Understanding Costochondritis And How To Live With It

About 5 years ago I was diagnosed with a muscle condition called Costochondritis.  Ironically enough, it developed from doing too much yardwork one Saturday after an all-night writing binge. My body had next to no rest in it, and then I was pulling, yanking, pushing, twisting and lifting all day shortly thereafter.  The next day I woke up with no feeling in my left hand, unable to breathe, intense chest pain and quite frankly, felt like I was having a heart attack.

It led to a stint in the hospital in 2015 and then again in 2019.  After the 2019 visit when the EKG came back normal and my heart was tested showing zero issues, I knew it was something muscle based.  I did my research, went to a few doctors, took tests and was confirmed to have Costochondritis.  Sadly, once you get one case of it, you have it the rest of your life and it can flare up at any time.  There is no “fixing it”, there is just dealing with it.  And while I work out 5 times a week in my quest to be the best in shape portly guy you’ve ever met, there is still no escaping it.

So, what is Costochondritis you ask? Costochondritis is inflammation where your ribs join the bone in the middle of your chest (breastbone). It can cause sharp chest pain, especially when moving or breathing. It usually gets better on its own over time.

It is made worse by

• moving your upper body
• lying down
• breathing deeply
• you press the middle of your chest
• Urinating
• eating
• movements of any kind
• yawning
• sneezing
• lifting or reaching for anything

What can cause it for you?

• an injury to your chest
• repetitive upper body movements, like lifting
• coughing a lot

Treatments consist of

Costochondritis usually gets better on its own, over time. It can last for a few weeks to several months.

Painkillers that help with inflammation, like ibuprofen, may be recommended to help with the pain.

If you have very bad pain that does not get better over time, you may be offered a steroid injection to help reduce inflammation or local anesthetic to ease the pain.

In conclusion, as the weather continues to get nicer and more and more people spend time in their yards doing work, my advice is this.  Take plenty of breaks, don’t feel like you have to get it all day in one day and remember not to lift too much when you’re making awkward movements. I’m in the best shape of my life right now, and it still doesn’t matter, when Costochondritis flares up, there is no stopping it.

I hope this message can help a lot of people refrain from rushing to the emergency room this summer thinking they are having a heart attack.

Have fun!

Vince McKee

14x Published Author