I have pain in my sternum and back, The pain in my sternum came over a year ago, I got EKG, X-ray and breathing test, to rule out other things. I have figured out that my sternum hurts most when I crack my back or move certain ways, the cartilage I think tears or is injured when this happens, like costocondritis, my doctor is sending me to a physio to strengthen my back muscles in my back, hopefully fix the cracking too, once my back is fixed I'm hoping my chest can heal, but it will take a while.
also, i saw an orthopedic surgeon who suggested therapy, i.e. ultrasound which, after a few sessions, helps lessen the pain and tightness. some days the paid between my shoulder blades is just unbearable but the ultram seems to help ...
if you find an answer please let me know - these are exactly the same symptoms i have been experiencing the past six months or so. i read articles where gall bladder was suggested as a possible cause (but you had yours removed!). i have had all of the same tests and then some - everything came back normal for me as well. i had a problem with my shoulder and was given "Soma" - it seems to help somewhat. i also take Ultram for the pain - it seems to help also and the pain stays way longer (it is a non-narcotic drug). but that is not resolving the problem. the only other suggestion from my doctor was "stress" ... stress can cause many other problems - emotional and physical.
Try Lyrica for the pain. It really helps.
tks. D
Often times this is seen even if you have a muscle imbalance. You could be feeling muscle related pains. Try stretching your pectoralis major and rhomboids and back muscles. I'm sure you can find pictures of these on the internet. Hope this helps
I had my gallbladder(stones) removed in Aug 05 (which was around the time this began although i am not sure if it was before or after the surgery due to the fact i was attributing all pains to the gallstones at the time.
I have had a mri of the thorasic spine that shows minimal arthritic changes.
I have had stress test, thalium, multiple ekgs, echocardiogram and a heart cath that all came back normal.
I have had 2 esophageal endescopes and an abdominal ct scan that came back as normal.
I did have a nuclear test that show slow gastric emptying and am being treated with zelnorm for that but my back/sternum pain has not subsided.
I have been tested for autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rhumatiod arthritus and they came back normal.
My doctor says he does not know where to go next and is just treating my nerves. I am not ready to give up cause i feel that something is physically wrong and if i could fix it my nerves would take care of themselves. Any more insight is appreciated.... Thanks