Breastbone Pain | Causes | Symptoms | Treatment |

 

Breastbone, also known as the sternum, is the vertical bone that connects your ribs. Also attached to the collar bone and other muscles and bones through cartilage, the sternum forms a part of the rib cage.

 

Owing to its placement, sternum pain can be indicative of many different underlying conditions. So, if you are experiencing breast bone pain, it could be because you’re coughing too much - or it could be the result of a heart attack.

 

As a result, you have to be very cautious when handling sternum pain.

 

Making our jobs easier (or harder depending on your perspective) is a condition called “Costochondritis” which accounts for approximately one-third of patients with chest wall pain. Let’s now look at what costochondritis is, its causes, symptoms and treatment methods:

 

What is Costochondritis?

Costochondritis is one of the most common causes of breastbone pain, and it is particularly common among women aged 40-50.

 

If you fall under this category, you’ve most likely identified the cause for your sternum pain. If not, we will cover the other probable causes of breastbone pain later in the article.

 

Also known as chest wall pain, costochondritis is associated with swelling of the cartilage which connects your rib to the sternum. If swelling is visible in the sternum, you are experiencing a similar but not identical condition called Tietze Syndrome.

 

After having defined costochondritis, let’s now look at its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatments:

 

Symptoms:

These are the most common symptoms of costochondritis:

• The pain appears on the left side of your sternum.
• The pain is sharp and aching, and can feel like somebody is sitting on your breastbone.
• The pain, while most intense on the cartilage, can spread to more ribs.
• The pain can radiate to the shoulders and arm.
• The pain gets worse when taking a deep breath, coughing, sneezing, and with any chest wall movement.

 

Causes:

The exact cause of costochondritis is unknown, however, experts believe that multiple micro-traumas can add up to trigger costochondritis. Some of these triggers are listed below:

• Rib and chest injuries
• Chest infections that irritate your cartilage
• Doing strenuous physical activities without proper rest and recovery(this includes playing contact sports and intense workouts)
• Suddenly participating in physical activities your body is not used to(like lifting heavy things when helping your friend move)

While the exact cause is not clear, certain people are more likely to get costochondritis. The risk factors are related to age, gender and jobs.

 

Women in their forties and older folks in general are more likely to have chest wall pain.

 

Similarly, athletes who play contact sports report higher rates of costochondritis, a result of the physicality they endure on a day to day basis.

Diagnosis:

The diagnosis of costochondritis is a diagnosis of elimination, as the exact cause of the condition is still unclear.

 

As a result, consulting a doctor as soon as you feel chest pain is advisable, even if it is just to rule out the more threatening diagnosis like heart attack and rheumatoid arthritis.

 

You can expect tests like chest X-rays and electrocardiograms to be performed while at the doctor’s. 

 

Treatment:

Because the exact cause of chest wall pain remains in doubt, doctors prefer a conservative method to deal with the condition.

 

If you are experiencing sternum pain(which has been caused by costochondritis), there is some good news for you!

 

Costochondritis usually gets better on its own over time. Surgical procedures are not usually recommended and the treatment methods are minimally invasive if the pain lasts longer than normal.

 

Chest wall pain usually lasts for a few weeks, but you shouldn’t worry if the pain has lasted for more as cases have been reported where the condition took several months to get better.

 

If the pain is too unbearable during that time, doctors recommend painkillers that can be bought over the counter.

 

If the pain does not get better over the normal time frame, a steroid injection is prescribed to reduce inflammation and improve the pain.

 

Other conditions that cause breastbone pain:

This is a list of conditions that also cause sternum pain:

Muscle strains:

Muscle strains are caused by your muscles being stretched too much and tearing as a result. Muscle strains cause sternum pain when the muscles are located near your breastbone as they are connected with cartilages.

Collarbone fractures:

As we’ve mentioned before, collarbones and breastbones are connected. As a result, collarbone fractures also cause sternum pain.

Hernia:

A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body pushes through a weakness in the muscle or surrounding tissue wall. An epigastric hernia causes a lump to be formed between your belly and the sternum and thus results in breastbone pain.

Sternum fracture:

This particular cause is quite obvious. Sternum fracture, which can happen after vehicle accidents, causes immense breastbone pain.

Cancer:

While this does not happen often, tumors can develop on your sternum. These tumors can be cancerous or non-cancerous. Either way, they cause breastbone pain.

As we can see, the causes of sternum pain can range from too much coughing to a tumor. As a result, it is recommended that you consult a doctor as soon as the pain does not fade over a couple of days.

 

You can book a consultation here.