Pulling or straining a muscle in your chest can cause pain around your sternum.Ĭommon symptoms of a pulled muscle include: swelling and tenderness over the sternum.pops, clicks, or grinding noises when you move your arms.

Examples of this include your seat belt tightening in a car accident or your chest getting hit while you’re playing sports or doing other high-impact physical activity. This type of injury is often caused by blunt force injuries to your chest. abnormal frontward sagging of your shoulderįracturing your sternum can cause a lot of pain, because your sternum is involved in many of your upper body movements.pops, clicks, or grinding noises when you lift your arm.swelling or tenderness around collarbone area.intense pain when you try to move your arm upwards.bruises or bumps around area of collarbone injury.The collarbone is directly connected to your sternum, so injuries, dislocation, fractures, or other trauma to the collarbone can affect the sternum.Ĭommon symptoms of collarbone trauma include: feeling stiff around the joint or not being able to fully move your shoulder.hearing pops or clicks in the joint area.feeling mild pain or having aching and swelling around your upper chest and collarbone area.Injury to this joint can cause pain and discomfort in your sternum and in the area in your upper chest where this joint exists.Ĭommon symptoms of injury to this joint include: The sternoclavicular joint (SC joint) connects the top of your sternum with your collarbone (clavicle). These aren’t the only musculoskeletal conditions that may make your sternum hurt, but they’re among the most common. surgery on the sternum (such as open heart surgery).What other musculoskeletal conditions cause sternum pain?Ĭonditions or injuries to the muscles and bones around your sternum can also cause sternum pain. Keep reading to learn the most common reasons for sternum pain and when you should see your doctor. Sternum pain is actually more likely caused by conditions that have to do with your muscles, your bones, or your digestive tract than with your heart or the sternum itself. This is especially true if you’re under age 40 and don’t have any serious health issues or existing conditions. But in many cases, chest pain has nothing to do with your heart. Your first reaction to chest pain, especially severe or consistent chest pain, may be to think it’s a heart attack. As a result, many conditions that don’t necessarily have anything to do with your sternum may cause pain in your sternum and the surrounding area. It sits in front of many major organs located in your chest and gut, including your heart, lungs, and stomach. Your sternum, or breastbone, connects the two sides of your rib cage together. Pain in your sternum may also happen with a heart attack, but this is more likely if you’re over the age of 40 and have heart disease. Pain in your sternum, or breastbone, may be caused by a number of things, including inflammation, a joint or collarbone injury, and acid reflux.

Touch your heart