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Actor Chhavi Mittal who emerged victorious in her battle with breast cancer recently posted about her costochondritis diagnosis. A painful chest condition, costochondritis occurs when cartilage connecting ribs and breastbone gets inflamed due to injury, repetitive coughing or side effects of a treatment. (Also read: Chhavi Mittal on now battling Costochondritis: Even breathing gets painful at times)
“I have pain while breathing, or using my hand, or arm, or lying down, or sitting, or laughing or pretty much everything. No, I’m not always positive about it, but I’m rarely negative. So, holding my chest in my hand, I went to the gym (my happiest place) coz u know what? We all get knocked down, but do we get up again? Well I do!” wrote Chhavi in a recent Instagram post
What is costochondritis?
“Costochondritis is a painful condition of the chest caused by inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone. The site of inflammation can either be at the junction of the rib bone with the cartilage or the junction of rib cartilage to the breastbone (known as sternum),” says Dr Sumit Batra, Director – Department of Orthopedics & Joint Replacement, Marengo Asia Hospitals, Faridabad.
Causes of costochondritis
The cause of costochondritis is usually not known. Sometimes it can be caused by injury to the chest region, gym exercises involving lifting weight or repetitive coughing.
Patients with other medical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia can also have costochondritis. Infection is one of the rare causes of costochondritis.
Symptoms of costochondritis
Dr Batra talks in detail about symptoms of costochondritis:
- Costochondritis is more commonly seen in women older than 40 years.
- Costochondritis usually causes sharp pain in the front of chest that gets worse with movements of chest or upper body.
- Pain can also get aggravated by deep breathing, lying down or pressing over the site of pain.
- Left side of the body is more commonly involved and more than one rib can be involved at the same time.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is usually made by clinical examination and ruling out other serious causes of chest pain. In most cases, no further tests are required. Sometimes and X-ray of the chest or ECG may be required to rule out other conditions.
Can it get treated?
“Costochondritis is a self-limiting condition that gets better on its own with time. It can last for a few weeks to a few months.
Anti-inflammatory tablets like Ibuorofen or Naproxyn can help in controlling pain. Local application of analgesic cream is also useful. Physical therapy that includes gentle stretching exercises and electrical nerve stimulation can also be useful in controlling symptoms. A steroid injection locally at the painful site may be required in cases where pain is not settling down. Surgery is usually not required unless there is a specific reason e.g., infection,” adds Dr Batra.
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