Statistically, only 5% of those who are having chest pain are having a heart attack when they visit the emergency room. After a battery of tests and costs, you are likely told that you have muscle spasms or you may not get a diagnosis at all. This information was recently reported by Men's Health who investigated a recent study that involved 223 medical offices in the U.K. You can read about this study here. The truth is that while some patients do eventually have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event, most do not and may be suffering from a musculoskeletal problem Part of the problem is the focus on the symptoms, and the willingness to ignore the rest of the individual and their history. If only 5% of those who have chest pain have a heart attack, and a small percentage of those who are not yet having pain from the heart, what else can be causing the pain. It is important to look at all of these patients holistically and ask about their back, their knees, their feet, their shoulders, and even their necks, something most chiropractors are doing regularly. The truth is, that many of us tolerate mechanical and postural compensations that affect the hips, pelvis, and legs, while also affecting the shoulder, ribs, and neck regions. A lack of willingness to look at these areas as possible causes of check and shoulder pain is an unnecessary cost driver and can result in further medical costs later on. Examples of problems that can cause chest pain include tight hip capsules, tight shoulder joints and their capsules which can affect your ribs and the way you breathe, foot problems can affect posture and some of us who are very asymmetrically built are also having marked compensations in our upper bodies that can cause pain and discomfort in the chest. Perhaps the real reason most of these doctors failed to diagnose the problem is that once they check out the cardiovascular system, they do not have the knowledge to further evaluate the patient. This is one of the huge problems with the reductionist approach used by medical providers; we are integrated systems and looking at the symptom, rather than the person with the symptom is the problem here. A holistic approach is more likely to be helpful here, but doctors will need better training or be willing to work in integrated facilities with chiropractors who understand the musculoskeletal system better than they do. Perhaps, this is another reason your doctor should refer you to a chiropractor after you have your cardiologist clear you for cardiac issues.