Expert: Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman - 5/7/2006

Question
Hi
Whilst working in the mountains this winter i had a very bad crash landing snowboarding.  I saw the local doctor who said i had dislocated the cartlidge in my chest around the sternum area.  This was in January and i am still having problems with the injured area.  It constantly feels like something is moving or clicking in my chest and i feel pain on either side of the sternum especially when waking in the mornings.
Is there any treatment or exercise that can help me with this problem.
I have taken a year away from the mountains now but am hoping to spend time in Chile next year and hope to be fully recovered by then.
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

Dean Cunningham  

Answer
Dean,
Wow, that is a tough injury!  Here is the problem, cartilage does not heal like bone.  It is considered soft tissue and all cartilage has a poor blood supply in relation to other tissues in the body. There really isn't any specific treatment for broken cartilage other than surgery, which is not frequently performed unless there is a risk of further damage or significant degeneration.

Because of that, the main thing you can do to help the area ia get some good nutrition in your body that will help repair the injured tissue. Due to the fact that this injury is rather old and has become a chronic problem you are likely to have scar tissue which will make the area more painful and less resilient.  It will also impair further healing.  The best nutritional considerations are to help with the repair of the tissue while limiting further scar tissue build-up and inflammation.

I would recommend that you take 4000-5000 milligrams of omega three fatty acids per day to aid in pain reduction and inflammation.  You want to look for a product that has EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid).  The product must be MOLLECULARLY DISTILLED, do not take a product that is not.  Also, make sure that the EPA/DHA portion of the supplement is at least 50% of the total milligrams for that product.

Now for help in repairing the cartilagenous part, you should take a joint support complex.  1500 milligrams of Chondroitin sulfate, 1500 milligrams of Glucosamine sulfate or Glucosamine HCL, and 750-1000 milligrams of MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane).  You may not be able to find all of this in one product, but you will be able to get it in two.  In addition if you find a product that includes pro-enzymes, that is even better.  Some pro-enzymes are:  Tumeric, ginger rhizome, boswellia, rosemary, bromelain, papain, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and yucca.   

Antioxidants such as vitamin c, e, a, selenium, garlic, quercetin, and bioflavanoids, will also help in repair of the tissue and reduction of the oxidative stress that occurs in tissues post injury...all fruits and brightly colored vegetables are high in antioxidants.  I would follow the nutritional advise for two months then evaluate...healing takes time.

Lastly Dean, You had mentioned that you had seen the local doctor.  Was this a Chiropractic physician, or a medical doctor?  I ask this because I would encourage you to follow up with a Chiropractor who will not only analyse the cartilage articulation around the sternum, but also the joints in the back that articulate with the ribs that attach to that cartilage.  Here's why:  if the joint in the back, at the spine, is not working appropriately, the ribs that make up that joint with the vertebra will have a negative effect on the joint in the front that connects at the sternum to heal and function properly.  Manipulation to the spine at that area may free up nomral mobility at the sternum which will allow healing to occur properly.

Good luck, and follow up with me.  I would like to hear how things work out for you.
Respectfully, Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman