Sternum pain

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

Hi!

I've been suffering from sternum pain from a few months now and I really don't know what it could be. I'm not taking any medicines and I'm eating properly and doing a lot of exercise. I don't think it could be due to some heart problems. And my family doctor has never told me about any heart or other organs disorder. Do you have any idea what it could be?

Sometimes I can stretch my rib cage and it relieves the pan a bit. And I believe it's more painful after waking up. Maybe because I sleep on stomach? But what does it have to do with sternum?

I've just tried doing a new exercise called Wall Walking and when I bent backward to put my hands on the wall behind me, I heard a big "pop" sound. This was freaking!

[onesp1ng]

what kind of a pain and where exactly is it located?

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

What kind of pain, I really can't say
But it is located around the lower part of the sternum bone

[onesp1ng]

is it near the bone or does it feel as though it's deeper in. I mean, if you can't describe the pain then your probably going to have an even harder time getting any kind of response. Duodenal ulcers, which are located in the stomach lining and cause a very awkward type of pain...basically because they're cuts that are being contaminated by acids, can be found in that area. There wouldn't be a pop, however.

[doc]

Well, not enough information from you post to even start. Try reading this:

http://www.russbo.org/vb/showpost.php?p=3489&postcount=2

Is it in the center of the sternum, to the side, does it hurt more when you breathe deeply, what makes it worse, what makes it better, how old are you, what did you do to cause it, how did it start, what does it feel like, do you have fever, chills, reflux, the burpies, discomfort after eating, dizziness, family history of heart disorders, asthma; kind of hard to take a direction on this with just "sternal pain".

I suspect that this may be costochondritis, but, with what you've said so far, it's hard to tell.

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

Well as I said, I really doubt I could have an heart disease. Yes my grandfather died from heart attack but he was 90 y.o. and he smoked a lot since teenage... My grandmother too has heart problems but I believe that's all.. I've never had any trouble with my heart, always had a good cardio, did a lot of sports, not eating junk food.

No it doesn't hurt more when I breathe deeply. What make it worse? Seriously, I really don't know... Resting seems to make it worse. If I'm sitting for long period of time, sometimes it gets worse. When I wake up it's the worse time. I feel very tight in that area. So I expand my rib cage and stretch the sternum area, pulling arms back, that is painful! But once it's stretched, I can try stretching again and I won't get as much pain because it has been stretched already...

Could unproper posture while sitting lead to this? Or when sleeping?

The post you wanted me to read made me think of something. I am lifting weights twice a week. Yes it could make my pain worse but a few months ago, I wasn't training with weights and I had that pain...

"is it near the bone or does it feel as though it's deeper in. "
Yes it's near the bone, maybe the bone and cartilage are hurting maybe it's a little deeper, behind the sternum.

No asthma, no fever, I haven't been sick for a long time.

I am 18.

This evening I had discomfort after eating, maybe because of that clicking sound in the afternoon, I don't know what happened, but I'm pretty sure it will be normal tomorrow.

If I'm punching from left and right in a circle movement, I can feel the pain because the chest muscles need to contract.


Does all this help you more? Do you think of anything? Could it still be Costochondritis?

Here a picture showing where is the pain (the red circle, the black box doesn't have anything to do there)

[tetsumaru]

Hey I thought about this a bit i think its happened to me but maybe not as servere...when i go into the bridge i wll get that cracking every now and then but perhaps what happend to use was a muscle pull...here is the information that helped me come to my conclusion

OWWWW

[Shaolin_Disciple_8]

A muscle pull you think? hmmm...
anyway, thanks for the info!


I tried again doing that Wall Walking (Back Bridge would do the same thing) and damn the cracking happened again. Is a cracking sternum normal?? Is it just like cracking knucles, harmless? I'm ok with hearing a crack from ankles, knees, wrists but this particular area is freaking.

[doc]

Well, I should have elaborated more before. Sorry, I'm exhausted, and have been busy getting things in order.

Cracking or clicking noises that emanate from the body usually have to do with joints, or, tendons that traverse over joints. The sound and sensation that you experience, in that part of the body, most likely emanates from the costochondral cartilages. Pain in that area, which can be chronic, can be from this non descript, not well understood, "costochondritis", which is an irritation and inflammation of the cattilages which joins the ribs to the sternum. Small fractures, or separations, of those cartilages, can also lead to pain, and "popping" sounds, that emanate from that lateral sternal area.

Bench pressing, because of the stress that the nearby attached pectoralis muscles generate, can aggravate this situation / injury.

Best thing for you to do, is give it a rest and let it heal. These things take time, sometimes upwards of months. Doesn't mean you should stop doing all exercise, just, take it easy.

PS: I just looked at your reference site. Pectoral muscle strain may be a component in your pain syndrome here, but, that won't cause the popping or cracking sounds that you sense. Take it easy on those joints, and let them recover, before you develop a more chronic syndrome.

[O-Ran]

Dear Shaolin Disciple 8 !

Dont you worry to much my friend.

Im having exactly the same thing.

the cracking my friends is due to a stagnation of qi or blood in that area..

i think its a stegnation in the pericarduim meridian which is the companion of the Liver meridianh (combined they are a layer called "Jue Yin")

thos are very very verrrry emotional meridians...
which leads me to the question:

How stressed are you in the last few months?
Has anything disturbing happend in your life? (Girlfirend problems, family problems, dificullties at school, etc')?

the cracking is NOT dangerous and does not have to imply on a pathologic case.

its only qi "poping out" of a stagnation...

my opinion?
go consult a chinese medicine practitioner


wishing all the best for you,

oran.

[doc]

The emotional aspect of this is a good point. Anxiety can be a contributing factor to gastritis, which can manifest itself as epigastric pain (which, is occasionally described by patients to be in the lower sternal area). As for stagnant qi, well, I need to learn more about that.

[O-Ran]

Im new here my friend
(i came here because some1 told me there is a thread here about DIMAK and the outcome of using it on each of the acupuncture points..have'nt found it yet..lol)

but it seems to me that you are deep in martial arts from the far east and they all lean on the principle of using and manipulating the qi flow.

so i would be more than honored to contribute a little knowledge about qi
and the chinese philosophy

have a lovely day

[doc]

We'd be more than honored if you'd contribute your knowledge of this to us. Feel free to start new threads in the appropriate sections.