Bilateral costal cartilage fractures sustained in the gym during repeated bench press exercises

Costal cartilage fractures are common in high-energy blunt chest trauma but are frequently missed on imaging evaluation and accordingly underreported in the literature. In this report, we describe a case of a 32-year-old male who sustained bilateral costal cartilage fractures following repeated blunt trauma in the gym sustained during bench press exercises. The patient presented with a painful “clicking” of a rib in and out of place while bending or turning sideways. Initial chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) imaging were reported negative for fractures; however, a closer inspection of the CT image revealed bilateral costal cartilage fractures. As the patient's symptoms improved over time, a conservative approach to treatment with regular analgesia and advice to avoid external impact on the fracture sites was adopted. This unique case highlights an unusual mode of trauma and diagnostic complexity of costal cartilage fractures.