Sternum Pain Causes And Relief

Sternum pain causes and relief. This is a pain that is felt in the chest bone and around it. Sternum is the chest bone in the center of the chest. It is the place where all the ribs join. A pain in the sternum is generally not a serious matter unless it has been there for a few days and is not alleviating at all. There can be many causes of sternum pain which can cause mild or severe pain.
Causes of sternum pain : 
The common causes of sternum pain are :

• Exercise and muscle tear : People who do strenuous exercise or hard physical activity often experience bouts of mild to severe sternum pain. Exercises like dips, push ups, bench presses put strong forces on the sternum and the muscles around it. While doing these exercises, sometimes the person may overexert and this may lead to injury in the pectoralis major muscle. This is the huge chest muscle. It can get stretched easily if the body is not warmed up for exercise. A tear in this muscle, especially around the sternum or at its joining point in the shoulder can be quite painful. Muscle tears take some time to heal. 
• Injury to the sternum : Sometimes, one may injure the sternum during an injury, like in a bad fall. Landing on the ribs often transmits excessive forces to the sternum, thus causing sharp pain. If you have injured yourself and there is sharp sternum pain, it is better to see a doctor. There can be minor fracture or deformity in the sternum which can be seen on an X-ray. 
• Costochondritis is a disease that causes inflammation of the cartilage which joins the rib bones to the sternum bones. It is a very painful condition and often the patient experiences intense pain. There may be swelling at the place where the ribs join the sternum. One should take medical help for this condition. 
• Bone cancer can also be the cause of sternum pain. It causes pain that feels like it is coming from deep within the bone. There are hardly any external symptoms to point out the difference. Pain is bone cancer is really deep set and very painful.  
• Acid reflux causes the food pipe to scar. Whenever there is back flow of stomach acid into the esophagus, it pains sharply. This heartburn can be felt right behind the sternum. 
• Posture imperfections can cause popping in the sternum. A pop sound comes while moving the body, like stretching. This rarely causes pain. 

In most cases, the pain is due to muscle injury. There are excellent home remedies to ease sternum pain. 
How to relieve sternum pain at home : 

• Warm cloth : Take a cotton cloth, warm it up and apply it to the sternum. If it feels better, then one can tie this cloth to the sternum and the back and then sleep. This simple remedy can provide great relief from sternum pain. 
• Rest : In most of the conditions which lead to sternum pain, taking rest would help a lot. Drink tea for its antioxidant benefits and eat a diet which promotes faster healing of musculo skeletal injury. This includes protein rich foods like chicken, fish, nuts and seeds.