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| ChrisMC
- Sat May 09, 2009 9:08 pm |
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Hello,
I'm a 15 year old male, pretty thin (5'5 and ~110lbs). For about a year or so now (I'm not exactly sure), I've noticed the area on the lower right side of my sternum is raised, such that when I place my hand on my chest my hand does not sit flat. If I push down on this "bump" there is slight pain. Is this normal?
Thanks,
Chris
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| John Kenyon, CNA
- Thu May 14, 2009 2:31 pm |
|
 Hello --
This sort of thing is seen fairly often, usually appearing in adolescence. Sometimes it's just plain normal, as none of us are truly symmetrical. If the raised portion if pronounced it could be a variation on one of the chest wall abnormalities like pectus excavatum, but it sounds as though it's pretty minor in terms of deviation from the other side. Pressing on it would likely produce pain -- if you press hard enough. There could be some cartilege problem there also, and it could involve inflammation. This can become painful and restrictive of movement sometimes, so it might be worth bringing to the attention of your doctor, at least so it's noted as part of a baseline physical. In general these things are, again, fairly common and rarely a source of problems, but just to make certain it isn't something that could be improved by simple medical treatment such as anti-inflammatories, you may want to bring it to your doctor's attention non-urgently.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck to you.
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| ChrisMC
- Thu May 14, 2009 5:55 pm |
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Thanks very much, I'll mention it at my next physical in a couple of months.
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