Pressure on my sternum

I too have been experiencing sternum pain for the last 6 years along with upper back pain radiating through my left rib cage. I do not have a cracking issue. I have been to my GP, had a upper GI, visited a cardiologist and rheumatologist, had a MRI, visited a orthopredist, had physical therapy, went to a spine specialist, seen a Chiropractor and no one can come up with a diagnosis. The spine specialist said it might be costrochondritis, but it never goes away, so I am not confident with that diagnosis.

People cannot empathize with the chronic pain. I travel 2 hours on trains to work each direction and work on a computer for hours. I have tried different ergonimic solutions at work, but nothing helps.

I have taken nerve medication, antidepressants, pain pills, but nothing helps.

It is good to see that I am not alone, it at least makes me feel that I am not the only one. I just wish someone can help me and all of you.

I've had the same problem for about a year and a half ago. i work alot with computers (both for work and for fun). I played alot of video games when I was young (mostly computer games). The posture that you have, and the desk that you have, when typing and on the computer has alot to do with the problems you migth be expreiencing.

I am not overweight, i am in fact tall and lanky. Im 6'1" 130lbs

If you do ANY work with computers or typing, make sure you get a desk and a chair that properly suits you. Check out this website to see how to set your desk up:

http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/ergo

Buying a new desk and chair is the best investment that you can make, i'm serious here. You will save yourself alot of pain and trouble simply by having proper posture when typing.

As for the condition. i've had it since I was 17 (im 18 now). As some have said it does feel good to "pop" my chest. I have always done it by leaning back in a chair or something. However, i have passed out when popping my chest and with disastrous consequences. If you lean back by arching your back you can sometimes lose consciousness either by cutting off blood to your brain (if you arch your neck aswell) or by simply having a vasovagal response (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope). Don't worry too much if that happens, although it can be pretty scary, its not harmful (i once fell on my face off of a chair, and really screwed up my face, embarrassing, but I recovered :-). If you DO need to pop your chest, make sure that you do it in a location that is safe :-). I started doing it while sitting down on a bed after that.

I have recently had less problems and haven't cracked my chest in about 3 months. I would make it a habit not to as it is an "addictive" feeling, similar to that of smoking or any other vice, you get a short high off of doing it, reminds me of nitrous, or laughing gas.

Conclusion,

Improve your posture,
Set up your desk properly,
Stretch your entire body more often, including your chest, it will releave alot of stress,
Do breathing excercises,
Meditation and other breathing oriented arts such as Yoga really really help in this matter both by stretching your chest with controlled breathing, but most importantly releiving stress,
Do anything that releives stress, go for a run, walk your dog, take a hike, have a glass of wine (everything in moderation), have a nice evening with your significant other...

I hope this helps, i have improved my condition 10 fold and i hope it can do the same for you.

quick reply to this topic:

the "cartilage" that is being stretched here is called fascia, and its basically the stuff that holds your muscles together, the white stuff in beef jerkey if you eat that stuff.

I'm very glad to have found this site but from what I have gathered no one has found relief? I have the same pain but also have pain on my left side (chest area) front and thru to the back. My left shoulder hurts as well and sometimes feel pain down my left arm. I immediately thought of heart issues but like others all tests showed my heart to be healthy.

I experience headaches as well and this has been going on for 3+ years. Doctors look at me like they've never heard of such a thing. It's also somthing that makes me very fatigued.

Can anyone say if there is a medical remedy?

yeah I agree. I've had it for 14 years and it I can make it pop every half hour after sitting at a desk. I concluded it was from bad posture. I don't experience pain in the sternum at all, just mild pressure.



I too thought I was the only one that had this unusual problem. Everyone I know seems to be disturbed at the fact that my sternum is cracking.

Have had the same condition as mentioned above for atleast two years.

2 things I know for sure:

Poor posture doesn't help, and my chiropractor said it was from a rib that's out of place in your back actually (that's why a lot of people feel like they have pressure in their back at a concentrated point). When he massages my back he works the area of concern out, and then he proceeds to 'push' it back into position. The problem is with the muscle memory and the fact that I couldn't continue treatment... so it never "stuck".

I take a GNC product called triflex - "helps rebuild cartilage and lubricate joints"... jury's still out on whether it works or not, but I have actually noted a decrease in pain and pressure by not cracking it and being very careful with my weight lifting habits. Perhaps the medication helps too?

I hope any or all of this helps!

I have a sternum issue as well since recently. I had a car accident and decided to visit the chiropractor as opposed to a doctor, because I wanted to treat and correct the issue, not mask it by taking ibuprofen or painkillers, where a doctor can't do much for these issues. I was told my sternum/aching shoulder issue is due to a slightly misplaced rib. This is not necessarily detected by an x-ray, but a good chiropractor can tell where your problem areas are. I was also told that a rib can be misplaced simply from daily traumas, such as poor posture, stress, or poor spinal alignment. I'd recommend chiropractic to anyone, just for overall well-being and to increase the energy flow of your nervous system, which is interrupted by poor alignment of your spine. I'm no doctor, but I think the chiropractor is great! Of course it requires many visits in order to rebuild your spine's memory as it is accustomed to being poorly aligned. But it feels really good!

id just like to say that i visited this post months ago when i had an overwhelming constant need to try and crack my sternum. I never game in to the urge to crack it, and i realised today ive not felt that sensation for at least 2 months. So my advice is do not crack it, increase your exercise - i started swimming 3 times a week and gym 2 hours a week - and it will in its own time appease. It would appear if you do crack it then there is no going back and lets be honest it just doesn't seem like a good thing. Im so relieved mine has gone and was grateful to find this post when it was at it's worst - thanx for sharing everyone.


ps i swim underwater a lot so it could have been something to do with increased lung use?? i dont kno im guessing at why it improved but its the only factor that really changed in my life. oh and stopping smoking.

I have this cracking too, for about 1 year now, I think it comes from sleeping on my side with the other arm in front of my face or chest. The ribs get kind of squeezed in this position, and they crack when I stretch during workouts. I also have a very tender spot right between the sternum and one rib, where the loudest pop happened about 2 weeks ago.

I was glad to find this post. I'm 25 and have had the [sometimes painful] tightness and cracking for about 5 years now. Recently I've had some tenderness inside the ribcage as well. My posture is typically poor and I often catch myself slouched in my desk, car, etc... My back cracks often too, but is seldom painful. When I make an effort to correct my posture, I have seen some definate improvment.

Stress and caffeine intake seem to aggrivate the condition as well. I've read that others experience this with stress, but I'm wondering about the caffeine thing. Anyone have insight into caffeine's effect on bones or joints, or any experience with the same aspect of this problem?

In the mean time, keep those shoulders back!

Feel Better,

~JC

I have this problem right now but it feels good when i pop the pressure from my sternum. I usually have 3-5 cracks at once. It kind of sounds like cracking knuckles consecutively in one push. I never felt any kind of problems. This happens 100% after i do pushups or any chest contracting exercises. I never thought it was a problem until i did some research and found that alot of people have pain associated to it... Did any of you guys start this off without pain and have pain now? or am i experiencing a different feeling?

so I first noticed this problem when I was bent over touching my toes, and when I came back up and leaned back my chest made a loud popping noise. I didn't think anything of it except "wow that felt good." It happens about once a day (if I'm lucky).

Now its gotten to the point where I can actually sit up straight and crack my chest by putting pressure on it with my hands. I can also crack it by hunching my shoulders foward. The feeling is so addicting.

I'm so glad I found this forum because I definitely thought there was something wrong with me. I have to say, the inflamed cartalige caused by stress sounds like the best answer. When I read that, it actually made sense in my situation. The pain and pressue I was feeling with the stress I was going through last fall, and the fact that my sternum for whatever reason was CRACKING, made me think I was going to have a heart attack. So I thank you all for your responses, and I'm sorry if I can't give you any relief.

Good luck to all.

This is one thing that has been working with me.

When it gets pretty bad, I'm sure as all you with the same problem naturally want to pull your shoulders back and stick your chest forward to ease the pain.

But what I've been doing is just taking one huge deep breath and holding my breath, and then slowly exhale. into a natrual relaxed position. But as you're doing, you have to be calm. Relax. JUST RELAX. Ease your mind into thinking that it's just nothing to worry about an repeat the breathing cycles. It's worked to get rid of them when they occis and they definitely help when it gets bad. Just don't think about the pressure and focus on releasing your breath.

Relax.
Calm down.
Easy.
Gone.

- R2RO

I definitely feel you guys. I have had this pain for some time. It went away for a while, and now has been back for some time. It is MOST DEFINITELY from STRESS. It started the first time at a high stress job and I started smoking cigars at work. Now it is back with a new stress (everything else) and I smoke cigarettes regularly now. I have cracked stretched relaxed, and the only thing that TRULY works is to be in a quiet place, relax, think of relaxing everything, and then the newest thing I've tried is to put my thumbs into a pressure point in front of my shoulders.

There is a pressure point under your collar bone in front of the shoulders. It is the hole-like are where the tendon comes from your sternum up to the shoulder. You can feel the hole-like space right under the collar bone, but just above the armpit.

You must really relax your self first before you hole the pressure point with your thumbs, or it will not do much help. Hold your thumbs (from same arm) there (not creating much pain) and count to 10-20 seconds. breathe and relax. After you have done this, try to stay calm, and it should relieve it for a while.

Reducing stress is almost impossible at times, and smoking goes right there with that. This has been the only real relief I have gotten from this!

Overall, just try to get rid of mental stress and stop smoking. I don't think that exercise really effects it one way or the other, and it is not a medical condition as much as mental. Let me know if anyone uses this or if there are any better suggestions (seeing as my life is kinda full of stress)!

I definitely feel you guys. I have had this pain for some time. It went away for a while, and now has been back for some time. It is MOST DEFINITELY from STRESS. It started the first time at a high stress job and I started smoking cigars at work. Now it is back with a new stress (everything else) and I smoke cigarettes regularly now. I have cracked stretched relaxed, and the only thing that TRULY works is to be in a quiet place, relax, think of relaxing everything, and then the newest thing I've tried is to put my thumbs into a pressure point in front of my shoulders.

There is a pressure point under your collar bone in front of the shoulders. It is the hole-like are where the tendon comes from your sternum up to the shoulder. You can feel the hole-like space right under the collar bone, but just above the armpit.

You must really relax your self first before you hole the pressure point with your thumbs, or it will not do much help. Hold your thumbs (from same arm) there (not creating much pain) and count to 10-20 seconds. breathe and relax. After you have done this, try to stay calm, and it should relieve it for a while.

Reducing stress is almost impossible at times, and smoking goes right there with that. This has been the only real relief I have gotten from this!

Overall, just try to get rid of mental stress and stop smoking. I don't think that exercise really effects it one way or the other, and it is not a medical condition as much as mental. Let me know if anyone uses this or if there are any better suggestions (seeing as my life is kinda full of stress)!

Here is a link to a stress/pain help page: http://www.scribd.com/doc/264396/Chronic-Pain-Relief-Use-the-Emotional-Freedom-Techniques-EFT