some success.

Hello all:
Although I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse 30 years ago, I was pretty symptom free up until 3 years ago. I started experiencing multiple palpitations, light headedness, which ultimately developed into pretty severe panic attacks. To make a very long story short and after being seen by 6 cardiologists, 3 electrophysiologists, 3 separate 14 day ZIO Heart Monitors, heart scan, several EKS's, and an extensive echocardiogram, the consensus was "you are dealing with PAC's and PVC's, cause unknown, not a candidate for ablation. Nothing we can do for you." Had to deal with the slight depression and fear that followed but dealt with that through meditation and prayer. Insomnia has now become my normal. Started taking a detailed journal of my symptoms and discovered that upper body physical activity was a HUGE trigger for the most depilating arrhythmia symptoms. I do a good deal of landscaping work as a hobby and would be bed ridden by the end of the day with palpitations and pain located in my left shoulder blade and upper back. Finally brought this to the attention of my new cardiologist and she mentioned the correlation between thoracic nerve pinching, upper rib cage, ectopic heart beats and back pain. I nearly cried. For the first time, a doctor actually listened to me and took my word for it. Let me add that I am a woman of color, in menopause, and in extremely great physical condition. Unfortunately I was placed in the over crowed column of, "this woman is just in need of some attention and anti anxiety meds and is too emotional. Let's just humor her because there's nothing physically wrong with her." I walked out of today's appointment with a new sense of hope. It was like the clouds parted and the sun started shinning. I'm not kidding. And then I discovered this chat which has made my day. I no longer feel alone. I too experience palpitations while swallowing or when I'm bending forward, or laying on my left or right side, or lifting weights, or during my back swing while playing golf...The palpitations reverberate from my shoulder blade, to my chest, to my throat. I get very little respite from these symptoms but have been told that my heart is healthy and not harmed by this kind of arrhythmia. I'll continue to follow those who post on this thread to learn more about this problem and hopefully find some relief.

I get the same symptoms with my neck and pain in my left shoulder blade and this starts my heart palpitations off . I have seen a cardiologist and she said my heart structure is good but has put me on medication for the palpitations but this is giving me anxiety and I have lost my confidence . If I move my neck in a certain position it starts my palpitations off . Glad I've seen a few people similar problems. It's driving me crazy .

@jeffers1972
@slog I am so glad you got an answer. Did your doctor call this thoracic outlet syndrome?
I have TOS, and it was missed for many years. Many patients with TOS go several years undiagnosed because most doctors don't understand TOS. I could bring on my symptoms with changing my neck position and my hand would get cold and tingle turning bluish. I also think it did cause some heart palpitations.

Physical therapy with myofascial release has helped the TOS a lot and it may take years and working on good posture to see results. Has your doctor authorized physical therapy? I think it would help you. Now that you know what triggers this, you also know what to avoid, or at least find other body positions or do this in smaller increments. I have to be careful out there digging weeds. Too much heavy lifting will set me off, and I'll get neck and back pain. I am a spine surgery patient too with C5/C6 fused in my neck and I can cause spasms that start rotating my neck vertebrae independently.

I find that core strength and good posture go hand in hand and helps reduce this issue a lot. Horseback riding helps that a lot for me, just at a walk trail riding because I work my back and core with good posture. There is also stretching out the front of the chest and arms by laying on a foam roller, etc. because the chest gets overly tight with TOS. Anything with forward arms, slouching posture and leaning over a keyboard typing are not good for TOS, and just increase the tightness. It pulls the shoulder blades around the sides of the ribcage and forward and the head can jut forward which is bad for the spine. The shoulder blades belong in the center of the back together, not winged out and lifting off the back. This brings on pain in the shoulder blades as they connect to the neck.

Here are some links to information and our discussion about Myofascial Release which can help a lot to open up the tight tissue spaces that are compressing nerves.

"How to Truly Treat Thoracic Outlet Syndrome"
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
Mayo information on TOS
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988
-Neuropathy - Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
It takes a specially trained therapist for MFR work. There is a search for these providers at http://mfrtherapists.com/

I know how hard it is when doctors don't believe your symptoms are real and can't help because they don't know what to do. I went through carpal tunnel surgery that only partially relieved my pain because the surgeon missed that I also had TOS which causes compression of the same nerve in a different location, and he wasn't very nice about it when I came back to him with that diagnosis.

Hello, first time commenter here. I am having some of the same symptoms but they did not start right away. In January I started having like electric shocks in my chest closer to the armpit. It spread to my arm going numb, chest pain, heart palpitations and eventually my leg would also go numb all on my left side. I was seen by the ER twice and my doctor - no heart issues but they sent me to physical therapy for 3 months that gave me some relief but not fully. After 6 months of begging for an MRI I finally got one which shows “multiple herniated discs in my lower neck that are pushing on my nerves” but the doctor gave me no other information than that…referred me to a pain specialist and a surgeon but I can’t be seen by the pain specialist until August.

I’m no longer in therapy due to the PT not being able to keep me for pain as I’ve reached all my goals. I guess my concern is if the heart palpitations go away once you get the steroid injections? Can this cause damage to my heart? Is there anything I can do to other than the stretches I learned in PT to calm them down some? I can handle the pain but the heart palpitations are highly uncomfortable and things are starting to affect my everyday life. I can barely drive myself around without getting really uncomfortable and I’m starting to travel for work which has me concerned I won’t be able to handle the trips.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Thank you all for speaking about your expiriance I feel for you all as I no what you are going through , I reconise so much of the above ,its nice to no I am not alone and not going mad
I had an injury in Rib/Thoracic spine just ligament , so the area is always tight , when its tight I get pulsations and random rib pain, harder to take deep breath and feel anxious, and a wave of emotion, I have to sit sleep in unusual positions as to not aggravate it, waking up to palpitations at 4 in the morning on your own isn't great, I get good temporary relief from massage osteopathy, my doctor had been usles when you explain the symptoms they reply with have you read a book on posture , how old is your bed , etc you feel like your trying to convince them you just seen an alien ,