Precordial catch syndrome (PCS) is a non-serious condition in which there are sharp stabbing pains in the chest.

Other conditions that may produce similar symptoms include angina, pericarditis, pleurisy, and chest trauma.

Taking a deep breath and allowing the rib cage to fully expand can relieve the pain, however it will feel unpleasant initially.

At the point of full expansion, it can feel like a rubber band snap in the chest, after which the initial pain subsides.

Many see the worst part about PCS to be the fear that this chest pain is an indicator of a heart attack or other more serious condition.

[4][5] The term "precordial" had entered the French medical lexicon with the 1370 translation of Guy de Chauliac's Chirurgia magna.

[6] Previously, the Latin term "praecordia" had been used to refer to the diaphragm, a sense now obsolete.

In 1978, PCS was discussed by Sparrow and Bird who reported 45 with it, and that it was probably more frequent than generally assumed.