thoracodynia
Meaning of thoracodynia: Thoracodynia is a clinical term for pain located in the chest wall, arising from causes that range from muscular strain to underlying disease.
Definition of thoracodynia
Thoracodynia is a general term for pain in the chest, which can originate from the chest wall itself, including the muscles, ribs, and cartilage, or can reflect a process involving the heart, lungs, or other structures within the chest.
Because chest pain can signal conditions ranging from minor musculoskeletal strain to a serious cardiac or pulmonary event, evaluating thoracodynia typically involves considering the character, location, and triggers of the pain alongside the person's overall clinical picture. Pain that worsens with movement, pressing on the chest wall, or breathing suggests a different source than pain unaffected by these factors.
The term is used broadly and does not by itself indicate a specific cause, so it is usually accompanied by a description of the pain's features and any further diagnostic findings.
How thoracodynia is built
- thorac/o Combining form · Greek chest, thorax
- -dynia Suffix · Greek pain
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient presented with thoracodynia that worsened with deep breathing.
Good to know
Thoracodynia and thoracalgia are synonyms for chest pain, and neither term specifies whether the pain arises from the chest wall or from an internal organ such as the heart or lungs.
Word origin
Where “thoracodynia” comes from
Formed from thoraco-, from Greek thorax, meaning "chest," and -dynia, from Greek odyne, meaning "pain."