As a medical professional, I can tell you that heart attacks can indeed be painful. The pain associated with a heart attack is typically described as a feeling of discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or comes and goes. This discomfort can also radiate to other areas such as one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach. Additionally, a person experiencing a heart attack may have other symptoms like shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness. read more >>

Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. ... Other symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach; shortness of breath or breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.read more >>