ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with pain originating in the anterior part of the chest cavity and with pain referred from somatic structures. Cardiac rehabilitation programs have shown to reduce hospital admissions, improve mood, and increase activity in cardiac and noncardiac chest pain. In many ways, the approach to chest pain has mirrored that of axial pain. Clinical history remains the main tool in the diagnosis of chest pain. The use of resources in health care is directed towards cardiac causes of chest pain despite its low frequency among chest pain diagnosis. Patients with chest pain where no organic cause can be found have a higher proportion of panic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and major depressive episodes. Patients with chronic chest pain have been found to report passive pain-coping strategies, express an exaggerated degree of spouse reinforcement, and report a lower pain threshold when compared to other pain sufferers, including coronary arteriopaths.
