My Sternum is cracking!!!

For the past couple of months I have had slight pain in my Sternum. It only occurred if I would move a specific way. The pain wasn't extreme, it had the feeling of a joint wanting to crack but unable to. I never thought anything of it until yesterday when my sternum began cracking. I twisted a certain way to answer the phone and pop it cracked. The crack didn't hurt and actually felt good. Very shortly after the crack the pain would happen again and I would attempt to crack my sternum again. I know this isn't normal as it just started happening to me. I have never had any severe trauma to my body or my chest. Is this normal and is there a way to help alleviate this need to crack sensation.

I know a couple of people who also have these cracking sensations but the funny thing is that nobody knows what it actually is.
One of my best friends sits in front of the computer a lot and he actually feels a relief when his sternum cracks but I don’t like the sound of it at all.

Have you thought of seeing a pulmonologist or a chiropractic? They may be able to tell you if there’s a problem or not.

I keep telling my friend to go and see a doc but he just doesn’t want to listen.

I have the same thing, how can you cure it? and like how does it happen?

I have noticed that that happens to me when I'm sitting for long periods in front of the computer. I slowly start courving my back until it really hurts, I don't like this pain but in the moment that I strech and my sternum cracks I feel relieved.

I don't know if is attributable to weight gain. I used to be 130-135 lbs, but in the last 18 months I have put around 15 lbs more, and basically at the same time this pain started.

hello,my sternum cracks too,I start about almost 3 years ago in the computer and it was a little pain in the left side of my chest,like needles and pins,and then stars to cracking when I move my left arm back,I was for very long periods in the computer,when crack doesn't hurt,just the pain sometimes,

I have cracking of my sternum as well. I can't say mine is attributed to weight gain. It's been happening for some years now (I'm 26), but has gotten more severe as time goes on. I lift regularly (3-4 times per week), have been active in sports (lacrosse), and am not sure if it can be attributed to injury or not. It's annoying, I deal with it, but am curious if it is a worse problem than what I lead on to be.

the way I deal with it is that when I feel a tightening in my chest, I "push" my shoulders toward my chest (as if I were clasping my arms in front of me), squeeze, and then quickly flail my arms backwards toward my back and once I get a "pop", I'm okay again for a bit. I've yet to get it checked out, but my fiancee is concerned.

My sternum has also started "cracking" recently. It started after I had been working with a medicine ball at the gym. I figured that the weight was too much because I had pain on the right side of my sternum near where a couple of the ribs connected. After a few weeks of just the pain when I twisted my torso, I started getting the cracking sensation. As I type, it cracked about 2 hours ago and I've been in pain ever since. I get some relief by pushing my chest out/shoulders back, or lying on my side with my lower arm extended past my head. I have been doing some research online and what it seems to be is costochondritis, however I have never seen the "cracking" mentioned except by real people in their posts. If it is costochondritis, which can be caused by a number of things including mild trauma or injury, they only treat the pain with Advil, Naproxen and the likes.

hey, as with most people here my sternum cracks too. I fractured it 4 years ago playing football and it has cracked ever since. My girlfriend was a bit concerned, but it didnt bother me. Until the other day it gave an almighty crack. Now there is some discomfort and a pressure on my chest. I've just been to the doctor, he didnt seem to concerned. I still am, i want an X ray!

Keep cracking!

hi guys,

Yea my chest started to crack a few months ago, but for the last weeks is more often and now i 've got a bit of pain, and get to worry me, i think i might go for an X-ray to see what the hack is wrong, I do exercise, etc but never been injured or anything.
i am curious too what can cause it, and how bad can affect us?
cheers
Gab

if i push out my chest and hold back my shoulders/arms, i get a couple of small cracks but if i push on the middle of the sternum with the heel of my hand, i get at least ten little cracks. i've never had pain from it.

This has happened to me since High School. I'm still really young, only second year in college. It started I think my Sophmore year...it would crack silently and now it sounds like someone is cracking their back when mine cracks. My friends and family can hear it...I've asked so many people why this happens and the only questions people ask me is if I had ever broken or hurt my ribs or anything. I haven't had anything broken and it's strange how this happens.

When I was 14 a friend punched me right in the middle of my chest as a joke. Only I didnt like the joke very much cause it really hurt bad cause I wasnt expecting it. Afterwards I had a small bruse like pain like it was my heart or somethin. A few years later the pain finally healed completely. I am 24 now and just a few months ago I was doing my hair in the bathroom and I wanted to push the front of my hair back a little more (I spike it like the BK fade kinda). I sharply jerked my head back to do so, rather than touching it, and my chest cracked. Ever since then it just kept cracking whenever I'd streach back in a chair or do that thing with my head again. Today I woke up and my chest really hurts a lot in the mid-to-upper area of my sternum (breast bone). I was concerned, however my girlfriend suggested it could be walking namonea (however its spelled) or stress; which I've have been under an extreme amount of lately. I have a feeling it may have to do with what happened when I was younger. I was looking online and only found out it may be Costochondritis. It says that doctors do not really know what causes Costochondritis, and they do not feel it is something to be concerned about. They say that it goes away over time and sould be fine. They suggest maybe taking pain-killers if needed in the meantime. That's all I got!

I have also been cracking my chest more over the years. I read somewhere that some artificial sweeteners can cause mild inflammation of the joints. I find that when I feel the slight tension on my chest, I put my hands together behind my back and try to come up. This typically will cause the chest to crack and I feel instant relief. I also apply light pressure to my left side and can get minor cracking of the sternum. Doctor has just prescribed Naproxen.

Your cartilage around your sternum is possibly inflamed. This can cause pain and the cracking is the cartilage realigning. Best thing to do is take some anti-inflammatory OTC meds.

Posture posture posture... We were all taught to maintain proper posture when young. Be sure to improve your posture and the way you sit. This can agitate your sternum. You will be fine.

I have noticed the same problem for about two years now, and I'm 26. I think it is because I sleep a lot, on my side, and exercise on and off.

I have started and stopped doing routine push-ups and weight lifting over the past couple years many many times, building mass, and loosing it. Seems I get the crack problem when I stop exercizing, althought I feel a pain sesation when I do excercize but its a good pain, if that makes sense.

I also am around 135 lbs., and I've been sleeping poorly on my side for the past couple years. I feel like my shoulders are being "pushed together" in front of my body when I sleep on my side, and over time this is causing a central issue in my sternum. I thought it would cause shoulder problems if anything, because I do sleep alot, but maybe this is it?