At Blackberry Clinic our practitioners and doctors treat many painful conditions. One of these is costochondritis which can cause pain and difficulty with normal upper body movements or even sneezing. If you are suffering from painful symptoms affecting your back, neck, muscles or joints give your local Blackberry Clinic a call or contact us using the website to make an appointment. There is often a solution to chronic or acute pain and the patient centred and multi disciplinary approach at Blackberry Clinic may be the answer for you. If manual therapy does not help you can be referred to see one of our Sport & Exercise Medicine Doctors as they can offer steroid injections which may be necessary to alleviate all the symptoms.
Here is some more information about costochondritis.
Costochondritis is the medical term for inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the chest (sternum).
Signs and symptoms of costochondritis
Usual symptoms that occur are pain, redness, swelling, difficulty with upper body movements, such as lifting weights, breathing, sneezing, and more.
Direct pressure to the costochondral junction can make the symptoms worse, uncomfortable sitting and driving positions, and using a seatbelt can also trigger the area.
Gym exercises, such as chest press, shoulder press, pull-ups are some of the usual exercises that are affected too, involving chest muscles and ribs.
Causes of costochondritis
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to infection, irritation, or injury.
A direct impact, a sudden or repetitive movement can lead to this inflammation. Also, present underlying health conditions can contribute to the onset of the symptoms and delay the recovery, such as heart condition, endocrine disease and autoimmune disorder.
Tietze’s syndrome
A condition that is mimicking costochondritis is what is known as Tietze’s syndrome.
It is a much less common inflammatory condition that is affecting the same area, it causes similar symptoms, can resolve on its own, though the reason for this inflammation is not known.
Costochondritis usually is seen in adults aged 40 or over, whereas Tietze’s syndrome is most common among young adults under 40.
Diagnosing costochondritis
Costochondritis can be diagnosed by the history of the condition and the present symptoms. Occasionally, further investigation is needed to exclude other pathologies and make the diagnosis more clear.
Further investigation may include; an electrocardiogram (ECG) for the heart, a blood test to check for signs of underlying inflammation, and a chest X-ray.
Treatment for costochondritis
Pain relief and anti-inflammatory intervention can be provided by your doctor and physiotherapist, depending on the potential cause. These include;
- activity modification
- relaxing and strengthening exercise
- manual therapy and soft tissue techniques of the affected joints and muscles
- acupuncture and electro-acupuncture
- E.N.S
- Medication
- Corticosteroid injections.
Source: read more about costochondritis on the NHS website here.
