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Chest Injuries and Disorders
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Injuries Wounds

Chest Injuries and Disorders

The chest, or thorax, houses vital structures for breathing, circulation, and digestion, making injuries and disorders in this area potentially life-threatening.

What is the chest?

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

What are chest injuries and disorders?

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.

How are chest injuries and disorders diagnosed?

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

You should call emergency services immediately if you experience severe shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with breathing or coughing, coughing up blood, or if you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or confused. These symptoms can indicate a pneumothorax (collapsed lung), hemothorax (blood in the chest cavity), or cardiac tamponade, all of which require urgent intervention to prevent respiratory or circulatory failure.
Most rib fractures heal on their own within four to six weeks, though pain may persist longer. During this period, you should avoid heavy lifting, strenuous twisting, or high-impact activities that stress the chest wall. It is crucial to continue taking deep breaths and coughing as needed to prevent pneumonia, even if it is painful, and to use a pillow to brace the chest area when coughing to reduce discomfort.
simple rib fracture involves one or more broken ribs, while a flail chest occurs when three or more adjacent ribs are broken in two or more places, creating a segment of the chest wall that moves independently of the rest of the chest during breathing. This is more dangerous because it severely impairs the mechanics of breathing, often leads to underlying lung bruising (pulmonary contusion), and can cause significant oxygen deprivation if not managed promptly in a hospital setting.
Clinicians rely on a combination of the patient's history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests to differentiate these conditions. A history of recent trauma suggests an injury, while risk factors like high blood pressure or smoking suggest cardiac issues. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) and cardiac enzymes in the blood help rule out a heart attack, while chest X-rays or CT scans are used to identify fractures, pneumothorax, or other structural damage associated with trauma.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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