The evaluation of chest wall pain begins with a medical history and physical examination.

Physical findings of chest wall pain may include:

• Tenderness to the chest wall
• Tenderness overlying the costochondral junctions
• A blistery skin rash

Testing is often unnecessary to determine the underlying cause for chest wall pain.

Tests that may be used to evaluate chest wall pain include:

• Chest x-ray:
• Normal chest x-ray
• Collapsed lung
• Pulse oximetry
• Rib x-rays
• Sternum x-ray

Less commonly performed tests that may be used to evaluate chest wall pain include:

• CT scan of the chest
• Echocardiogram
• Ventilation perfusion scanning of the lungs
• Pulmonary angiogram
• Pulmonary function tests
• EKG