Introduction
A cracking in the chest can occur when stretching the upper body or when stretching after getting up in the morning. Patients usually feel the crackling near the sternum at the point of attachment of the ribs or in the joint of the collarbone and sternum. A cracking in the rib cage during stretching is harmless and not an indication of a serious disease.
The most common causes
The most common cause of a cracking in the chest is incorrect posture. This is particularly common in patients who work a lot while sitting at a desk or computer and who position themselves incorrectly (e.g. round back or elbows supported). The wrong posture leads to incorrect loading of the muscles of the rib cage and limited mobility of the joints between ribs and sternum. When stretching, these muscles are then stretched: the ribs to which they are attached are brought into position, the cramped posture is released and the movement in the joints causes a cracking sound. Blockages in the cervical and thoracic spine can also cause a cracking in the chest.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is made because the patient more often perceives a cracking in the chest and therefore visits a doctor. After talking to the patient about his or her daily habits, sports activities and preferred sitting position, the doctor may suspect that it could be a blocked rib joint. This suspicion can then be confirmed by a physical examination; imaging examinations such as ultrasound are not necessary in most cases. The diagnosis can also be made by a physiotherapist, chiropractor or osteopath
Associated symptoms
Accompanying symptoms of chest cracking can be a feeling of pressure in the chest, back and neck pain. A feeling of pressure occurs mainly in the front part of the sternum. Back and neck pain is a side effect of incorrect posture and is caused by tense and hardened back muscles.
A cracking in the chest can occur together with pain. Some patients report that they feel an increasing painful feeling of pressure in the chest and then have to trigger the cracking by stretching and contracting the chest and shoulders to stop the painful pressure. In addition, the cracking in the rib cage itself can be painful, because as it cracks, the ribs within the rib joints on the sternum move into the correct position, which can be painful for a short time.
