need help??? with cracking chest.

[maxmoon]

hi everybody!!!

ok,this is my problem.i kinda wanted to ask if anybody knew about this for weeks but i didnt,anyways now i am,lol.

about 3 months ago i noticed a small erge to expend my chest out.kinda because it was feeling closed in right down the middle.and at that time it started to crack,kinda like when people crack their fingers.at first it was actually feeling good because my chest would not feel so closed in.but latly it has become a pain.

at first i started blaming the high tention ptp and bwe i was doing at the time.but i wasnt sure.

ive been doing worrior wellness for some time now(and cant express my self fully how thankfull i am to start this program and what it has done for my movment)but all the chest flexibility exercises dont seem to help this condition.

i have also noticed that i can controll my chest to calappse on its self with out any muscle involment.it looks weird indeed.but i dont think thats the problem.

truthfully i have no idea why this started and how to rid my self of this now painfull broblem.

so im asking all the coaches and anybody who may know what it is that im being bothered by.i thoght it would go away so i never seen a doctor.maybe i should.

just to describe a lil better>>>>>>i may be laying down in an acword posittion not for to long and when i get up, my chest feels locked so i have a natural erge to expand it.and thats when anybody present would hear the chain of cracks down the middle.like i said at first it was like a remody to the locked feeling.but now it has become painfull.

any help would be highly apreciated.thanks again!!!!!!!!!!

max

[rbibbs]

I noticed the popping too Max, but it never became uncomfortable. You may have developed some strength imbalances that are overstressing/bruising cartilage at your sternum. A chiropractor told me once "too many pushups" can cause that, in the absence of complementary exercises.

As an alternative to the stretch you are doing which causes the pop and pain, try rolling one shoulder forward while rolling the other back.

That's all I've got... I'm sure there's more comprehensive advice...

[Mike]

I get the same "popping" in my chest when I do ABC Gama Casts. But it only pops the first time and that's it, and it NEVER hurts.

If it's hurting you, get it checked out by your doctor first.

[maxmoon]

hey rick thanks for the tip.

i just got up from a good hour of typing on a book project and i had that erge again.just as i was about to extend my chest and hear that crack that ive become used to. i quikly remembered what u said.i tried it and in about 10 reps i felt ok,so i went for the chest extention and it didnt crack.that put a smile on my face big time!!!!!!!!

im gonna try this for a few days and see how it goes.thanks for the great tip.ill let u know how it worked in a few days by replying to this post.

thanks again!!!!!

max

[Scott Sonnon]

Max,
It has been my personal experience with this popping issue that specific muscles retain over-tonus - more tension than necessary for basic operations. This residual tension competes with proper function. However, when Clubbell training begins, one may select exercises which target a process of discharging this residual tension. Keep true to your intuition and you'll find a path to suppleness, and the power it unleashes.

[rbibbs]

Very good to hear Max. Both from the perspective that your stretches are going better, and that you could make that adjustment from just that one-sentence suggestion.

As Coach Sonnon says, the urge to do that stretch and the "pop" that results represents a tension imbalance. The simultaneous 'pec-flex' stretch does pull pretty hard on the sternum. The shoulder-roll flex divides this stress in half and relaxes the same tension.

Thanks for posting your results. It's very helpful to me, and to others who might read this thread.

[James Boelter]

A very specific 'local' tactic to the problem would be to try 'Body Rolling' non-exercise for the area. BR is a sort of semi-active deep self massage using a specially designed (thicker walls and softer surface) 'playground' sized ball. In this case, you would get prone over the ball and roll yourself over it so that you exert momentary (30-60 seconds for each 'stop' ) pressure from the ball all along the sternum up to the manubrium (skip the xiphoid process at the solar plexus as you might damage it), and then out along the top of the pec along the collarbone out to the shoulder's nest along each side. The whole process should take 10-12 minutes if you take your time and 'breathe' into the spot behind pressed against the ball for several breaths as you pause. I am confident that while WW is the ultimate 'permanent' solution to the issue, this approach is an excellent way to hasten the process and keep it from becoming problematic in the meantime.

I have been having good results using these balls: releasing a fibrotic shoulder capsule (childhood accident that never healed properly), releasing lumbar stiffness (after tough snatch and swing sessions), releasing trigger points under the left mastoid process (that tend to cause headaches) and keeping my hands and wrists healthy (while training as a massage therapist). They make for very good recovery tools, and are a graveyard shift worker's best friend for recharging the batteries through deep passive relaxation - so you can then go get started on your training even when you are groggy, sleepy and over-caffeinated and your motivation is shot.

Two places to get the balls with the proper 'feel' and give (along with books and videos on the 'best' ways to use them) are

www.yamunabodyrolling.com
and
www.elainepetrone.com (smaller , cheaper 'Miracle Balls' that actually work quite well and are more portable).