did I break my sternum??

[SWScorch]

I was at practice today and one of my friends and I were horsing around; tackling each to the ground other and stuff like that. Well, I tackled him and we wrestled for a little while and then I trip, and in the process of falling trip him as well. I landed on my back, and he landed with his shoulder, and all of his weight, on my sternum. I heard a loud "CRACKCRAZKCRACK," not unlike when you crack your vertebrae in rapid succession. I thought it was my back, but when I stood up, it hurt to breathe and I felt a dull pain in my chest. It is much better now, but I can still feel it, and it hurts when I laugh, inhale too deeply, or twist my body.

Now before you say "Go see a doctor!" know that I plan to very soon. I'm just wondering if it is possible that I might have fractured it, as its not the type of pain I would associate with a broken bone, and I think rather I may have just bruised it, but its the loud crack that I heard that is worrying me.

 

[SonicFlux]

Dude... Go see a doctor!

 

[loup garou]

I think if you broke your sternum, you would know. You could've broken a rib, though. One of my friends has very brittle bones and broke 3 ribs while rowing (crew team). He finished the race and only went to the doctor because he had broken ribs before. He said it really didn't hurt, but he knew from breaking his ribs earlier that he had done it again.

 

[Rallispec]

you might have cracked a rib.. those fracture pretty easily.

 

[Beattie]

<< you might have cracked a rib.. those fracture pretty easily. >>



I second that

 

[MichaelD]

:QOUCH!:Q Go see the Good Doctor. Good luck!

 

[SWScorch]

hmm, but would that cause a pain right in the center of my chest? I'm pressing on my ribs and feel nothing, but when I press of my sternum I can feel it instantly. Could a broken rib manifest the pain in the sternum?

 

[Rallispec]

you could have fractured a rib right next to the sternum.. or maybe where the sternum and ribs meet... i'd say an xray is the only way to know for sure. the bottom line is.. You broke something- go to a doctor.

 

[khtm]

<< Dude... Go see a doctor! >>

 

[SWScorch]

just so you guys know, I tried to get my mother to make a doctor appointment for me, and she said "Wait till the day after Christmas. If it still hurts then, we'll take you to a doctor." Seems a bit irresponsible to me, but ok. So today, I tell her "yeah it still hurts, especially when I take a deep breath," so I have an appt scheduled for tomorrow. Will tell you how it goes.

 

[busmaster11]

Get it checked out. But if nothing's jabbing out the skin of your side, its probably something thats gonna set back properly naturally. but check it out anyway.

 

[Anghang]

good luck...hopefully its just a bad bruise...

 

[Pastore]

you should have went straight to the hospital...

 

[Daniel]

Yep probably a rib, if you broke your sternum you wouldn't be walking around breathing I don't think.

 

[bootymac]

sternum? are you stupid?!!?!?

you broke your groin muscle and a finger nail!

 

[Superwormy]

I suffered a similar accident, where I had trouble breathing and laughing and all and my sternum hurt, also, if I used my pecks at all this lump would stick out of my sternum like an inch and a half. I had X-Rays and they told me it was just bruised, and would go away in a few months.

It's been almost two years... I still have a lump that sticks out in my sternum, but it don't hurt anymore

Stupid doctors.

 

[kgraeme]

I can assure you that if you had broken your sternum, you would not have been capable of posting the question. I have been kicked in the chest by professionals.

 

[Killbat]

Maybe you separated some ribs from the sternum, those'll go back naturally. See the doctor anyway.

Promise me one thing though, insist on calling the docter "Herr Doctor" every time you address him. (oop, remember "Frau Doctor" if she's a she)

 

[NewCompGeek]

did you have some chest gear on? that would have helped

 

[SWScorch]

<< I can assure you that if you had broken your sternum, you would not have been capable of posting the question. I have been kicked in the chest by professionals. >>



I had a friend break his sternum in a wrestling match and while he said it hurt like hell, he went for 2 weeks still wrestling until the pain got so bad he saw a doctor.

I think that at worst this is a mild fracture as I agree that if it were truly "broken" it would feel much worse than this. Its probably just bruised, but I'm not taking any chances.

 

[SWScorch]

okay apparently it isnt broken, fortunately. I guess it must just be bruised, cause I got X-Rays and they just said "take 600mg of ibuprofen every day and take deep breaths 3 times a day" Doesnt sound like they think its anything serious. Still hurts though.

 

[veryape]

You could've cracked a rib near the sternum so slightly that it didn't show on x-rays, in which case it will heal on it's own anyway. Even tiny breaks hurt like hell.