Myocardial infarctions commonly radiate pain to which areas?

• A. Back and legs
• B. Chest walls only
• C. Face and arms
• D. Abdomen only

Answer: (C)

Pain from a myocardial infarction often starts in the chest but can be felt elsewhere due to shared nerve pathways, a phenomenon known as referred pain. The most common radiation pattern is to the face (jaw) and the arm, particularly the left arm. This makes radiation to the face and arms the best match for how cardiac pain often presents. Radiation to the back or legs can occur more rarely, while chest pain by itself doesn’t capture the typical spread, and abdominal pain alone is not the classic distribution. Recognizing this pattern helps identify MI when patients describe chest discomfort that also travels to the jaw or arm.