Several significant symptoms are associated with a broken sternum, also called the breast bone. According to Trauma.org, chest wall injuries, including a fractured sternum, may be caused by blunt force trauma, and the severity of sternal fractures can range from mild bruising to severe internal injuries of the heart and lungs. Motor vehicle accidents in which the chest strikes the steering wheel or dashboard are a common cause of sternal fractures.
Breathing Difficulty
Breathing difficulty is a symptom associated with severe sternal fractures. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, breathing difficulty involves the sensation of labored breathing or not being able to get enough air, and can be caused by many conditions, including compression injuries of the chest wall, such as sternal fractures. Breathing difficulty alone following chest trauma is not necessarily indicative of a sternal fracture, however, which underscores the importance of a thorough and comprehensive examination by a health care professional following a chest injury to determine if a fracture has in fact occurred. The breathing difficulty or dyspnea that accompanies a sternal fracture is present in approximately 50 percent of cases, states the M.D. Guidelines website, which also notes that the upper and middle thirds of the sternum are the portions most frequently fractured.
Swelling, Bruising & Inflammation
Swelling, bruising and inflammation around the injury site are common symptoms associated with a sternal fracture. The Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine states that bone fractures, including sternal fractures, cause swelling and sometimes bruising, especially in the soft tissues at and around the fracture site—such as the pectoral and intercostal or rib muscles and their connective tissue. A routine part of the physical examination for anyone with chest wall pain secondary to trauma, such as that incurred during a motor vehicle accident, involves observation of the chest and ribcage for evidence for bruising or ecchymoses, swelling or edema, inflammation of the soft tissues and chest wall asymmetries. Together, these symptoms strongly suggest the presence of a rib or sternal fracture. While the sternal fracture requires time to heal, accompanying soft tissue injuries may be helped by the following modalities: instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, low level light therapy and frequency-specific microcurrent.
Chest Pain & Complications
Chest pain is one of the most common symptoms associated with sternal fractures. According to the Medcyclopaedia website, sternal fractures can cause severe chest pain, along with numerous serious health conditions, including cuts and bruises to the heart, rupture of the sac surrounding the heart with accompanying fluid accumulation in the sac, lacerations to the heart valves or the aortic artery, lung damage and damage to other bones. Pain radiating outward from the center of the chest is characteristic of sternal fractures, and movement of the chest wall and torso, along with deep breathing, is likely to aggravate the pain. The M.D. Guidelines website states that most sternal fractures will heal on their own, fracture-related pain will dissipate in six to 12 weeks and that, in the absence of complications or other significant injuries, the prognosis for a complete recovery is excellent.
