It’s been a long time since I gave an update solely talking about costochondritis. I’ve had a lot of emails since my last post, so I thought I’d give an update about what has been going on with it.

I’m currently still dealing with costochondral pain. However, it comes and goes. Right now, we’ve got a cold patch going on and have had snow, and my ribs are bothering me. I can feel it in my back and my lower ribs if I press them.

Currently, I’m in a good place. I no longer need to take Tylenol or Advil for the pain, though I’m afraid that if I tried to do some pushups that the force to the chest would bring it all crashing back again. So I avoid that kind of stress to my chest cavity.

All that said, I want to address two really good questions that I have received from my readers since I began this blog series.

“As I sit here, I cannot breathe, I am so short of breath and I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest. . . . This simply can’t be costo can it?”

Absolutely, it can be “costo”. All of those things can be costochondritis or it can be something else. That’s why it’s important to seek a doctor to rule out possible lung issues or heart issues first. Then you can find someone, such as a chiropractor or a message therapist, to help you.

“Is there anything you can tell me (specific) about your diagnosis?
The traits that you know for sure are linked to Costochondritis?” 

For me, it began with a chest cold. Lots of coughing. Prior to that though, I’d had pain in my ribs from time to time. Now, with chronic costochondritis, I find myself unknowingly bracing against the pain, which makes it worse. When I go out in the cold, I catch myself bracing against the cold. 

Do You Have it?

I cannot diagnose you. I’m not a doctor or a nurse, but I can do describe my own experience.

My suggestion to you is, if you suspect you have it, go to your doctor and ask about it. Likely you will have test after test to rule out other more serious problems first. And that’s good. Then if you get the diagnosis of costo and want to know how to help it, seek out a massage therapist, a chiropractor, an osteopathic doctor–anyone who may know about it. You will very likely want to start with one of those three or all three of them to relieve your pain.

What I’ve found in researching is that different things work for different situations; so if you’re like me, you’ll try a lot of things. Some techniques will work, some may not. Don’t get discouraged if you find nothing is working. Additionally, definitely don’t be upset if you don’t see quick results, because it can take a while to experience relief from costochondritis, especially if you’re not taking Advil or Tylenol or the like for pain relief. For me, two things that help me a lot are skilled relaxation and sunshine. The warm sun brings relief for the pain I experience.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely battling pain. My hope is that you find your road to recovery soon! Blessings!

I am not a physician, and I cannot diagnose or treat. My goal is to document my findings to encourage others to be proactive in their own struggle with costochondritis. I have learned that knowledge, research, and proactivity are key.