The chest is the part of your body between your neck and your abdomen (belly). The medical term for your chest is thorax.

Your chest holds many important structures for breathing, digestion, blood circulation, and other important body functions. These structures include your:

• Ribs and breastbone
• Esophagus, the tube between your mouth and stomach
• Trachea, your windpipe
• Bronchi, the tubes that carry air from your windpipe to your lungs
• Lungs
• Pleura, a thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and lines the inside wall of the chest space
• Heart and large blood vessels
• Thymus, a gland that's part of your immune system
• Nerves

Chest injuries and disorders are problems that affect any of the organs or structures located in your chest.

There are many types of chest injuries and disorders, for example:

• Broken ribs
• Esophagus disorders
• Swallowing disorders, also called dysphagia
• Tracheal disorders
• Bronchial disorders
• Lung diseases and collapsed lung
• Pleural disorders
• Heart diseases
• Mediastinal diseases, which are tumors, inflammation, and other problems with the structures in the mediastinum, which is the space between your lungs, breastbone, and spine
• Thoracic aortic aneurysm
• Thoracic outlet syndrome

Chest injuries may happen from the force of car accidents, falls, or sports injuries. Or the chest may be pierced by a bullet or sharp object. Because your chest holds so many important structures, certain chest injuries may be life-threatening.

Diagnosis of chest injuries or disorders depends on the type of symptoms you're having and whether you've had a chest injury. Injuries are usually obvious, but in most cases, you'll need tests to know how serious an injury is.

There are many types of tests for diagnosing different types of chest injuries and disorders, for example:

• Diagnostic imaging tests
• Heart tests
• Lung function tests
• Bronchoscopy
• Pleural fluid analysis
• Dysphagia tests
• Biopsy

Treatments will depend on the type of chest injury or disorder you have.

Having a pain in your chest can be scary. It does not always mean that you are having a heart attack. There can be many other causes, including

• Other heart problems, such as angina
• Panic attacks
• Digestive problems, such as heartburn or esophagus disorders
• Sore muscles
• Lung diseases, such as pneumonia, pleurisy, or pulmonary embolism
• Costochondritis - an inflammation of joints in your chest

Some of these problems can be serious. Get immediate medical care if you have chest pain that does not go away, crushing pain or pressure in the chest, or chest pain along with nausea, sweating, dizziness or shortness of breath. Treatment depends on the cause of the pain.

A collapsed lung happens when air enters the pleural space, the area between the lung and the chest wall. If it is a total collapse, it is called pneumothorax. If only part of the lung is affected, it is called atelectasis.

Causes of a collapsed lung include

• Lung diseases such as pneumonia or lung cancer
• Being on a breathing machine
• Surgery on the chest or abdomen
• A blocked airway

If only a small area of the lung is affected, you may not have symptoms. If a large area is affected, you may feel short of breath and have a rapid heart rate.

A chest x-ray can tell if you have it. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.

Pleural disorders are conditions that affect the tissue that covers the outside of the lungs and lines the inside of your chest cavity. The tissue is called the pleura, and the thin space between its two layers is called the pleural space. A small amount of fluid fills the pleural space, and when you breathe in and out, this fluid helps the pleural layers glide smoothly against each other.

There are three types of pleural disorders—pleurisy, pleural effusion, and pneumothorax—and they have varying causes. Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleura. Pleural effusion and pneumothorax occur when an infection, medical condition, or chest injury causes fluid, pus, blood, air, or other gases to build up in the pleural space.

Chest pain, shortness of breath, and coughing are common symptoms of all types of pleural disorders, but treatment for pleural disorders varies depending on what type you have and how serious it is.

Costochondritis is a chest wall pain caused by inflammation of the costal cartilages or the area where the ribs meet the sternum, known as sternal articulations. It is a benign cause of chest pain. Patients often present with the chief complaint of chest pain; therefore, other causes of chest pain must be excluded with history, physical exam, and/or diagnostic testing prior to a diagnosis of costochondritis.

Rib fractures occur when a significant enough force directed at the rib causes a break. There are a total of 12 pairs of ribs in the thoracic region. The first seven ribs attach anteriorly to the sternum and posteriorly to the spinal column. Rib numbers 8 through 10 attach similarly but connect to the costal cartilage of the sternum anteriorly. Ribs 11 and 12 have the name of “floating” ribs as they only attach posteriorly but do not attach anteriorly. Underneath each rib lies the intercostal nerve, artery, and veins which supply to blood supply and innervation. The ribs function to protect the underlying organs and structures of the thoracic cavity. Any rib fracture should warrant a thorough evaluation of any concomitant injury, including lungs, heart, kidney, spleen, liver, and neuro-vasculature.

A developmental anomaly in which the lower sternum is posteriorly dislocated and concavely deformed, resulting in a funnel-shaped thorax.

The thoracic cage (rib cage) forms the thorax (chest) portion of the body. It consists of the 12 pairs of ribs with their costal cartilages and the sternum (image). The ribs are anchored posteriorly to the 12 thoracic vertebrae (T1–T12). The thoracic cage protects the heart and lungs.

Overview

The thoracic cage protects the heart and lungs. It is composed of 12 pairs of ribs with their costal cartilages and the sternum. The ribs are anchored posteriorly to the 12 thoracic vertebrae. The sternum consists of the manubrium, body, and xiphoid process. The manubrium and body are joined at the sternal angle, which is also the site for attachment of the second ribs.

Ribs are flattened, curved bones and are numbered 1–12. Posteriorly, the head of the rib articulates with the costal facets located on the bodies of thoracic vertebrae and the rib tubercle articulates with the facet located on the vertebral transverse process. The angle of the ribs forms the most posterior portion of the thoracic cage. The costal groove in the inferior margin of each rib carries blood vessels and a nerve. Anteriorly, each rib ends in a costal cartilage. True ribs (1–7) attach directly to the sternum via their costal cartilage. The false ribs (8–12) either attach to the sternum indirectly or not at all. Ribs 8–10 have their costal cartilages attached to the cartilage of the next higher rib. The floating ribs (11–12) are short and do not attach to the sternum or to another rib.