Chest and groin pain: what you need to know

A clinician will consider whether the pains began together, followed exertion or injury, change with movement or breathing, and come with breathlessness, sweating, nausea, faintness, fever, swelling, or urinary symptoms.

Chest pain can arise from muscles and ribs, but it can also reflect heart, lung, or digestive problems. Groin pain can originate in the hip, abdominal wall, urinary tract, reproductive organs, or nearby muscles and tendons.

Pain linked to twisting, lifting, coughing, or a recent workout may suggest a musculoskeletal cause, especially when a specific movement reproduces it. Hip impingement, a hip labral tear, and hip osteoarthritis can present with groin pain, often alongside hip stiffness, clicking, or pain during walking. These possibilities do not explain chest symptoms automatically, so both areas should be assessed on their own features.

Stop strenuous activity and note when each pain started, its exact location, what makes it better or worse, and any associated symptoms. Avoid trying to exercise through unexplained chest discomfort.

If no emergency features are present, arrange a clinical review, particularly when pain persists, recurs, limits walking, or follows an injury. Until assessed, choose gentle movement that does not increase symptoms and avoid heavy lifting or forceful hip stretching.

Call emergency services for chest pressure, tightness, or severe pain, particularly with shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, fainting, confusion, blue lips, or pain spreading to the arm, jaw, back, or shoulder. Sudden chest pain with difficulty breathing also needs emergency assessment.

Seek urgent evaluation for a painful groin lump that cannot be gently reduced, sudden severe testicular pain, major swelling, inability to bear weight after trauma, blood in urine, high fever, or persistent vomiting. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint or seriously unwell.

Ask whether the chest and groin symptoms appear connected or need separate investigations, which examination findings point toward the chest wall or hip, and what activity is safe while the cause is being clarified. Also ask which new symptoms should trigger immediate reassessment.