r/costochondritis

Hey guys. I'm a 23M ex-powerlifter. I was diagnosed with costochondritis a little over a year ago. It's been a really shitty journey so far. I've had pain, soreness, stiffness, palpitations, dizziness, extreme anxiety, and etc.

Recently I've started new anxiety meds and after the first 2 weeks I've finally started feeling a little better. I've been noticing a strange cycle. There will be a few weeks where I am so good where I feel pretty good with little symptoms other than some pain. Then all of the sudden I'll have a week-2 weeks of misery. My main symptoms are what feels like heart palpitations. Yet my doctor insists my heart is healthy. It's usually while sitting or laying down. It's not subtle and sometimes feels like I'm being punched in the chest. The only time they usually go away is when I'm fishing.

I'm pretty tired of it. The meds help with the hopelessness I think. I just wish I was healthy again and could get rid of these stupid heart palpitations symptoms.

I'm on a high dose of vitamin D. I have cut almost all caffeine. I go for walks almost every day. I do my backpod stretches at least once a day.

I've finally gotten a script for an MRI and I'm hoping we find something out soon. I'm a cancer survivor so this experience has brought back horrible memories.

Anyways, I'm hoping for the best. This sub has definitely helped me get through it all.

For 2 years I struggled through chest and back pain thinking it was from undiagnosable costo. I took anti inflammatory’s, did stretches, took MRI’s, Xray’s, massages, everything under the sun and my doctor said he couldn’t see anything wrong with me. I felt like I had to pop my sternum constantly which gave me some relief but hurt worst after, every time I sneezed my chest hurt, anything with a dip motion or like getting up from a chair did the same, if I was bent over too long it would hurt the same. One day as I was googling my symptoms and potential cures as I often did I came across something called “Upper Crossed Syndrome” which is basically a muscle imbalance in the rhomboid and intercostal muscles due to poor posture and inactivity which made sense as this didn’t start until I had a 6 or so month sedentary phase when I started sobering up from alcohol abuse.

I started going to the gym 5 days a week with focus on dips, bench press, rows, pull ups, etc. kept using my lacrosse ball to massage my rhomboid twice a week (don’t over do it), kept stretching, started trying to be active as often as possible, and keep up with good posture. I’m only a month and a half in and I already almost feel back to 100%. Sorry, I know this might not be the best written post, I just wanted to share my story in case anyone else was/is going through the same thing. There’s a chance to potentially fix it before it truly becomes chronic if you’re actually dealing with Upper Crossed Syndrome according to everything I read. I’ve had to do everything myself from diagnosing my issue to fixing it because my doctor was/is useless.

If you have any questions feel free to ask, I know I may not have explained everything perfectly here.

I used the backpod for about 6-8 months then added the peanut for a few months. I was doing twists, open book thoracic movement and just getting mobility in the spine in general. Things lingered around 90-95%. I stopped the backpod and peanut and only did thoracic mobility work and some yoga to keep the spine mobile. It seems to have progressed me further to 95-99% some days no pain at all and no breathing restrictions. About once every week or 2 I’ll get tightness and restriction of breathing again and some pain sprinkled in. I usually just mobilize the spine through movement and generally it settles a little but sometimes not 100%. When I’ve used the peanut to loosen things up during those times, I wake up more flared up. What should I do from here? Keep my spine moving and just give it time? Or try to introduce the tools again and just fight through the first few days of flare ups?

Hey all, frequent reader of this sub and it’s been so helpful with dealing with the worst parts of my costo. It’s been a year and half from my first injury. At the beginning I couldn’t sleep, it felt like I had broken a rib (again) through, physios, some hectic anti inflammatories, stretching, rest and a back pod I have eventually gotten it to the point of just mild discomfort and chest tightness.

I tattoo for a living and so I imagine after a decade it was probably caused by all the weird positions I need to be in. Plus consistent gym?

My routine is:
Daily stretching
Spikey ball in tight areas of back/sa/lats/shoulders
Backpod
Eating clean
Ergo chairs
Halved my work load
Fixed my posture
No gym as it kept flaring it up

I feel like I’ve done everything I can and I can’t get over the hump. Min maxed so many areas of my life and it’s better, but I just want to be comfortable and get back to working out and feeling better.

I’m considering taking bpc157 (which solved a tendon issue) or a small dose of hgh which a health care professional mentioned their family member used.

Any advice I’d love to hear.

Im 28 average fit male. Stopped working out at the beginning of this year due to laziness and after 2 weeks got mild costo. At first I could only feel it at night while changing my position in bed. Then I tried to start working out again and couldnt perform half of the exercises without costo pain. I tried many stretching/rolling exercises, tennis balls, peanuts and nothing helped.

Then out of desperation I bought Backpod 3 weeks ago and started using it religiously. At first it caused huge discomfort in my upper spine. I could barely lay on it. After first session I couldnt turn left or right due to pain it caused.

Right now after 3 weeks I get no pain from using Backpod. I can raise my head and my hips to maximize the pressure on my spine but only small discomfort is there.

Also since I started using Backpod I can feel pain in the same rib but on the spine side. I take it as a good sign.

BUT the costo is still there. There is literally no improvement in my ribs and sternum pain. I still cant work out. I still feel it when i breathe while riding bike.

Just a vent here. I know it'll be a long healing process and I cant undo years of bad posture with few Backpod sessions.

Pretty good, gotta say.

I’ve been trying so hard to recover for the past 2 month but it’s only gotten worse and I’m honestly just so tired, the stories I hear of ppl who have dealt with this for years doesn’t make it any better because I feel like I genuinely will never recover from this and that this is just my life now, constant chronic pain all over my back, shoulders, chest, sternum, everywhere, and the shortness of breath is just awful, my depression has never been this bad and I’m having such awful thoughts, I just want this costo pain to go away, I can’t live my life anymore, I’m 24 and feel like my life is over because of this. I can’t sleep anymore because of this condition and it’s ruining me. I know I can’t make it stop, and that kills me that I can’t do anything about it except for TRYING to recover and I just stay them same, I know it’s a work in progress and you don’t just get better after 2 months, but I’m so tired mentally and physically, I don’t know how much longer I can hold on and take. I guess I was just wondering if anyone is in the same boat and having these kinds of feelings aswell.

Help me

I’m just wondering if my panic/anxiety attacks are indeed related to my diagnosis. Soon after i found the first lump on my chest I had my first ever anxiety attack..felt like i couldn’t catch my breath. Today, I’ve had a wonderful day, no worrie, life is great , some pain & discomfort, woke up in the middle of the night & couldn’t get comfortable with neck & back pain..now I feel like I’m in the beginning stages of another anxiety attack. I can’t catch my breath & just my world feels different around me. Am I dealing with something else entirely or is this a symptom others can relate too? I feel like the attacks are worse than the pain.

I have come so far in my healing process by stretching, backpod, multiple massages, lacrosse ball/tennis ball, and focusing on good posture. However, I am still struggling to get a full breakthrough. I have a flare up right now and had to take some pills to relieve the anxiety/pain

Can someone please recommend an osteopath that focuses on manipulation in the United States? Or some sort of doctor that has experience treating Costo?

I have been to a physical therapist and chiropractor that did not help. I am located in the West Coast, but I am willing to fly anywhere in U.S. to see a doctor that can help me.

Please let me know in comments or DM.

Thanks so much,

Andrew

Hi, guys I just wanna ask again if some of you experienced that if you don’t crack your breast bone or your chest by breathing . It will leave a pain, but if you crack it will relieve it. I remember this one time I was on a meeting, and I seem do not want to crack it because if I do ill need to breath obviously and I don’t wanna do that. After for about 30 mins when I went for break, and I feel chest pain. But after I crack it relieves it. I deal with days when it flares up or every other day. Hope you can help me understand.

Alright everyone , haven’t made a post in a while which is I guess a good thing , I have made pretty good progress. I would say last few months overall started four years ago however, the first year I took it as the mysterious inflammation not the back being locked up route wish I would’ve known that sooner but that’s OK I have made good progress being stuck at two pillows on the back pod down to almost one pillow for a few minutes then the rest going down to zero pillows, hearing a lot of cracks, pops. has anyone experienced the same thing I now which is I see my rib cage, expanding laterally now which I didn’t before and typically don’t feel my back stiff or have the sternum pain anymore Only thing I really feel is unable to take a deep breath all the time recently able to more now through the day but not 100% and main issue is tight intercostal muscles I’ve gotten them recnelty worked on HORRIBLE pain during it’s like built up knots in between my ribs and under & over my pec especially the right side along with my lats under the armpit region , Had some bruising but was told that’s normal not worried about that went away after a few days, I wanted to know is this the last step breaking down those scar tissues which I know after inflammation that’s what is left & Has anyone experienced this before making a full recovery thanks in advance any feedback would be awesome from you guys

3 weeks ago I went to the ER due to chest pain on my left side and I went again yesterday Xray, blood test and ecg clear both times. Blood test did show my mcv is 76 so little low but shouldn't cause chest pain. I haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks due to the pain. Pain is on left side chest then sometimes right side chest then both ribs, under left armpit. Pain is never constant but comes and goes almost like 'shocks'. I sleep perfectly fine and I can do pushups/pullups but do feel some pain after pushups to try not to. Any idea if it's costo or something else? I breathe perfectly fine, one doctor gave me acid reflux pills but that just gave me a sore throat. I did go for a 2 hour walk at night the other day and by the end of it my chest both sides tightened up. Im a healthy male.

TLDR:

Not sure what I have, clear tests, 5/10 pain that bounces around upper body randomly

Just wanted to post again as my last one went pretty under the radar.

I’m just wondering if anyone here has dealt with/cured costochondritis while working a physical labor job? I build guitars so I cut and sand a lot of wood - bent over doing small detailed work. I believe my case started from over exercising my chest with too many chest days , and specifically DIPS, combined with my job.

Anyway I’m in PT and I use back pod and I stretch every hour at work. My pain is mild - it used to hurt to lay on side and brush teeth and twist at all but now those things do not hurt. The pain isn’t completely gone but I think there’s been progress BUT I worry my job is really making this prolonged. It sort of is what it is. I notice it being relaxed after 3-4 days off but that’s a rare opportunity for me - was hoping someone here has some tiles for recovery and juggling a physically demanding job !

Saw this article recently

https://jonathanclarkphysiotherapy.com/a-runner-and-gym-goer-with-costochondritis/#

I’ve been dealing with costo for almost 6 months the now and in the last three weeks I’ve been doing pt. Even doing 20-30mins of the pt exercises at home everyday I still easily get a flare. I stoll can’t get passed 5lb dumbbells working out and I fear I never will. I lost my muscle mass in my arms and I feel awful looking back at the pictures of myself before everything. I’m really petite but I still was more confident. please tell me there’s an end of the road for this. I am only 20 (f) and have a large future, even my pt said it’s a tricky problem.

Hi all

Looking for some advice as to whether I actually have symptoms that should be treated as costo. My symptoms started after a bout of winter illness, a lot of new year desk work, and an increase in weight training intensity. It started with what I would describe as a moderate pain in the muscle in my left pectoral. I assumed this was just a slight pull from the gym and trained through it for a couple of weeks. After that I had widespread, moderate pain throughout my entire ribcage and decided it was best to take a couple of weeks off. Things did subside but after a couple of runs after that break I was getting a scary stabbing pain in my left chest which really got me worried.

After a few trips to my GP and being cleared of anything cardio related I was given a couple of weeks of Naproxen. This helped a lot with the general pain throughout my rib cage but revealed the pain that was still lingering in my left chest. After that I was advised to have a proper break from any exercise, so I stopped even the light cardio I was doing. This did not help. Fast forward a couple of months and another couple of visits to the GP they suggested it was costochondritis that I was dealing with. I then turned to the advice of you lovely people.

I've been pretty consistent with the backpod / peanut ball routine suggested as a starting point here for the last few weeks, whilst also taking a consistent dose of Naproxen over the same window and switching to sleeping on my back. I found I could quite easily use the backpod across most of my back without the need for pillows right from the off and I never really experience any clicking or popping and the relief that others experience. I do have some very tight spots in my trapezius that are quite painful when working through with the peanut ball but again I do not experience any popping or release as a result.

I've not really noticed any great improvement in my symptoms and it is really starting to affect my day-to-day. The pain in my chest is mild to moderate depending on the day, but I have quite significant pain throughout my ribs most of the day, which is only relieved by laying down or stretching over the backpod. I occasionally experience the stabbing pain in my left chest but my symptoms are now more resembling cramping as if I've sat hunched over for hours (which I no longer do thanks to a standing desk). I have a reasonably consistent popping to the right of my sternum on a big in breath but nothing extensive.

So, I'm asking for the advice of you guys as to whether I should be treating this as costo or should I be looking towards something else? Or if I'm doing something wrong?

Many thanks in advance!

I discovered about Steve and backpod a month ago. Yeah literally 7 months after I have had costo and it is still there it's not going. Today I did some stretching with tennis ball by lying on it for this frozen rib joints. I also did some chest stretching exercises and since then I am feeling pinch like sensation in my chest. I hate it my life is literally ruined and changed because of this damn thing and it just won't go away