What does my sternum pain indicate?

mm3328 · Newbie Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

Hi,
I'm a 42 year old male. Yesterday I was doing some dips and on the fifth rep I felt a pop or crack in my sternum. I looked at an anatomy chart and the pain seems to be coming from the joint of the 1st and 2nd part of the sternum. I don't have significant pain when I breathe or lie down but when I push out of a chair I feel it. Any thoughts? Thanks.

simone · Gold Member Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

My brother has cracking sternum problems when he’s sitting in front of his computer ( and he does that a lot). He was worried and went to see a doc, had x-rays and no abnormality was found, so he was sent home. We did some online research and found out so many other people with the same problem without any diagnosis, doctors being confused with the situation. He would rarely have pain but it is still uncomfortable, I can tell.

Personally, I feel you should turn to a doctor and have the x-rays done to rule out fractures. It may not be sternum itself but ribs attaching to the sternum. It could also be a ligament strain or something that would produce pain.
Try applying some ice packs for a few days and see if anything changes (improves) and if not, you better have it checked. Don’t exert yourself until you find out what it is.

What does my sternum pain indicate?

LIFEFORM SOCIAL COMMUNITY NETWORK