Pain in your chest or sternum can be uncomfortable, especially when stretching your arms or chest muscles. Your sternum in located in the middle of your chest and serves as the origin point of your ribs on your skeleton. While this bone is very hard and sturdy, an injury to this area of your body can be extremely painful and even debilitating. Stretching with a sternum injury can increase this discomfort.
Chest Pain
Pain within your chest can differ in intensity depending on the cause of your condition, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include pressure, fullness or tightness in the chest, a searing or crushing pain that radiates throughout your chest and upper body or pain that lasts a few moments and then goes away. When stretching, this pain may increase, especially if you have the medical condition known as costochondritis.
Costochondritis
According to the Mayo Clinic, costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum. It causes sharp pains around your sternum, specifically around the joint where your ribs and breastbone are connected with rubbery cartilage. This pain can be made worse as you stretch your chest muscles and pull on the inflamed cartilage. At times, the pain associated with this condition can be as intense as that experienced with a heart attack.
Possible Causes
Sternum pain and costochondritis can stem from various sources, including injury or another medical condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, these causes include a sprain or strain in your chest muscles, an upper respiratory illness, infection, fibromyalgia or pain radiating from another area in your body.
Considerations
If you begin to experience a severe amount of pain in your chest, do not waste time trying to determine if your chest pain is a result of an injury, disease or heart attack. Seek medical attention immediately from your doctor, who will work with you to determine the cause and severity of your sternum pain.
