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Musculoskeletal chest wall pain

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 00:14 authored by Tania WinzenbergTania Winzenberg, Graeme JonesGraeme Jones, Michele CallisayaMichele Callisaya

Background: Chest pain is a common general practice presentation that requires careful diagnostic assessment because of its diverse and potentially serious causes.

Objective: This article describes the causes, assessment and differential diagnosis of musculoskeletal chest wall pain, and the management of its most common causes.

Discussion: It is critical to rule out non-musculoskeletal causes of chest pain, particularly those requiring urgent intervention such as ischaemic heart disease. However, once this has been done, most musculoskeletal diagnoses can be made from a thorough history and examination. Further investigations are often unnecessary and should only be used when the provisional diagnosis suggests they are needed, for example, when systemic or rheumatological causes are suspected. The evidence underpinning the treatment of specific localised causes of musculoskeletal chest wall pain is very limited.

History

Publication title

Australian Family Physician

Volume

44

Issue

8

Pagination

540-544

ISSN

0300-8495

Department/School

Menzies Institute for Medical Research

Publisher

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Place of publication

Australia

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Injury prevention and control

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    University Of Tasmania

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