Saturday, November 07, 2009
Well, it looks like I'm on a strength training break (at least, anything but lower body) until I figure out what the heck I did to my chest. At first I thought it was just pain from doing ab work, but it hurts to even lightly touch my sternum or bottom ribs, so that's definitely related to the bones and not the muscles. Sitting up from a lying position is extremely painful, too. I think I must have bruised it while working on the toilet yesterday. It's a cramped little spot, and I was bending over the bowl a lot to reach the nuts and bolts so I could remove the tank and replace some parts. So, all I can really do is lower body work in the meantime. This sucks.
What you most likely did is pulled the cartilage that connects the sternum to the ribs. When you are leaning over something and twisting, then happen to take a deep breath you can pull that cartilage and it is almost worse than breaking a rib. You will feel it for a while, can last up to months but will get better within a few weeks usually and then you will only feel it if you turn wrong. But if the pain radiates down your left arm or continues to be severe for any length of time it is best to be checked out by your medical provider.