Chest (Thorax)

What part of the body is the chest?

Your chest (thorax) is the region between your neck and abdomen. It extends from the thoracic inlet at the base of your neck down to your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest from your belly.

Your chest gets its name because of its similarity to another use for that word. Just like the treasure chests from storybooks, your chest has valuable contents. They include some of the most important organs in your body.

The medical term for your chest, thorax, comes from an ancient Greek word for a type of armor worn on the upper body. And like armor, your thoracic cage (the medical name for your ribcage) also protects what’s inside your chest.

What does your chest do?

Your chest has a few distinct jobs. It:

• Holds and protects vital organs
• Has a variable internal volume, meaning the space inside can expand and shrink, which you need for breathing
• Provides a solid structure for your upper body, but is still flexible enough to bend and twist
• Supports your head and neck
• Anchors your arms
• Works as a respiratory pump to move air in and out of your lungs

When your diaphragm and intercostal muscles contract, they expand your chest cavity and draw air into your lungs. Your upper chest primarily lifts front-to-back (pump-handle motion), while your lower ribs widen side-to-side (bucket-handle motion). Together, these volume and pressure changes move air in and out.

What are the parts of the chest?

Your chest consists of your entire thorax, front and back, including your:

• Sternum
• 12 thoracic vertebrae
• 12 pairs of ribs
• Muscles
• Cartilage between your ribs
• Fascia and skin
• Thoracic cavity
• Diaphragm

Organs not inside — but at least partially protected by — your chest (thorax) include your:

• Kidney
• Liver
• Spleen
• Stomach

What are the common conditions and disorders that can affect your chest?

Many conditions can affect your chest. Even more can affect the organs and structures inside it. Conditions that can affect your chest include (but aren’t limited to) the following:

• Bruises to your muscles or bones
• Conditions that affect your chest structure , like pectus carinatum or pectus excavatum
• Costochondritis
• Fractured ribs and other types of bone fractures, including your clavicle
• Flail chest
• Muscle strains
• Skin conditions
• Spine conditions like scoliosis or pinched nerves
• Tumors, including benign growths or malignant ones (examples include surface tumors like skin cancer, or deeper ones like chest wall tumors or breast cancer)

Conditions that can affect what’s inside your chest include (but aren’t limited to) the following:

• Certain types of paralysis, like paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Conditions that affect the layers or linings between spaces, like mediastinitis or pleurisy
• Esophageal disorders or digestive issues like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Heart disease or heart structure conditions
• Lung conditions, like a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) or pneumonia
• Thymus conditions, including cancers like thymomas or the autoimmune form of myasthenia gravis
• Tracheal diseases like tracheal stenosis
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Shingles (herpes zoster)

Common signs or symptoms of chest conditions

Many signs and symptoms can indicate a chest condition. Some of the symptoms specific to your chest wall itself include (but aren’t limited to) the following:

• Musculoskeletal chest pain
• Visible skin changes, like a rash or hives
• Visible injuries like bruises or wounds

Some symptoms can indicate an issue happening inside your chest. Examples include (but aren’t limited to) the following:

• Changes in how your chest looks when you breathe, like intercostal retractions
• Chest pain, pressure or other sensations
• Heartburn
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea) or other difficulties with breathing
• Nerve-related symptoms like tingling or numbness in part of your chest

Some conditions can cause chest-related symptoms without directly affecting your chest. One example would be chest tightness or rapid breathing because of anxiety or panic attacks.

Many other symptoms that affect your chest are possible, and some of them happen with life-threatening conditions. If you’re concerned about symptoms you’re experiencing, talk to a healthcare provider. If you think you might have symptoms of a medical emergency like a heart attack or pulmonary embolism, you need medical care right away. Call 911 (or your local emergency services number) immediately.

Common tests to check your chest

There are many ways that providers can check for conditions affecting the inside of your chest. Some of them are simpler, like a provider doing a physical exam and using a stethoscope to listen to your breathing and heartbeat.

Depending on your symptoms, tests may include an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), blood tests (such as troponin for heart muscle injury), chest X-ray, CT scan, or MRI. For breathing issues, you may have pulmonary function tests (spirometry). For heart evaluation, an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) or a stress test may be recommended.

Your healthcare provider can tell you more about the possible or recommended tests for your specific needs and situation. They can also refer you to specialists with more expertise in chest-related conditions. Examples include heart specialists (cardiologists), lung specialists (pulmonologists) and cardiothoracic surgeons.

What are the muscles of the chest?

There are several major skeletal muscle groups in or connected to your chest. Some of them are for breathing, while others are for moving the trunk of your body. Others anchor to your chest but are mainly for moving your arms or neck.

Muscles in or connected to your chest include those involved in:

• Breathing: Your diaphragm isn’t the only muscle you use for breathing. Rib cage and neck muscles can help lift and lower your ribs, while abdominal muscles help you push air out forcefully. Some muscles in your back may help, too.
• Movement and anchoring: Muscles in your chest anchor and support your shoulder and arm movement. They can also hold bones stable, or lift bones like your shoulder blades when you extend your arm forward.