Angina feels like a pressing or squeezing pain, usually in the chest under the breast bone, but sometimes in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaws, or back. Angina is usually precipitated by exertion. It is usually relieved within a few minutes by resting or by taking prescribed angina medicine. Episodes of angina occur when the heart's need for oxygen increases beyond the oxygen available from the blood nourishing the heart.
Physical exertion is the most common trigger for angina.
Other triggers can be emotional stress, extreme cold or heat, heavy meals, alcohol, and cigarette smoking. An episode of angina is not a heart attack. The pain does NOT mean that the heart muscle is suffering irreversible, permanent damage. Episodes of angina seldom cause permanent damage to heart muscle. In contrast, a heart attack occurs when the blood flow to a part of the heart is suddenly and permanently cut off.