What Chest Pain on Your Left Side Could Mean Lisa Marie Conklin Replay Video Does chest pain on the left side mean a heart attack? Who hasn't seen an actor on TV or in a movie fall to their knees clutching the left side of their chest, clearly in pain and in distress? The character was clearly having a heart attack, as far as we could tell. Chest pain is one of the symptoms of a heart attack. But it doesn't automatically mean you're having one. It could be a symptom of a less serious condition such as heartburn or pain from excessive coughing when you have a chest infection.