Crackling at the xiphoid process | The xiphoid process

Crackling at the xiphoid process

A cracking in the area of the sternum can have various causes.

  • Wrong posture: Someone who sits a lot and works at the PC and often supports himself with his elbow, trains himself a wrong posture. In this way the breastbone is incorrectly loaded.

    If one stretches after longer SItzen, it comes to cracking in the breastbone. Stretching stretches the rib-brisket joints again and the muscles also pull on the ribs and sternum.

  • In addition, a blockage in the cervical or thoracic spine is also a possible cause of the cracking in the sternum. Here too, the cracking occurs after a long period of incorrect posture, when the position is suddenly changed. In most cases the cracking also relieves the feeling of pressure in the sternum and the pain.
  • If this feeling of pressure does not go away despite the cracking in the sternum, you should consult a physiotherapist or osteopath.

What is the Tietze syndrome?

Tietze syndrome is a rare disease of the sternum. It causes swelling in the area of the rib attachment on the sternum. In this area is the rib cartilage, which connects the ribs and the sternum as a joint.

This swelling can be palpable and visible and is often associated with pain. The cause of this swelling has not yet been determined. Often the pain occurs spontaneously without any directly apparent cause.

However, the pain usually increases during physical activity and stress. This can be explained by the fact that physical exertion leads to increased and deepened inhalation, which places more stress on the rib cartilage. Since the upper 3 ribs are most frequently affected in Tietze’s syndrome, the syndrome is not associated with pathological changes in the xiphoid process.