Exercise is supposed to be beneficial for your heart, bones and all body tissues. Occasionally, though, you can end up with strange pains occurring during exercise. If the chronic pain is in your sternum, meaning in the center of your chest and ribcage, get it diagnosed by a doctor. Some causes are simple to take care of, but chronic sternum pain can indicate more serious conditions, including those affecting organs in other areas of your abdomen and chest.
Inflammation
A common and often benign possibility is costochondritis, an inflammation in the sternum cartilage that causes pain when you move or even breathe. It can be caused by an infection, too, so you must see a doctor to determine the best treatment. Columbia University notes that Tietze syndrome is another inflammatory condition that could cause sternum pain, although Tietze syndrome lasts much longer than costochondritis.
Angina
Angina, a heavy, squeezing type of feeling in your chest near your sternum, can occur during exercise. It is an indication that you have heart disease, and is an example of why you have to see your doctor if you have chest pain. Even children can develop angina, so no matter your age or fitness level, get medical attention as soon as possible to start controlling the angina and preventing any further heart disease from developing.
Radiating Pain
Diagnosing abdominal or chest pain can be frustrating because pain can start in one place and radiate to another. Pain from lung and esophageal conditions such as pleurisy and reflux may be in the lungs or esophagus but feel like it is in the ribs or sternum. The only way to diagnose these is to see a doctor.
Sprains and Mechanical Injuries
One more item to ask your doctor about, if everything else checks out as all right, is whether the pain could be due to an injury from the exercise. If your weightlifting form is bad, or if your exercise has you twisting or stretching, it's entirely possible that your pain is due to something like a pulled muscle or injured cartilage. One form of injury is slipping rib syndrome, in which the bottom ribs that are connected by tissue slip over one another when you twist or turn your torso. A 1986 review in "Pediatrics in Review" noted that this could be the result of a cartilage injury. The pain normally occurs along those ribs, but if the injured area is close to the center of your torso, it could feel like sternum pain.
Considerations
Unexplained chest pain is something that you really do have to have checked out by a doctor. If it does turn out to be something serious, you have a better chance of stopping or controlling it if you catch it early. The good news is that it could also be due to something very benign and temporary. Prepare notes for the doctor on when it occurs and what it feels like. Try to remember if it happens only during cardio exercise like running, or if it happens with weights; if it is a pervasive pain that exists no matter what you do, or if it happens only when you work a certain muscle group; and other characteristics of the pain. When it occurs is important, too, as well as the intensity of the exercise that seems to bring it on.
