[Closed] Costochondritis help?

Nothing to add to help sorry, but I too have been diagnosed with this, however mine doesn't seem typical, it comes and goes, when it comes on it feels like i'm having a heart attack (crushing pain radiating up my chest) I neck some ibuprofen and it subsides after about half an hour or so.
It's quite nasty and can be very worrying (which brings on anxiety which can cause other similar symptoms to a heart attack) so feel your pain!

Mrs. S suffers with this intermittently and has been prescribed Naproxen. A really effective NSAID.

Thanks Houns,
Are you managing to ride the MTB then and just managing the pain with ibuprofen?

I’m fine 99.9999% of the time, no pain or anything, it just comes on out of the blue when it does and lasts a short while. That’s why I don’t think it’s typical, as nhs etc say that normally the pain is constant and lasts a few days/weeks.
When the pain does come on there’s no chance I can do anything especially riding

I’ve had it on and off for 3 years - initially bought on by a long period on crutches (ended up in A&E with chest pain!!). Rest, anti inflammatories and live with it. Mine got REALLY bad again end of last year when I got COVID - to the point you could feel the swollen lump in my chest from the joint being so inflammed. Epsom salt baths, hot water bottle, tiger balm and inbuprofen gel all helped. Now it flares up after a period on the bike (not that any of those are that long as I still recover from COVID!) but settles down again in 12 hours. Not sure, once it’s chronic like mine, that is a lot that can be done - just management. I clearly have a weakness here now. Thinking of getting a massage gun, on the suggestion of my PT, to help. If you can rest it now and try and avoid it becoming chronic, I’d advise doing so.

Not costo, but it's stepsister Tietze's syndrome, diagnosed about 35 years ago. Voltarol gel and ibuprofen tablets help a bit during a flare up. I don't have a Backpod as per the NZ guy, but I do have a dog ball made of pretty resilient foam, about the size of those mini footballs you see during the World Cup etc. That will make a flare up worse for a day before subsiding altogether after my next good sleep. What really keeps it at bay is back and chest muscle tone. If I'm doing press ups and pull-ups regularly, it mainly stays away.

Here's some more therapists expanding on the Backpod idea:

Oops, about getting on the bike, MTB is out during a flareup, but dutchie or german style trekking bike are both fine. MTBs and roadies are fun, but there's no necessity to lean forward with weight through your arms and shoulders at all to have an enjoyable bike ride.

@geordynige - I had recurrent rib related injuries (costochondritis and costochondral separations) from wrestling/BJJ.

Takes much longer than you think to get better even if it is caused by a specific incident/activity.

NSAIDs can help short term, but I found they did delay my healing process and caused it to take longer to resolve than I would have liked. Much longer than 3 weeks.

Long term looking at improving my thoracic and shoulder mobility has helped massively (stick mobility, dynamic stretching and Turkish get ups). Key is to stop activities which aggravate it long enough for you to heal, then build up again with enough prehab to keep you going long term.

@midlifecrashes - Good call on the trekking style upright cycling with no weight on your hands, that was hugely beneficial for me to keep doing “something” that was low impact (no running) but still helped keep me deep breathing and my general fitness OK.

I've suffered intermittent costochondritis for just over 25 years, and it's playing up a bit currently...It can happen at any time and has had me panicking whether it's a heart attack a few times - not good! Find that rest, warmth (microwaved wheat bag), warm shower, topical anti inflammatory gel all help. I also find getting my breathing under control when it does happen is important with taking a full breath in hurts like hell, it's also calming and stops the whole panic kicking in too! Did have a steroid injection into my rib cartilage years ago, no help. It's just something you learn to live and cope with....good lucks!

Thanks all, really good advice in there. I've gone from approx 75 miles per week off road to 0 pretty much overnight ! I might be being overcautious but as @ashat says I really don't want it to get chronic.
I have never had the real sharp pain so lucky there I suppose but do have the dull warm ache which subsides when i rest but comes back if I do any exercise and the feeling that I have a bad chest infection and breathing is restricted. This initally came with all the palpitations and panic attacks but after ECG, chest scan, blood tests, etc that were all clear they are under control.
Whilst not riding is a big shame & the weather is getting better I think until it settles down I will stay off the MTB & road bike.
Interesting to hear that ibuproven slowed your progress @kimura54321 - Dr recommended using them but Chiropractor said no as it shields the pain & recovery. I have decided to go with them for 4 weeks and then stop.
I also had a deep tissue massage yesterday which has really helped.

Sounds like this is going to be around for a while, another challenge to overcome!!!

Cheers Guys

@midlifecrashes - when do you know when it is ok to get back on the MTB? I don't seem to have the traditional stabbing pains just dull aches and strange breathing

My breathing isn't affected, or more specifically I don't allow it to be, but when I'm not in a flareup, I'll have dull ache and minor sharp pain on and off most days. In a flareup the pain is such that I can still do whatever I want, it just isn't fun, it's not debilitating to me in the way that bad back spasms and sciatica have occasionally been. I find that once I can calm a flareup down with the manipulation and hot soaks in the bath, then if I can get a couple of days and good nights sleep without insulting it again I'm good to go for months on end. Short answer then: 3 days after a flareup ends works for me.

@midlifecrashes - that is good news!
I'm going to listen to my Chiropractor and have 2 more weeks off the bike before I start any riding again. Thanks again all for all your help & advice 🙂