I have somewhat the same problem im 25yrs old. Ever since I could remember I cracked my bones it got worse when I was 18yrs old I had my little brother step on my back to crack it. Well now I am 25 and for the last pass 7 yrs I have had my girlfriend step on my chest and back. I feel so uncomfortable if she doesnt step on it. When she does it cracks and I feel so relaxed stress free. But in about 3 hours after the fact I need her to step on it again

Ive just turned 18 and my chest has been cracking for about a year now. Its not incredibly painfull but im sure its not right. I went to the doctors recently and said its probably "growing pains" im not convinced and want a second opinion

Thank god I found this site..
I live in england and have been having problems with, sternum, chest, had all sorts of tests, heart ect.
First onslaught of pain after moving widescreen t.V to watch sports!!
Stabbing in back left shoulder blade, intense, thought I was having a heart attack!! Rushed to hospital, told me i'd pulled something...
Breathing problems, dizziness, headaches, a burning in my shoulders and neck, and that large man sitting on my sternum all the time.
:cry: couldn't drive, shooting pains up my arms when I walked , pins and needles and bad circulation...
Read this site and went back to see very stupid, unhelpful doctor!!
He agreed it was costa...
So now, no more worrying and anxiety attacks, no more racing heart, b.P. Is down, not stressing anymore, just chilling and waiting for however long it takes to fix it'self. Thanks guys, maybe you should be doctors over here!!! : :) :d :!:

I've read alot of these posts and checked out most of the additional links some provide. Much like everyone else I went to the doctor who couldn't find anything wrong and did x-rays which couldn't find any structural damage. When I read the post about costochondritis and looked up the symptoms it coincided exactly with what I had.

Symptoms:

build up of pressure on the body of the sternum sometimes relieved by cracking the sternuma and releases fluid.

Problem: inflamed cartilidge connecting the ribs to the sternum caused by physical trauma... Ie. For me it was weight lifting.

Solution: ibuprofen to decrease inflamation (this stuff can cause ulcers in your stomach), not cracking your chest, having gluclosomin sulfate supposed to aid in reparing cartilidge and tendons.

I also have been dealing with the sternum cracking and have been to many doctors that have all looked at me like something was wrong with me other than my chest.

Has anyone here looked into prolotherapy by chance?

I have had this problem since the day I so very stupidly threw my arms back I heard a loud crack. It then started to feel tight every now and then and in order to make it feel better I needed to crack it in place again. I saw a doctor for this probelm 10 yrs ago he sent me for xrays the xrays showed nothing I asked what it could be and his reply was that I probably fractured my sternum but that wouldn't show up on an xray because the sternum is cartilage. It hurts to this day I went months without it bothering me until I struggled to put my seat belt on I thought I was having a heart attack. I am going to see what another Dr. Says can't this be a danger to all of us with this problem? Anyone with info on what to do or who to see please reply.

I have this problem also. It started a couple of weeks ago when I was doing a handstand. At first I was only able to do it in a handstand, and then it got easier and easier, as some of you said, when I throw my arms behind me and stretch.My girlfriend is very worried. I wasn't at first, but after reading this thread, I may go see a doctor. I don't have the chest pains though. I had them a little yesterday, but other than that all I do is crack, nothing else. But from what I have read it sounds like it may get worse. The only thing I don't understand is that when you crak your knuckles, you are releasing fluid, and from the sound of this costochondritis, that's the same thing you're doing. So where is the problem if there's no pain?

-j

Yeah, I had this problem for about 3 years or so. For about four months I did some weight training, only that I hadn't weight trained in ages before I started. I didn't notice it at the time I was weight training, but after I got back to to school (i'm 24 now), I started noticing a dull pain in my sternum area. I felt pressure in my sternum and noticed that the pressure would be relieved when I stretched back and heard a pop. There was a couple of times earlier on when I felt severe pain in my sternum after cracking it. One time I was driving to work and I really stretched my chest area, because there was so much pressure. Finally it cracked really hard and then I felt a really sharp pain, which felt like I was having a heart attack. It took about 15 minutes before the pain went away. There was also another time this same thing happened. Now I don't get that severe pain anymore, but I still get a bit sore in that area, and it still cracks when I push my chest inwards and outwards. Maybe I should stop cracking it, but it becomes a habit.

My 15 year old son has been complaining about this same thing for quite a few months now & has recently expressed major concern. He's been to a medical doctor who told him that there is nothing to worry about & to not purposely crack his chest. When he found out that I was going to a chiropractor for a foot problem he asked me to inquire. Well this very knowledgeable dc said that it is probably caused from his ribs. I explained to her that his father has ankylosing sponydlitis (an arthritic condition in the spine) and that the gene is hereditary and can be brought on by trauma (in this case chiropractic treatment). She said that she has helped many people reverse ankylosing sponylitis & that she could help my son. I noticed that someone commented on shoulder pain associated with this chest thing. My son has that as well. I will keep in mind the other condition that everyone seems to mention. I'll mention it to the chiro.

Good luck to everyone & please keep in mind that you are responsible for your own health. With some research on your part & with the help of natural treatments, conditions like this can be reversed. Do not take medication, it only makes you sicker and masks the problems. Use natural treatments like msm, glucosamine suphate, type 2 collagens, fish oils, normalizing ph levels, etc.

Nikki in to

I have the same exact problem with my sternum I always walked on my hands and did this move called hollow back and for as long as I can remember I had to crack my sternum just to make it through the day what I do is I just clench my shoulder blades together and arch my back and hear the most horrific sound :(

I thought I was the only one I think since I used to always strech my sternum it never fused properly causing me this discomfort because it seems like it flexes

Keep your shoulders back and chin up it helps :d

I wish I had found this site sooner. My 14 year old son has been complaining of chest pain in the sternum area. After ruling out gastritus and indegestion we decided to have him checked out by his doctor. He knew right away what it was. He ruled out any heart problems by running an ekg and doing a cardiac enzyme blood test (although I think that was for me lol ) he said my son had costochondritis. An inflamation or strain in the joint that connects the ribs to the sternum. Probably caused by football. Anyway now we are breathing much easier. Good luck to you all!!

:evil: sternum crackers unite!!! :twisted:
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believe me, i'm no doctor, but what I am is someone who uses the computer approximately 5 hours per day, 7 days a week, and has had this gig running for a few years now. (don't get personal).

I *think* the problem is slouchism, basically - being a slob, leaning forward into your pc all the time, applying pressure on your upper chest & sternum, until eventually it just cracks... It's probably like a more extreme version of the millions of back-crackers out there.

Of course it could be caused by other things, like weight lifting too. And i'm sure us peoples are just more inclined to this weird sternum cracking business than others, for example; I bet most people can probably crack their knuckles, toes, back in more than 1 place, neck both sides, knees, hips and now the sternum.

Beats me... Doctors are pretty much usless at pretty much everything... I reckon if you didn't crack it so much, drank milk, keep a good posture and maybe even work-out (carefully) it will sort itself out??

I've been dealing with the popping/cracking of my sternum for the past 8 years and the older I get, the more it seems to crack. I also lift weights which is what I think may have caused the constant cracking because this is when I first felt the pressure in my chest. I've talked to both my physician and chiropractor with both of them saying not to worry about it, although they did look a little perplexed when I mentioned that my chest "pops". I haven't experienced any real pain, just mainly soreness. It always pops in the morning and whenever I have my chin closest to my chest (like reading a book or the newspaper). It feels like so much pressure is released when I crack it, that it has become very hard not to. I feel that by not intentionally cracking your chest when you feel the need, may help in not having to pop it at all but like most habits, it's tough not to do it. Glad to know there are others out there.

As a chiropractor (who no longer practices) but has costochondritis, I can tell you that first you need to rule out something more dangerous.

The pain is most likely due to some irritation of the intercostal nerves that innervate the joint, sending excruciating pains around the chest into the back. Sternocostal and costochondral ligaments refer pain from the front of the chest to the mid back.

I used gray's anatomy to refresh my memory and I quote:

"synovial membranes.—there is no synovial membrane between the first costal cartilage and the sternum, as this cartilage is directly continuous with the manubrium. There are two in the articulation of the second costal cartilage and generally one in each of the other joints; but those of the sixth and seventh sternocostal joints are sometimes absent; where an interarticular ligament is present, there are two synovial cavities. After middle life the articular surfaces lose their polish, become roughened, and the synovial membranes apparently disappear. In old age, the cartilages of most of the ribs become continuous with the sternum, and the joint cavities are consequently obliterated."

since there is synovial membranes, one may assume that there is synovial fluid, like in the joints of the fingers and vertebrae. The current hypothesis on joint cracking is that the noise comes from cavitation of the joint, which draws gas out of the synovial fluid and makes a popping sound in the process. You can often cause a popping just by moving/stretching.


I am not too concerned by the pain (because I know where it comes from) and the popping makes a great party trick. You will probably find a lot of misinformation on the subject because most md's have a poor knowledge of physical medicine and many chiropractors are quacks. Try to get yourself to a do or someone who deals with manual medicine. A good chiropractor should be able to figure this out (notice I said a good chiropractor, something of an oxymoron)

the chances are that if you can reproduce or increase the pain by trunk rotation, this is the issue, but still get it checked out to ddx other nasties.

Just to make sure you get it. This post is not medical, chiropractic, naturopathic, homeopathic or psychopathic advice. Just some insight from 4 years of voodoo school

I had similar pain and was recently diagnosed with adult all leukemia. I am in chemo now and that was the 1st sign and is a sign of leukemia, get check by a specialist not you gp as they are not thorough. My best to you. I am 29 and 100 percent strong otherwise so please check it out.

Im a 24 year old male who just started to experience pain in my sternum. It hurts when I sneeze/cough, turn my body, or exhale deeply (especially the exhale). Also, my back seems to crack a lot more than usual. It could very well be costochondritis, but I haven't been to the hospital yet for an ekg to rule out heart problems. But before I visit those scam artists, I would like to ask a question..

A couple of months ago I stopped eating and drinking dairy products (because they are very bad for you). Since then I obviously haven't had a large intake of calcium. Is it possible that my sternum and back are cracking and giving me pain due to a lack of calcium?

Anyone out there in the same situation as me?

I have also just started taking a calcium supplement, so I will keep y'all updated.

Today I cracked my sternum by accident and the pain actually made me cry it's still hurting especially when I move any of my limbs exhale cough walk just about anything that involves moving it hurts mostly right between my breasts im 14 and would like to know why it is hurting so much