Help with costochondritis

[InTraining]

For awhile now I have suspected I have had it....movements like dips and close grip bench press are extremely painful..feels like someone is ripping open my chest cavity...if any exercise hurts I drop it...

Could this have happened from a tightness in the pecs?

What should I do to get back to the point where I can do movements that are hurting now?

I'm going to see a sports medicine doc to see what he says but I'd really appreciate some help on this...thanks

 

[MikeMartial]

First off, what led you to the self-diagnosis of costochondritis?

If it is, you've already done the best thing by making an apt with a doc, especially a sportsmedicine physician.

The two main causes are either bacterial or repetitive movements; in your cause, I would suspect the latter. Treatment in that cause would most likely be NSAIDs; the hard part in all this is actually determining that it IS indeed costochondritis. I've seen a few cases where it ends up being a diagnosis of exclusion.

Also, how much stretching do you do? What is the nature of the pain? Does anything other than chest-related resistance training aggravate it?
Where is the pain located? Where does it radiate, if at all?

 

[InTraining]

First off, what led you to the self-diagnosis of costochondritis?

If it is, you've already done the best thing by making an apt with a doc, especially a sportsmedicine physician.

The two main causes are either bacterial or repetitive movements; in your cause, I would suspect the latter. Treatment in that cause would most likely be NSAIDs; the hard part in all this is actually determining that it IS indeed costochondritis. I've seen a few cases where it ends up being a diagnosis of exclusion.

Also, how much stretching do you do? What is the nature of the pain? Does anything other than chest-related resistance training aggravate it?
Where is the pain located? Where does it radiate, if at all?

I talked to the family doc when I was at a routine checkup and that is what was determined...also stuff I have looked up online tells me that it is indeed costochondritis.

What is a NSAID?

I have really tried to stretch the chest...using the door stretch but just didn't feel much....also I have been using a stretch where you put your hands behind your head...almost in a relaxing position, and hold the stretch...lastly I use a weighted stretch and that has certainly made my pecs look fuller and bigger but I'm not sure if they are getting looser...

If you have anything that you have found useful in helping this condition be it stretching or an exercise I'd really appreciate it..

Incline flies have also been included into the program to try and get more flexibility there...

The pain is on the bottom of the manubrium(I believe that is the word for the body of the sternum) usually on one side but sometimes both sides...the pain does not radiate anywhere...I was really concerned when reading that if the pain radiates to the arms or neck it could be a sign of heart disease..

Pullups used to aggravate it but I realized they actually made the area looser and sometimes my sternum will pop when I do them(that loosens the tension greatly)

Sometimes even sneezing will aggravate it...

Lastly I should say that I am 18, and I'm thinking that the big stretch caused by dips and the like with a very flexible cartiledge structure could have caused this?! I'm not sure, just something I was thinking about

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your help!

 

[bigstve12]

NSAID stands for non steroidal anti inflammtory...ie: tylenol, ibuprofin things like that

 

[MikeMartial]

I talked to the family doc when I was at a routine checkup and that is what was determined...also stuff I have looked up online tells me that it is indeed costochondritis.!

A follow up with the sports med doc will confirm this....above all, try not to stress about it.

The pain is on the bottom of the manubrium(I believe that is the word for the body of the sternum) usually on one side but sometimes both sides...the pain does not radiate anywhere...I was really concerned when reading that if the pain radiates to the arms or neck it could be a sign of heart disease..

Yes, that would be a differential diagnosis, but considering your age, health, and quality/description of the pain, it's easy enough to rule out.

Lastly I should say that I am 18, and I'm thinking that the big stretch caused by dips and the like with a very flexible cartiledge structure could have caused this?! I'm not sure, just something I was thinking about

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your help!

That's probably exactly what caused it: overuse, and still having fairly flexible cartiledge. Once you start to treat the inflammation, and lay off the gym for a bit, I'm sure it'll clear up quick.
Good luck!

 

[Victoria1968]

I had that a few years back..... painfull as hell, don't know how I got it but it eventually seemed to go away. I was taking Oxycontin for a couple years, it hurt so bad. I still have a jot of joint pain but exercising seems to help. Good luck dude.

 

[Ben Lydiard]

I could have got rid of the chest pain in a few weeks if i knew what to do, but it took me a year because I was foolish and avoided the chest area entirely. I have now fully recovered..

(note this advice is only relevant if the chest pain was like mine: it did not come on suddenly and with extreme pain, but rather came on over the course of a few weeks due to me doing chest workouts through the pain)

my physio who gave me the following great advice, which was all that I needed to improve:
''Do as much movement/ exercise as you can, but staying below 4/10 on the pain scale''

When following this, the following are important:
- 'exercise' is absolutely anything that gives you chest pain (but still < 4/10)
- the pain gets WORSE for a few days before it gets better: Once you do 'exercise' for one day, the chest is a lot more painful for following 2-3 days. During this time, it is fine to ease off with the 'exercise'. But after this flare up, resume with the 'exercise'. There is therefore a cycle of exercising and subsequent flare up. Improvements in the
chest pain will be seen AFTER A FEW WEEKS and will be fairly slow