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How do I get rid of costochondritis?
Apr 19, 2018
Try Rest and Ice first. (Be sure to put a layer of cloth between the ice pack and your skin to avoid skin damage)
Avoid all activities that bring on the rib pain and aggravate your symptoms. Please be smart about this: ‘no pain, no gain ‘is not going to work here. And be patient as well: it may take a while before the pain is gone.
Your doctor may have given you some anti-inflammation medication, such as Aleve, and that may work for you.
If rest, ice and medication are not effective, conventional physical therapy may help: light stretching and gentle exercises can improve the blood flow to the affected area which can speed up the healing process. However, if your therapist behaves like ‘Conan the destroyer’, physical therapy may not be appropriate for you right now.
Some people have reported improvement after acupuncture.
If these suggestions have not worked for you, you may want to check out my book: ‘Costochondritis: the forgotten Diagnosis’. I believe it should answer most of the questions you may still have about costochondritis.
I have pain in the front of my chest. It just started. And it hurts pretty badly. Question: what do I do? Answer: if you have any suspicions that you may a heart attack: stop reading this blog and call 911 immediately. Be safe and be smart. Get checked out right away. Do not delay! We’ll worry about a possible rib pain diagnosis after you have been cleared of any serious heart conditions. It is important to remember that costochondritis is a diagnosis of exclusion. A heart attack or any other significant heart condition has to be ruled out by a qualified medical professional, before the diagnosis of costochondritis can be made. Check out our other ARPI blog posts. They have answers to the most commonly asked questions about costochondritis.
Costochondritis is rib pain caused by inflammation in the joints formed by the cartilage bar that connects the front part of your first 7 ribs with your chest bone (the sternum).