Hey,
Great to hear I am not the only one with a popping sternum!
As has been mentioned in previous posts, I have been told this pain/cracking/discomfort is Costochondritis.
Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage.
I got this info from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/costochondritis/DS00626/DSECTION=1
What makes my chest feel better is stretching, sleeping on my back, and keeping correct posture while at my computer desk.
I am an avid weight lifter and bench pressing KILLS! So I have not been able to do this for a long while...If anyone has some tips, I would be greatly appreciative.
And P.S. I was told cracking your chest (although feels good) will only increase the problem...try to massage it out...
Great to hear I am not the only one with a popping sternum!
As has been mentioned in previous posts, I have been told this pain/cracking/discomfort is Costochondritis.
Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). It causes sharp pain in the costosternal joint — where your ribs and breastbone are joined by rubbery cartilage.
I got this info from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/costochondritis/DS00626/DSECTION=1
What makes my chest feel better is stretching, sleeping on my back, and keeping correct posture while at my computer desk.
I am an avid weight lifter and bench pressing KILLS! So I have not been able to do this for a long while...If anyone has some tips, I would be greatly appreciative.
And P.S. I was told cracking your chest (although feels good) will only increase the problem...try to massage it out...
I have experienced this popping c**p. It sucks. I started lifting a little over a year ago and was really into size gains and suplements. I gained about 40 pounds in 5-6 months and an extra 10 by the 8th. I didn't feel any pain while lifing but one morning I felt what seemed to be a heart attack! It freaked me out and it only lasted about 10-15 seconds but it kept happening and the doctor said I sprained my sternum and it will never heal because my ribs move while i breath. If you had experienced this or "pins jabbing you in the chest" and gone through a lot of growing or put stress on your body, that may be it. My chest has cracked ever since. I'm only 19... what a bunch of c**p.
Wow, seems a lot of people have this occurrence! Wasn't expecting to see so many posts about this, haha. My sternum pops/cracks too. And when I push in on my sternum with my finger tips it hurts. I used to do push-ups every single day and I stopped that 'cause I felt like it was just making it worse. Mine cracks every single time I sneeze. It used to just do it when I would put my arms back and push my chest out. But not every time I sneeze it pops and definitely has some pain associated with it. Nice to see I'm not the only one! hah
Hi,
I read this forum a while back when I had this problem. I cracked my chest a lot, many times a day and I believe it was caused by using the computer and pushups. I'm a programmer so I'm on the computer all day and my posture isn't the best.
I started swimming about 2 months ago and after about 1-2 weeks my chest no longer cracked. I was a really poor swimmer at first, getting tired after 100m of freestyle - now I can do 1km quite comfortably. I recommend trying swimming for a month and see if it helps. Make sure your technique is ok, it gives your chest and arms a good stretch as you're swimming.
Cheers,
Tren
I read this forum a while back when I had this problem. I cracked my chest a lot, many times a day and I believe it was caused by using the computer and pushups. I'm a programmer so I'm on the computer all day and my posture isn't the best.
I started swimming about 2 months ago and after about 1-2 weeks my chest no longer cracked. I was a really poor swimmer at first, getting tired after 100m of freestyle - now I can do 1km quite comfortably. I recommend trying swimming for a month and see if it helps. Make sure your technique is ok, it gives your chest and arms a good stretch as you're swimming.
Cheers,
Tren
Guess I'm joining the crowd.....
Mine started a couple of days ago when I was meeting the deadline of a proposal and was slouching in front of my laptop for hours and sleeping very badly.....it hurt and burnt a bit then one day when I sat up straight, it just popped......since then it has been popping for a couple more times.....
I hate to see that nobody has found any cure......my joints have always been bad and my neck, knees and knuckles all crack very loudly.....it freaks ppl out and it just seems to get louder and more frequent.......now that my sternum is joining in as well really worries me.....sometimes I feel as if I'm about to shatter and fall apart.....
Sigh, I hope the problem would go away soon......I'm only 18 and I don't want to live with the cracks for the years to come.....I guess I'll have to resume my supplements......it helped a bit before but I got lazy and stopped taking them when I thought things were better.....
Posture really matters though!
Mine started a couple of days ago when I was meeting the deadline of a proposal and was slouching in front of my laptop for hours and sleeping very badly.....it hurt and burnt a bit then one day when I sat up straight, it just popped......since then it has been popping for a couple more times.....
I hate to see that nobody has found any cure......my joints have always been bad and my neck, knees and knuckles all crack very loudly.....it freaks ppl out and it just seems to get louder and more frequent.......now that my sternum is joining in as well really worries me.....sometimes I feel as if I'm about to shatter and fall apart.....
Sigh, I hope the problem would go away soon......I'm only 18 and I don't want to live with the cracks for the years to come.....I guess I'll have to resume my supplements......it helped a bit before but I got lazy and stopped taking them when I thought things were better.....
Posture really matters though!
Well didnt expect this to be such a big deal but its nice to know im not the only one going through this. Im 22 about 5ft 10 and a skinny 125 lbs. I dont know exactly when it started cracking but im able to crack it every few hours and most of the time its relieving, but some of the time it doesnt crack and it hurts worse. My sternum is sticking out in my chest area and I was worried about it but not after reading all the other stories. It does hurt when I touch it so I try to rub it, try to have good posture cuz mine is horrible I have a hunch in my back from slouching as a kid. Try to strecth, exercise, and I actually have found benefits in meditation/breathing exercises. Also using a heating pad before I go to bed has brought me some relief.
Thanks, I see that I am not the only one with problem. Just a few mins. ago I cracked my chestbone, it was loud and scary, i happened before but not this loud. It really hit me I began to think all these weird things but after reading what responses people left I had a sense of relief... good thanks guys.....
I started to get this after about two years into college. I used to work out regularly before I started school; however, once really into my studies, I spent more time in front of my computer than anywhere else (and had no time for the gym). My Dr. said not to worry about it. I crack it anywhere from 5 to 15 times a day. One note: I had a really bad cold a few months ago and coughed all day (and night) long for about five days. My chest didn't crack for about a month after my coughing quit (maybe from the stress on my chest from coughing for so long), but then it started again. I'm graduated now and plan on starting another exercise program. Hopefully when I start to get back into the shape I was in before, it will eventually stop cracking. BTW, the most efficient way I've found to crack my sternum is to lean back and try touching my shoulder blades together.
I think i might have the same thing. I got bumped kinda hard in the chest during a hockey game and the pain has gotten worse ever since. I'm trying to refrain from cracking it right now to see if the pain goes away.
i'm a physician and i have the same thing. i'm 33 but about 3 years ago i started noticing slight discomfort in my chest that would get a bit worse depending on how much my neck/torso was twisted, until one day i figured out how to crack it. it typically sounds like a few cracks and it feels great right after.. just like cracking knuckles. i get it to crack by pressing on my sternum a bit with the ball of my hand and slowly cranking my head all the way the left and back to the right. it's almost worth having the problem to feel that sense of relief.. yes! ;-)
anyway, i think the most likely diagnosis is costochondritis. try lying down and have someone press on your sternum. if this is painful then it's clinically costochondritis.. make sure to have your doctor rule out other more sinister things like cardiac disease etc. i wish i knew what caused it but i don't think there are any good answers. as mentioned previously in thread treatment typically includes NSAIDs but i haven't noticed much relief from them and quite frankly i don't want to chronically take them. so i have no good solution. sorry... but if you see someone wrenching his neck back and forth pushing on his chest looking freakish until cracking sound and smile of relief, feel free to say hello. :-)
anyway, i think the most likely diagnosis is costochondritis. try lying down and have someone press on your sternum. if this is painful then it's clinically costochondritis.. make sure to have your doctor rule out other more sinister things like cardiac disease etc. i wish i knew what caused it but i don't think there are any good answers. as mentioned previously in thread treatment typically includes NSAIDs but i haven't noticed much relief from them and quite frankly i don't want to chronically take them. so i have no good solution. sorry... but if you see someone wrenching his neck back and forth pushing on his chest looking freakish until cracking sound and smile of relief, feel free to say hello. :-)
First off I have the same problem I went since I was 19 years old, I am now 30 and know one could help me. Doctors were thought about fusion of the spine but said it may do more damage. I went to a chiropractor, occasionally different ones. At the age of 29 I suffered a stroke from a manipulation of the neck, nearly died. There are many people out there who have suffered the same from back and neck injuries from chiropractors, no less never got better to begin with. Seek a second opinion first, keep searching technology is more becoming more advanced .
yeah i sit in front of the computer a lot as well, and sometimes my chest feels a little wierd so i press down on it, and it cracks or pops sometimes, very wierd. I have been the same weight,
Yeah I used to lift weights pretty hard core, then I slowed down, got lazy, and my sternum started cracking, but, whenever I lift, it seem to go away for a while. I do sit in front of a computer a lot also.
I can no longer do dips or flat bench press. Problem happened while lifting heavy during a two month period. I did a lot of dips. Now my chest pops all the time. When I sneeze I have to grab a hold of something because I will feel pain. Not sure if I should go to a doctor or not. This sucks because I don't think I will ever be able to bench again or lift heavy with my chest. I'm 31.
hello my fellow chest poppers. i have been expierencing major discomfort like everyone, but for me its been a fairly recently developed problem, thats occured inthe past 6 months or so. ive always had some sort of tightness in my back and chest because i do alot of sitting in front of the computer for work and sometimes play, but its gotten really bad. to the point where i feel where it needs to crack in my chest, but wont when i stretch and in the outcome i am left with more discomfort in the form of an achy soreness feeling in my sternum. ive been dealing with this as it has been getting worse. i had a chiropractor come and adjust my sternum but i think he may have done more damage but misadjusting it, as the pain shifting from my right side, to exactly on top of my sternum. it too hurts when i touch it, and sometimes it feels very constricting on my chest.
well t here is good news.
today i was doing very bad and desperatly trying to solve this problem, when i tried something that miraclously worked and so i am here to share with all of you. its a form of stretching i did.
now first, lay on your back on the floor, (either hardwood or marble.. no carpet. ) . just lay there for a minute. it should feel very comforting and good. next turn around on your stomach. and as you are layingon your stomach, bent your upper torso up, and position yourself on your elbows. sit in this position for 10 minutes, and then shift your position on your elbows either closer to you or further away from you. try to find that spot and sit there on your elbows, laying on your stomach, and rest your chin on your fists, as if you are a four year old child laying on the floor watching tv.. laying on the floor like this literally felt so good, ive been doing it for an hour and i cant describe to you. i feel like a new person. i feel very rejuvunated and refreshed. as i am sitting here i am shrugging my shoulders in a circular motion to find the spot of my discomfort and i cant even find it.
here is my two cents on what could be causing the problem.. YOUR BED. yes, your bed!. ive noticed this develop ever since i started sleeping on an air matress in my condo. the air matress is super soft and i think thats what is bothering me. at home i have a very firm bed, with a memory foam coushin on top and i never expierenced anythign like this. i think tonight im actually going to sleep on the floor.
so fellow back poppers quit trying to find that spot, and instead lay on it!
well t here is good news.
today i was doing very bad and desperatly trying to solve this problem, when i tried something that miraclously worked and so i am here to share with all of you. its a form of stretching i did.
now first, lay on your back on the floor, (either hardwood or marble.. no carpet. ) . just lay there for a minute. it should feel very comforting and good. next turn around on your stomach. and as you are layingon your stomach, bent your upper torso up, and position yourself on your elbows. sit in this position for 10 minutes, and then shift your position on your elbows either closer to you or further away from you. try to find that spot and sit there on your elbows, laying on your stomach, and rest your chin on your fists, as if you are a four year old child laying on the floor watching tv.. laying on the floor like this literally felt so good, ive been doing it for an hour and i cant describe to you. i feel like a new person. i feel very rejuvunated and refreshed. as i am sitting here i am shrugging my shoulders in a circular motion to find the spot of my discomfort and i cant even find it.
here is my two cents on what could be causing the problem.. YOUR BED. yes, your bed!. ive noticed this develop ever since i started sleeping on an air matress in my condo. the air matress is super soft and i think thats what is bothering me. at home i have a very firm bed, with a memory foam coushin on top and i never expierenced anythign like this. i think tonight im actually going to sleep on the floor.
so fellow back poppers quit trying to find that spot, and instead lay on it!