Sternum Pain on Chins

[csapaugh]

Basically, for a long time now, my sternum will "pop" when I sneeze somewhat hard. It kind of hurts for a few seconds after, but then it feels normal.

The problem is, when I try to do chins, if my sternum has not "popped" it really hurts to do a single chin. The pressure builds up on my sternum and it feels like I can't even do a single chin. Sometimes it pops while I am doing chins. Once my sternum pops I can do chins fine with no pain at all. I often try to sneeze before my workouts to get it to pop, or I have to hope it pops while starting chins. It doesn't bother me on any other lifts.

Any help?? I haven't had an injury recently, and I don't know if letting it rest would help, because I have had this for a few years now.

[Bekah Cygan]

It sounds like you have injured your sterno-costal ligaments at some point in your life. Your ribs articulate with your sternum with a synovial joint and are held together by ligaments. Just like a person who has "sprained" an ankle and finds that the ankle is less stable than it was before, if you "strain" your ligaments that attach your ribs to your sternum- you now have a less stable joint. The reason you fee the need to "pop" the sternum is because the joint has shifted out of alignment and it is uncomfortable and your body wants to get the alignment of the joint back to its proper place. This can be pretty painful actually. Some people think they are having "chest pains" as in a heart attack. The reality is though, that it is not dangerous, nor treatable. Usually this irritation will clear up on its own.

It is common to have the joint displace during a violent contraction of the trunk musculature during a sneeze and the fact that you have been experiencing this for a couple of years is not uncommon. Chin ups could be problematic- due to the contraction of the pecs and rectus abdominal muscle.

Have you tried moving your grip out? Do pull ups cause the same issues?

I don't think you need to stop training chins, but maybe make some adjustments.

[csapaugh]

Hi Bekah, thanks so much for the help! It definitely feels like it is a sterno-costal ligament as you described. I've never had terrible pain, so maybe mine isn't too bad. I did have a pretty bad bicycle accident in college and had to go to the ER. Perhaps that is when I injured it, although it didn't really ever hurt then. Basically, there was never a time I can remember when I hurt it for the first time real bad. If I didn't ever sneeze or do chins I probably would hardly know I had it.

I will try moving my grip out. I haven't tried that yet. Neither have I tried pull-ups, probably because I am pretty weak in the upper body (I weigh 250 and can do about 3x3 in chins). I will give them a shot too.

Thanks for all the info. I am glad to know that it is nothing too serious and can't really be fixed by anything but time. I thought about asking my doctor about it, but decided not to since I assumed he would just tell me not to do chins or bench press or lift.

So just to make sure, the "pop" is actually getting it back into proper alignment, while it being "un-popped" and hurting is out of alignment? I hope one day it may clear up!

[Bekah Cygan]

You are welcome. A bicycle accident sounds like a likely culprit. Yes- exactly- when it pops- it relaligns. That is why you feel relief when it pops.