When it comes to chest pain, the diagnosis requires that I get enough information to decide if it is arising from the skin, soft tissues, muscles, bones, lungs, heart, or gut. So I would like to know the exact location on your chest, whether it is associated with
swelling or bruising, whether it is stationary or shifts, whether it radiates to other parts of the body or is ameliorate or worsened by position, activity oty brathing. I would also like to know when and how it started, any previous episode, character of the, pain (sqeezing, sharp, dull, etc), the intensity of the pain on a scale of one to ten; any history of Chest injury, any involvement in contact sports or fall from height. In addition I would like to know if there pain on inspiration, expiration, or coughing, whether you have a history of cough, heart attack, or bone disease, and whether the pai limits any particular motions. When I get the answers to these questions, I will be in a better position to conduct a focused physical examination that will lead me to a provisional diagnosis.
