What causes chest pain near the sternum?
Patient: Hi, Im 22 and have recently had chest pain on the right side of my sternum. The pain at first was quite mild and have experienced it before and it would come and go but today it got much worse. The pain was very sharp and localized to about 1 rib. The area around it was tender and upper body movement would sometimes relieve or increase the pain. The pain hasnt spread to any other areas and Ive found shallow breaths helped lower the pain. I havent had any injuries or incidents which could have caused any broken/cracked ribs. Doctor: The characteristics of the pain you describe are compatible with musculoskeletal pain. It is characterized by a localized pain  that can be exacerbated by cough, respiratory movements of the chest wall, movements of the superior  members and palpation of the painful point, which will present with tenderness and, eventually, with a muscle node. Musculoskeletal pain varies in intensity and duration. It can be mild or very intense with impairment of daily life activities. It can last a few hours even if untreated or last many days, weaks or months. A localized, long lasting musculoskeletal pain that does not resolve after the use of traditional analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs is classified as myofascial pain syndrome and frequently requires multidisciplinary intervention.