Pain behind the sternum in the middle gives in the back - detailed information

The sternum, which is a flat spongy bone, is part of the chest and is located in the middle of the chest, connecting with the ribs and collarbone. The pain behind the sternum in the middle that gives in the back is a frequent complaint. It can be as evidence of simple fatigue or prolonged wrong position of the body, and a symptom of a number of diseases, sometimes very menacing. But any unpleasant or painful sensation, appearing with a certain periodicity or constantly present, always indicate a deviation in the functioning of the body.

The main difficulty in diagnosing a problem is that the back, in which pain gives away, is an elongated concept. Since the back consists of the sacrum, waist, thoracic region, scapula, subscapular area, the diagnosis will vary, depending on where the pain is localized.

The pain can be more or less intense, it can be sharp, cutting, accompanied by burning and other numerous symptoms, the degree of which can be determined by a preliminary diagnosis.

Causes of pain

Pain in the sternum canbe both direct, indicating the heart disease, and reflected, which is a consequence of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system, etc. There can be several reasons for the pain behind the sternum:

• heart disease;
• of the spinal column;
• disease and respiratory system disorders;
• benign and malignant formation;
• abnormalities in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
• neurotic disorders;
• injuries and bruises of the spine;
• injury or sternum fracture.

Each reason deserves special attention.

Heart pathology

This is the main cause of pain behind the sternum. Far from always in cases of heart muscle diseases, pain is felt only in the left half of the chest. For example, angina is characterized by the appearance of pain just under the breastbone, and radiating it into the thoracic region of the back, as well as in the lower back and the left arm. The condition is often accompanied by a feeling of anxiety, fear. At the same time, heartbeat increases.

Another infectious disease can be a heart attack. In this case, the pain is very acute with wide localization: behind the sternum, along the entire back, in the left arm, in the neck. In addition to the pain for myocardial infarction, it is characteristic:

• the occurrence of an attack at rest, for no reason;
• strong sense of fear and anxiety during an attack;
• the duration of the attack from several minutes to several hours.

IMPORTANT! If you suspect a heart attack, you should immediately call an ambulance, taking 0.5 mg nitroglycerin tablets three times before each visit, every 15 minutes to avoid an uncontrolled pressure drop.

Video - Pain in the chest. Cardiologist about the causes of chest pain

Diseases of the spine

The main culprits of pain behind the sternum, giving in the back, are scoliosis and osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. These deviations are relatively harmless, but they are often mistaken for heart disease( up to infarction), pneumonia or stomach ulcer.

In osteochondrosis, the symptomatology is as follows:

• pain directly behind the sternum or slightly to the left;
• exhausting back pain just below the scapula and between the ribs( intercostal neuralgia);
• increased pain during inspiration or active walking.

Curvature of the spine - C-shaped, S-shaped and Z-shaped scoliosis, as well as kyphosis - in many cases also cause pain not only in the back, but behind the sternum. The cause is pinched nerves, deformity of the vertebrae, as well as pain in the muscles due to their malfunctioning.

Diseases of the respiratory system

The cause of the pain behind the sternum, giving back, can also come from the respiratory system. Such pain localization is typical for such conditions as:

• pneumonia;
• tuberculosis;
• bronchitis;
• tracheitis;
• pleurisy.

As a rule, a painful condition with bronchitis, tuberculosis, pleurisy is accompanied by a strong cough and shortness of breath, and with pneumonia - also a significant increase in temperature. Tracheitis is always characterized by the appearance of dryness and perspiration in the throat and trachea.

Tumors

Benign and cancerous tumors are the next culprits of reflected pain behind the sternum, giving in the back. Such pain symptoms are typical for tumors:

• of the respiratory system;
• of esophagus;
• of the spine.

When a tumor reaches an impressive size, it inevitably begins to press directly on the sternum or squeeze the whole thorax, jam the nerve endings. This is the reason for the incessant pain. With lung cancer, in addition to pain behind the sternum and back, there are painful sensations in the neck, arms, abdomen. A cancer of the esophagus is accompanied not only by the pain behind the breastbone( and slightly to the right) and between the shoulder blades, but also the difficulties and unpleasant sensations when swallowing food.

Diseases of the digestive tract

Various diseases of the digestive tract cause reflected pain in the sternum. Usually prolonged pain syndrome provokes two deviations in the work of the gastrointestinal tract:

• hernia of the esophagus( diaphragmatic hernia);
• traumatic or spontaneous rupture of the esophagus.

When a hernia of the esophagus arises, the pain always radiates into the back, especially in the area between the scapulae. The nature of the pain is often very similar to the pain that occurs with a heart attack and angina, and the heart rhythm is always violated. For this reason, even doctors can confuse a hernia with the pathologies of the heart, which greatly complicates the treatment. Pain usually occurs during eating or immediately after, during physical activity, when coughing, noticeably intensify when the torso is tilted forward, but can disappear after vomiting, belching, drinking water, deep inhalation.

Esophagus rupture is a more dangerous pathology that can lead to death if untimely treatment occurs. This disease is characterized not only by pain and heaviness in the chest area and back, but also by difficulty in breathing and by a decrease in its depth, by coughing, tachycardia, numbness in the legs, hands, face. In the neck, subcutaneous emphysema may occur.

IMPORTANT! If symptoms of an esophagus rupture are present, you should see a doctor immediately.

Neuroses

Often, the pain in the sternum is met with neurotic disorders. For example, acute pain is one of the symptoms of panic attacks. Typically, this condition occurs once or twice a month and is accompanied, in addition to pain, by some of the following symptoms:

• fever or chills;
• heart palpitations;
• increased sweating;
• difficulty breathing;
• nausea and abdominal pain;
• dizziness;
• numbness;
• is a shiver;
• strong fear( death, loss of control over oneself, insanity).

Such conditions last no longer than 20-30 minutes, so they are easy to diagnose.

Agoraphobia( fear of mob, claustrophobia, etc.) and nosophobia( fear of getting sick) are also often accompanied by pains in the retrograde region giving back.

IMPORTANT! Such psychogenic states are not dangerous, but they greatly complicate the life of the patient, and therefore a psychotherapist should be consulted to resolve the problem.

Injuries and bruises of the spine and back

A simple fall on the back, even with a seemingly insignificant height or strong impact in the spine can lead to serious injuries. In this case, the pain behind the sternum and in the back can be a sign:

• rib fracture;
• lesions of the lumbar, thoracic or cervical spine.

ribs. If one or more ribs are broken, the pain will be sharp, increasing with inspiration, coughing, and movements. At the same time can hurt not only the damaged ribs, but also the area behind the breastbone and back in the area of ​​the shoulder blades. Breathing becomes superficial.

Light spinal injuries( bruises) cause mild pain at the site of the lesion with a slight spread to other areas of the back and sternum. Severe spinal injuries are accompanied by severe limb disorders, including paralysis. In muscles, there may be a decreased tone or spasm. With damage to the cervical region, headaches and memory impairment are observed.

IMPORTANT! In case of a back injury, an ambulance must be called immediately, staying until it arrives at rest.

Breast fracture

Breastbone fracture is a rare occurrence, observed either with a single strong impact( for example, a blow on the steering wheel or seat belt pressure in a car accident), or with frequent strikes into this area( beatings, practicing combat techniques).

Depending on the severity of the lesion, pain in the sternum, back, between the shoulder blades, visible deformation, edema and bruising in the sternum, difficulty, shallow breathing, abnormalities in the heart. With the last sign you need to be especially careful, because severe damage to the sternum, especially with displacement, can be accompanied by a heart contusion, due to which the heart muscle either significantly accelerates, or, on the contrary, noticeably slows down the rhythm. In the region of the heart, severe pain can also occur. Also, a significant shift in the fracture of the sternum can cause damage to the lungs. In this case, immediate surgical intervention is required.

Comparative table of the causes of pain in the sternum giving back

Causes of Pain	Pain Character	Pain Localization	Other Features
Heart Diseases	Burning, pulling, aching. At the infarction - very acute, arising without a reason	Behind the breastbone and in the thoracic and lumbar spine, often gives to the left arm	Accompanied by accelerated palpitation, a sense of fear and anxiety
Spine diseases	Aching, aggravated by inspiration, walking, back strain	Behind the sternum and slightly to the left, in the back below the scapula and between the ribs, in the back
Diseases of the respiratory tract	Burning, intensifying with cough	Behind the breastbone and in the thoracic back area	Accompanied by cough, dyspnea, withabostyu sometimes high temperature
Tumors	dull, aching, pulling	For sternum, thoracic back, under the blades	accompanied by other abnormalities: shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, etc.
Diseases of the digestive tract	Acute or traumatic after eating, physical activity or lying down	Right behind the sternum, in the back, especially between the shoulder blades, is accompanied by a feeling of heaviness and compression in the sternum	The pain can often disappear after drinking,eructations, vomiting, or simply changing body position
Neurotic disorders	Acute	Behind the sternum and in any area of ​​the back	Accompanied by a strong uncontrollable fear, numbness, difficulty breathing, sweatingnausea, fever, or chills
Spine and back injuries	Acute, sharp	Behind the sternum, in the back, between the shoulder blades	Accompanied by a sensitivity disorder in the extremities, numbness, spasms or muscle tone decline, reflex reflexes
Breast fracture	Sharp, In the sternum, in the back behind the sternum, between the shoulder blades	With the relaxation of the muscles, the pain is dulled, so the patient often feels like bending. It is accompanied by edema and / or chest deformation

IMPORTANT! Whatever the reasons for the pain behind the sternum in the middle, giving in the back, always consult a doctor.

Since there are many organs within the chest, it is possible to diagnose any diseases in oneself, and after doing self-medication it is dangerous for life. Moreover, many serious pathologies in this area are well disguised, lulling vigilance of a person.

Video - How to know what hurts behind the sternum