I’m really really struggling with this at the moment,in reality I have had it for months. I go to see my DR next week. I’ve been researching as you do & wondered if anyone has had the injections into the area. I constantly have pressure all around my rib cage as well as very painful tender points. Any advice is welcome,thanks guys
What exactly is costochonditis? I've had pain around my rib cage and my internist once suggested maybe my bra was too tight! Is it an ache? Or, is it a different kind of pain?
I had trouble for as long as I can remember when I walked my ribs around my mid-back would hurt. I finally had P.T., including the MedX equipment to strengthen my back, and it's less painful for my back to walk now. Do you have a weak back, too? That's what my problem was.
A weak back,maybe I’ve had major surgery because of a bi lateral pars fracture (which they have no idea why I had this)& a replacement disc. My rib pain is a constant ache with extremely tender points. Right now it feels like I have pressure right round my entire rib cage. It can hurt to take deep breaths & can be scary if you don’t know what it is.
I've got costochondritis, but never had the shots.
For me the worst is usually right at the sternum, both sides, and gets bad enough sometimes it feels as if someone has stomped on my chest. I can also feel if it's more inside the chest wall or on the surface of the chest. There isn't too much swelling most of the time, and when I do have a bout of swelling it will present as lumps over the individual joints of the ribs and sternum or as a broader mass if it's blessing more than one place. My chest clicks and pops, sometimes loudly, and there is a constant feeling of pressure, and where the clavicles join the sternum there is often a deep, stabbing pain that takes my breath away. I can also feel a bit of slipping or grinding which is very unsettling. Lately it's started in the area where the ribs join the spine which I find really upsetting. I suppose it's progression of the disease.
Sometimes using an ice pack will help reduce the pain, or at least make it more manageable. I've thought of a TENS unit but don't know about slapping one on my chest and zapping myself. I use nsaids to help manage the pain of that, and all the other pain and swelling, and sometimes they even help. I tried IcyHot on it ONCE and learned that was a poor choice, hot and cold was not a good thing on my chest at that time.
I never heard of the shots, but now might need to research further, or maybe I've heard and forgotten already.
Heating pads help and lifting makes it worse. Over the counter pain meds help preferable with an anti-inflammatory My daughter has it and I have it sort of. I say sort of because mine comes from an old injury
I sympathize, I think out of all my aches and pains, that is the one to really get me down. To be honest I’ve not found anything that helps it alot, heat does help ease it a bit. I use a TENS on my SI but doesn’t do it elsewhere. I have bouts of it every year sometimes for weeks sometimes months, breathing is painful and if you sneeze or cough!!! OUCH! Hoping you get relief soon
O I can so sympathize with you!! I've had it a couple of times. My rib/sternum connections are always tender to touch but every once in a while they get VERY inflamed to the point where I really struggle to breath. My intense bouts normally only last for a week or 2 though. The only thing that helped for me was to put a hot water bottle or bean bag on my chest - not too hot though. And then also a lot of rest. Didn't have the shots so can't help on that front. Hope you feel better soon!
I've had a couple of flare ups in my ribs in the last 3 months which were really painful. I don't seem to have tenderness along my sternum. It's mainly down the sides and around the back. The acute pain has usually settled in a few days, but it is currently lingering feeling a bit sore and achy. My GP hasn't really offered much advice once he'd done a X-ray and told me (not surprisingly) it was normal. So I'm just resorting to topical anti-inflammatory gel to ease it. I'm four months into humira, which seems to be helping some joints but for now not my ribs.
It’s an awful feeling. I feel like I have a band of constant pressure. In some places my ribs/sternum are so very painful. I also get a pain in my upper back on the left side,it’s a deep ouchie pain 
I’m on Orencia & Celebrex. I’ve just about finished a 16 day steroid course which has eased it somewhat. I use the heat pad & I have the voltaran gel. I see my doc next week, I’ll see what she suggests. I dread to think what shape I’d be in without medication! Hope you get some relief soon!
Oh I conveniently forgot methotrexate,I was having a break after surgery but I have to start again tonight,hooray NOT!
I have had costochronditis 2 times and injections twice. The first time that I had it-I suffered for months-I couldnt breathe-I couldn't sIeep-- kept thinking what if its my heart-no one knows what this is-everyone thinks that I am nuts-- it was awful.I tried oral steriods, NSAIDs, and PT. Finally-yes-I went in and the radiologist injected the costo/sternal (I think) joint under CT.--It was just about the best thing ever. The injections didnt hurt-it was a piece of cake. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
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