Gilbert Brule of the Columbus Blue Jackets has a broken sternum. Can you say ouch? I know you could.

For those who slept through biology or anatomy class, your sternum is the bone that holds the rib cage together. It's the framework for protecting your lungs. By breaking or fracturing your sternum, you are putting your lungs at risk.

Why is a sternum injury so painful? The sternum helps with your breathing, so each breath causes more pain. This is especially true when breathing is labored or deep.

How do broken sternums happen? Blunt force trauma is always the cause. In this case, Brule was checked in the chest. The compression caused the sternum to break. Almost all sternum injuries end up with pieces of the sternum fractured. It's not a clean break. In most cases you're going to need surgery to pin the pieces together.

How long is the recovery for a broken sternum? Depending on the severity of the injury, a broken sternum can take from 6 weeks to 6 months to heal. Physical therapy is called for in certain cases.

Care must be taken with a broken sternum to immobilize the area. Any further damage can work its way to the rib cage and may puncture a long. The quicker treatment is administered the faster recovery can begin.