Muscles
Sternalis Trigger Points
Symptom Area: Torso
Sternalis Trigger Points are explored here through their location and referred pain pattern. Muscle knots is an everyday term used for tender muscular spots; myofascial pain describes pain involving muscle and its surrounding connective tissue. Variant muscle over the sternum; its trigger points cause deep mid-chest pain that can mimic cardiac pain.
Where you feel it
When the Sternalis holds active trigger points, you usually notice it as front of chest pain and rapid/fluttery/irregular heartbeat/heart attack-like pain. Where the pain spreads: Deep aching pain behind the sternum that may spread across the upper chest and down the inner arm; it does not change with breathing or arm movement. What often sets it off: Following thoracic surgery or chest trauma, persistent coughing, sustained rounded-shoulder posture, referred activation from pectoralis major and sternocleidomastoid.
Overview
Sternalis is an anatomical variant present in a minority of people, running vertically over the sternum superficial to pectoralis major. When trigger points develop here the pain is deep, central and unrelated to movement, which makes it a classic mimic of angina.
Trigger point locations
Points anywhere over the body of the sternum, most often just to one side of the midline.
Referred pain pattern
Deep aching pain behind the sternum that may spread across the upper chest and down the inner arm; it does not change with breathing or arm movement.
Palpation & testing
Flat-fingered pressure directly over the sternum; the taut band lies superficial to bone and reproduces the retrosternal pain exactly.
Common causes
Following thoracic surgery or chest trauma, persistent coughing, sustained rounded-shoulder posture, referred activation from pectoralis major and sternocleidomastoid.
Self-care & clinical treatment
Gentle sternal self-massage, pectoral stretching, postural work. Clinically: manual release and needling only after cardiac causes of chest pain have been formally excluded.
Treatment protocol
For Sternalis, the general protocol applies: sustained pressure release on the taut band, then stretch and active movement in the newly gained range.
Position and palpation: Flat-fingered pressure directly over the sternum; the taut band lies superficial to bone and reproduces the retrosternal pain exactly.
Regional precaution for clinicians: Over the rib cage the only safe needling direction is tangential or onto a rib; perpendicular needling of an intercostal space risks pneumothorax.
Primary Symptoms
Secondary Symptoms
Often confused with
These muscles cause the same primary symptoms, so they are checked together:
Related muscles in this region
Related articles
References
- • triggerpoints.net — reference
Medically reviewed by: Marco Aruffo — physiotherapist since 2006, specialised in myofascial pain · Last reviewed:
