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What's Causing My Sternum Pain?
Pain in your sternum, or breastbone, may be caused by a number of things, including inflammation, a joint or collarbone injury, and acid reflux. 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.
Your sternum, or breastbone, connects the two sides of your rib cage together. It sits in front of many major organs located in your chest and gut, including your heart, lungs, and stomach. 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.
Your first reaction to chest pain, especially severe or consistent chest pain, may be to think it's a heart attack. But in many cases, chest pain has nothing to do with your heart. This is especially true if you're under age 40 and don't have any serious health issues or existing conditions.
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.
Keep reading to learn the most common reasons for sternum pain and when you should see your doctor.
The most common cause of sternum pain is a condition called costochondritis. This occurs when the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum becomes inflamed.
Symptoms of costochondritis include:
Costochondritis doesn't always have a specific cause, but it's most often a result of a chest injury, strain from physical activity, or joint conditions like osteoarthritis. Costochondritis isn't a serious condition and shouldn't cause you to be concerned.
See your doctor if the pain persists or if you have other symptoms that might indicate a more serious underlying condition.
Conditions or injuries to the muscles and bones around your sternum can also cause sternum pain.
This includes:
These aren't the only musculoskeletal conditions that may make your sternum hurt, but they're among the most common.
Sternoclavicular joint injuryThe sternoclavicular joint (SC joint) connects the top of your sternum with your collarbone (clavicle). Injury to this joint can cause pain and discomfort in your sternum and in the area in your upper chest where this joint exists.
Common symptoms of injury to this joint include:
The collarbone is directly connected to your sternum, so injuries, dislocation, fractures, or other trauma to the collarbone can affect the sternum.
Common symptoms of collarbone trauma include:
Fracturing your sternum can cause a lot of pain, because your sternum is involved in many of your upper body movements. This type of injury is often caused by blunt force injuries to your chest. 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.
Common symptoms include:
Pulling or straining a muscle in your chest can cause pain around your sternum.
Common symptoms of a pulled muscle include:
A hernia can also cause sternum pain. A hernia happens when an organ is pushed or pulled from the area where it normally sits into a nearby part of the body.
The most common kind is a hiatal hernia. This happens when your stomach moves up past your diaphragm into your chest cavity.
Common symptoms of a hiatal hernia include:
Check out: Muscle strain treatment »
Your sternum sits right in front of several major digestive organs. Conditions that affect your esophagus, stomach, and intestines can all cause sternum pain. Having heartburn or acid reflux after a meal are the most common gastrointestinal causes for sternum pain.
HeartburnHeartburn happens when acid from your stomach leaks into your esophagus and causes chest pain. It's common to get right after you eat. Pain usually gets worse when you lie down or bend forward.
Heartburn usually goes away without treatment after a short time.
Check out: Post-meal tips to ease heartburn »
Acid refluxAcid reflux is similar to heartburn, but happens when stomach acid or even what's in your stomach starts to bother or wear away the lining of your esophagus. It can be part of a chronic condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Symptoms of acid reflux include:
Learn more: How to prevent acid reflux and heartburn »
Conditions that affect your lungs, windpipe (trachea), and other parts of your body that help you breathe can cause sternum pain.
PleurisyPleurisy happens when your pleura gets inflamed. The pleura is made up of tissue within your chest cavity and around your lungs. In some cases, fluid can build up around this tissue. This is called pleural effusion.
Common symptoms include:
Bronchitis happens when the bronchial tubes that bring air into your lungs become inflamed. It often happens when you get the flu or a cold.
Bronchitis pain can also make your sternum hurt as you breathe in and out. It can last only briefly (acute bronchitis) or become a long-term condition (chronic bronchitis) due to smoking or infections.
Common bronchitis symptoms include:
Flu or cold symptoms that can go along with bronchitis include:
Check out: 7 home remedies for bronchitis »
PneumoniaPneumonia happens when your lungs get infected by a virus or bacteria.
Common symptoms of pneumonia include:
Other conditions that affect your gastrointestinal tract or your chest muscles can cause sternum pain.
Stomach ulcerA stomach ulcer (peptic ulcer) happens when you get a sore on the lining of your stomach or at the bottom of your esophagus.
Symptoms of a stomach ulcer include:
A panic attack happens when you suddenly feel fear, as if something dangerous or threatening is happening, with no actual reason to be afraid. It's often a result of stress or a symptom of mental health conditions, such as generalized anxiety disorder or depression.
Symptoms of a panic attack include:
Check out: 11 ways to stop a panic attack »
Sternum pain can sometimes be the result of a heart attack. This is much less likely if you're under age 40 or are in overall good health. They're more likely to happen if you're over 40 and have an existing condition, such as heart disease.
A heart attack is life-threatening. You should go to the emergency room right away if you have any symptoms besides sternum pain that may indicate a heart attack, especially if they appear without any obvious cause or if you've had a heart attack before.
Symptoms of a heart attack include:
The more of these symptoms you have, the more likely that you're having a heart attack.
See your doctor right away if you have heart attack symptoms or symptoms that cause you sharp, consistent pain that gets in the way of your daily life.
You should also see your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:
If you're experiencing other symptoms and they last for more than a few days, talk to your doctor.
You can find a primary care doctor near you through the Healthline FindCare tool.
Your next steps depend on what condition might be causing your sternum pain and how severe the condition is.
You may just need to take over-the-counter pain medication or change your diet. But you may need long-term treatment if the underlying condition is more serious. In some cases, you may need surgery to treat a heart or gastrointestinal condition.
Once your doctor diagnoses the cause, they can develop a treatment plan that can help relieve the symptoms and causes of your sternum pain.
Why The Latest COVID Variant Has The World Health Organization Concerned
© William87/Getty Images Masked people walking outside Although many people across the country now consider the pandemic a thing of the past, officials continue to monitor COVID-19's development, as it is not expected to go anywhere anytime soon.
On March 29, representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that they are currently keeping a watchful eye on the latest subvariant, deemed XBB.1.16 (via U.S. News and World Report). "We're monitoring it because it has potential changes that we need to keep a good eye out on," announced Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's COVID-19 technical lead, in a public press release.
By tracking the subvariant, health officials are working to stay on top of any changes detected in its transmissibility, severity, immunity-evading abilities, and efficacy of vaccines and treatment therapies. Already, experts have identified differences in XBB.1.16 that set it uniquely apart from other currently-circulating subvariants. Primarily, XBB.1.16 presents with one extra spike protein mutation than those of previous subvariants, which may potentially influence its illness severity, as seen in lab studies.
© Inside Creative House/Getty Images Sick woman blowing nose At this time, the XBB.1.5 subvariant still accounts for the greatest number of new COVID cases across the country, by roughly 90%, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracking data. While XBB.1.16 is currently present in the U.S., it is not yet listed on the agency's data tracker (via U.S. News and World Report).
Rather, a large number of cases have been predominantly observed in India. As of March 28, of the 450 new cases that were detected in Maharashtra, 230 of them were traced to the XBB.1.16 subvariant (via The Times of India). "This variant is now present in 60% of cases," Dr. Rajesh Karyakarte, who coordinates SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequencing in Maharashtra, told the news outlet.
As previously mentioned, while some lab research suggests that the subvariant's additional spike protein mutation could potentially boost infection severity, most patients appear to be experiencing only mild symptoms at this time. Such symptoms have included fever, headache, body aches, cough, runny nose, and more. However, health officials remain watchful, as heightened transmissibility and illness severity are not out of the question.
Read this next: The Differences Between Every COVID-19 Variant Explained
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