1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Costochondritis and Tietze's Syndrome

Costochondritis for almost a year?

Posted , 5 users are following.

Natalie059
Natalie059

About 7 or 8 months ago I started having sharp chest pain.  It felt like pulled muscles and I thought maybe it was from playing basketball for too long.  But I've had this chest pain almost constantly for these past several months.  Anytime I do any kind of physical activity that involves my chest it hurts.  I used to be a really active person.  I love playing basketball and riding my bike and now I can't do those things without my chest hurting.  I can't even play the piano for an extended period of time without it hurting.  All I kept doing for a while was putting ice on it and taking Ibuprofen but those would only help temporarily.  I went to my doctor a few months ago but she just shrugged me off and said it was all in my head and it was from my anxiety.  But the pain never got any better.  I've been to Urgent Care three times for it.  The last time I was there 2 weeks ago I had another chest x-ray done and they said that came out fine.  They said I had Costochondritis and prescribed me with a steroid called Methylprednisolone for six days.  It helped make the pain less severe, but my chest still hurts.  It's more like an aching pain now, and sometimes it spreads to my back and under my arms.  The chest pain is more prominent on my left side, but it does hurt a little on the right.  I don't know what to do at this point,  it's taking over my life and keeping me from doing things that I love.  I'm afraid to exercise it in fear of making it worse.  I don't want to go back to Urgent Care because it's costed my parents a lot of money to go there three times and it hasn't even helped.  Should I try physical therapy?  I'm ready to try anything at this point to get rid of it for good.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • shelley_11097
    shelley_11097 Natalie059

    Posted

    Hi Natalie. I know exactly what you’re going through. I was an avid runner running 5 nights a week I’ve ran a marathon and hundreds of half marathons mine started at Christmas I was rushed into hospital they thought it was my heart . I also have a crazy heart rate they say it’s part of it. Although I can no longer run I’m back at work and im doing ok. I still get rib and chest pain but paracetamol and rest usually work. Go on YouTube  there’s amazing help and advice. Hope this helps and never give up hope some people make a full recovery 

    • Natalie059
      Natalie059 shelley_11097

      Posted

      There are some great videos on YouTube thanks!  It's nice to finally find people who are going through the same thing because for a while nobody really believed me because they didn't understand what I had.  

  • nancy36508
    nancy36508 Natalie059

    Posted

    I can relate to what you are saying. I had costochondritis for 3 or 4 years. The doctor who diagnosed it just kept telling me to take Advil or Alleve, and once he even prescribed an anti-anxiety medicine. Nothing really worked. I finally changed doctors, and the new doctor’s office asked me if I would like to try physical therapy. I did, and they helped the pain to go away. They taught me breathing and stretching exercises. That was six months ago. Hope this helps.
    • Natalie059
      Natalie059 nancy36508

      Posted

      I think I'm going to try physical therapy therapy then.  I should also switch doctors because mine never believes anything I say and doesn't diagnose anything right, it's useless going to her.  Thank you for your help!

    • nancy36508
      nancy36508 Natalie059

      Posted

      Let me know what happens. We get so used to sticking with our routines that we don’t like to make changes. I still can’t believe how much time I wasted with that first doctor. In my case, I asked an acquaintance who happens to be a doctor for a recommendation, and he gave me two practices that he recommended. So, if you can, try to get a recommendation from someone.
    • vladimir99170
      vladimir99170 nancy36508

      Posted

      Hello guys,let me tell you my story and a beautiful advice to whom suffers costohondritis.

      I have been diagnosed with Costo 3 weeks ago from now,i had a super strong chest pain right in the middle of the chest that i literally can not walk for a 5 minutes,so i went to Er,they said it is Costo and prescribed me to take Advil.

      So its been 19 days already i have been taken Advil daily,2 pils in the morning and 2 pils at night and it really helped me to survive without the pain.

      Every single day i have been reading forums like that all over the world just to understand ho to deal with Costo because our doctors dont know s*%$t,and i found a lady,on russian forum,who gave anadvice( exercise) to someone how to treat Costo at home and guess what guys-it really works! I woke up this morning with out pain!!!!!

      1.take a deep breath trough your nose and hold it and count 10 seconds.

      2.then slowly ,very slowly let the air out through the mouth.

      3.thats it guys! Lol,i did this exercise yesterday about 10 times during the day and today i am going to survive with out advil,this magic exercise works!

      Dont thank me guys!

      Please help me to spread this magic trick to the world!thanks

    • vladimir99170
      vladimir99170 nancy36508

      Posted

      Hello guys,let me tell you my story and a beautiful advice to whom suffers costohondritis.

      I have been diagnosed with Costo 3 weeks ago from now,i had a super strong chest pain right in the middle of the chest that i literally can not walk for a 5 minutes,so i went to Er,they said it is Costo and prescribed me to take Advil.

      So its been 19 days already i have been taken Advil daily,2 pils in the morning and 2 pils at night and it really helped me to survive without the pain.

      Every single day i have been reading forums like that all over the world just to understand ho to deal with Costo because our doctors dont know s*%$t,and i found a lady,on russian forum,who gave anadvice( exercise) to someone how to treat Costo at home and guess what guys-it really works! I woke up this morning with out pain!!!!!

      1.take a deep breath trough your nose and hold it and count 10 seconds.

      2.then slowly ,very slowly let the air out through the mouth.

      3.thats it guys! Lol,i did this exercise yesterday about 10 times during the day and today i am going to survive with out advil,this magic exercise works!

      Dont thank me guys!

  • mike53730
    mike53730 Natalie059

    Posted

    Natalie - the only thing that worked for my costo is something called a BackPod with a few exercises. This physiologist from New Zealand explains it well. Just search "hot to fix (most) costochondritis and tietze's syndrome part 2." My costo went from a 6 out o10 in terms of discomfort to a 1 out of 10. Hope this helps. - Mike

    • Natalie059
      Natalie059 mike53730

      Posted

      Wow that's amazing!  I will definitely look into that thank you.

    • vladimir99170
      vladimir99170 mike53730

      Posted

      Hello guys,let me tell you my story and a beautiful advice to whom suffers costohondritis.

      I have been diagnosed with Costo 3 weeks ago from now,i had a super strong chest pain right in the middle of the chest that i literally can not walk for a 5 minutes,so i went to Er,they said it is Costo and prescribed me to take Advil.

      So its been 19 days already i have been taken Advil daily,2 pils in the morning and 2 pils at night and it really helped me to survive without the pain.

      Every single day i have been reading forums like that all over the world just to understand ho to deal with Costo because our doctors dont know s*%$t,and i found a lady,on russian forum,who gave anadvice( exercise) to someone how to treat Costo at home and guess what guys-it really works! I woke up this morning with out pain!!!!!

      1.take a deep breath trough your nose and hold it and count 10 seconds.

      2.then slowly ,very slowly let the air out through the mouth.

      3.thats it guys! Lol,i did this exercise yesterday about 10 times during the day and today i am going to survive with out advil,this magic exercise works!

      Dont thank me guys!

  • vladimir99170
    vladimir99170 Natalie059

    Posted

    Hello guys,let me tell you my story and a beautiful advice to whom suffers costohondritis.

    I have been diagnosed with Costo 3 weeks ago from now,i had a super strong chest pain right in the middle of the chest that i literally can not walk for a 5 minutes,so i went to Er,they said it is Costo and prescribed me to take Advil.

    So its been 19 days already i have been taken Advil daily,2 pils in the morning and 2 pils at night and it really helped me to survive without the pain.

    Every single day i have been reading forums like that all over the world just to understand ho to deal with Costo because our doctors dont know s*%$t,and i found a lady,on russian forum,who gave anadvice( exercise) to someone how to treat Costo at home and guess what guys-it really works! I woke up this morning with out pain!!!!!

    1.take a deep breath trough your nose and hold it and count 10 seconds.

    2.then slowly ,very slowly let the air out through the mouth.

    3.thats it guys! Lol,i did this exercise yesterday about 10 times during the day and today i am going to survive with out advil,this magic exercise works!

    Dont thank me guys!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.