Sternum HURTS!!!

Mezza · Posted: 03/23/06 - 19:49 Post subject: Sternum HURTS!!!

Hello!
I was wondering if someone could help me...
see I've been having this problem with my sternum for quite a while now...I'd say about 8 months. Anyways what happens is, everything will be fine then it will be very uncomfrtable in my upper chest and especially the sternum. And to relieve this I have to push my shoulders far back and then I hear a loud crack of my sternum, then everything feels normal again.
This has been bugging me for sometime! Sometimes I am not able to 'crack' it and it just continues to hurt, especially to extend my arms up or basically move my upper body at all.
It hurts most when I wake up in the mornings...
I've been to a chiropracter and he took X-rays. I do have a slight curve in my spine but he didn't have a solution for my sternum and how to stop it.
Please someone help me! What can I do to get this fixed!

helene · Supporter Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 363

Hi there! My boyfriend does the same cracking thing with his chest. I hate that but he says it is the only way to get relief from the tightness and pressure he is feeling. When I tell him to see a doc, he says he has been, and even had x-rays and was found nothing.

He says that cracking and starching works for him and until that changes, there is nothing he will do about it since doctors can’t help him as well.

I asked if maybe he could look for another opinion but he always tells me to mind my own business because this is working for him.
I don’t know what else to do and say but I hate that cracking sound.
I was reading about this problem online and it seems that there are other people with exactly the same problem who could not get a relief. Some of them had some spinal problems while others have no such problems at all.

Guest · Guest

I have this exact same problem. I went to a chiropractor and he basically said my ribs had popped out of place, and he shoved them back in. After that, the problem was completely gone - until the next time I lifted weights (chest). I heard a pop, and now it hurts off and on, and the only way to relieve it is to do the shoulder/sternum pop. I have no clue how to get rid of this problem completly, but it is extremely annoying and painful - so if you find a way, please let me know!

Oh, and this started when I originally went to a chiropractor to realign my hips for a lower back problem.... I think the alignment screwed up my upper back.

Guest · Guest

So my sternum did the same cracking thing and it hurt soo bad that I couldn't even turn my midsection to check my blind spot and the pain was starting to effect my back, so I went to Urgent care and the doctor could not come up with an answer since I didn't do anything to it physically he basically said the joint between the sternum and the cartilidge rib is inflammed. He gave me 500mg of noproxen (anti-inflammatory) and a muscle relaxer and recommended heat treatment. This seems to be working, so good luck to all...I hope this does solve my problem because this is so painful and I don't want anyone else to have whatever this may be.

Guest · Guest

My doctor told me the exact same thing numerous times...it is inflamed tissue btwn the sturnum and ribs. I have had CT's of my chest, XRays of the chest all showing nothing at all. If i push my shoulders back it pops the sternum as well...does not relive the pain entirely though. I just gave up on it...what can you do if the doctors cant help!

Guest · Guest

by any chance, do those complaining of sternum cracking/pain have uneven shoulder alignment and or neck pain on one side mainly (the higher side)?

Guest · Guest

just so all of you know its heartburn

Guest · Guest

I first 'popped' my sternum about 9 months ago, and it releases some tension whenever I do it. (I've never had anyone complain, but then again I kinda like surprising people)

Yes - I do have some neck and shoulder problems, slight kyphosis (rounded upper back), and the pain in upper back, shoulders and neck was pretty steady and hard to deal with until very recently. Here are the things I did (and will continue to do!) Smile

I feel that everything is connected and these issues definitely have something to do with my posture while sitting a lot at work. I've changed my desk so that it's ergonomic (keyboard is at the right height - NOT too high, monitor directly in front of me and eye-level) and learned how to sit without my pelvis tilted forward, sitting on the 'sit bones' + I make sure both feet are on the ground. (important stuff if you sit at a computer a lot)

Yoga has been my lifesaver. The bridge and plow postures are wonderful for my upper back (and therefore, my neck). These help me "open up" my chest. I'm slowly gaining more and more range of motion in my arms (that I had no idea I had even lost) and noticing that for years I've had knots in my upper back muscles and i'm now slowing working them out. I use rubber balls a lot to relieve the tension - pinky balls are good for getting the knots out (I lay on them and slowly move them up and down my spine and shoulder/back muscles) - and bigger bouncy balls are great for putting under my upper or lower back to stretch them out (if you do this be gentle with yourself)

Bridge posture is where you lay on yoru back with knees bent and then lift your butt off the floor, hold as long as you want, your body should make a straight line from the knees to your upper back. you will feel pressure (hopefully pleasant) stretching out your upper back. over time our flexibility decreases and i think gravity does have an impact on the curvature of our spines. yoga helps me so much to remain flexible. and helps me re-align.

Rolfing has also helped me and so has massage.... oh i can't wait for my next massage therapy session.

GOOD luck everybody. Love ;P

Guest · Guest

Its deffinatly not heartburn you numpty! I have the same prob, it started about 3 months ago, the worst was when I seemed to have pulled my right pec, was in agony for about 4 days, couldnt sit up or basically move my arms and upper body at all. Now it comes and goes, I think it started when i was doing some pull ups, I had seem a chiropracter a few years ago for probs with posture and shoulder alignment, had subluxions. Havn't had and serious back probs for a while but still a bit stiff sometimes. I'm pretty sure it is related to the spine, it's really annoying as I feel if I over do it with excersis i'm going to pull a muscle again.... at least some other people have it too lol
Last time i saw a chiropracter they sorted my back out completely, not sure what they could do about this, yoga sounds like a good idea tho, maybe pilaties too.

hari · Newbie Joined: 16 May 2007 Posts: 1

Hi people,

I have exactly the same problem as you lot, and after some reasearch it seems like this chest pain is related to the muscoskeleton rather than the heart. The condition is probably known as

ankylosis spondylitis.

I myself am not sure what I have to do

Sternum HURTS!!!

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