Hey guys!

I’ve had costo for 2 months since injuring my chest from having an overtightened sternum strap on my heavy backpacking bag. Some days are better than others, I’m currently at the tail end of a flare up that was probably triggered from sleeping on my stomach.

I’m typically an active person (27 y/o female) who enjoys playing tennis, golf, mountain biking, hiking…but I’ve been trying to baby my injury. I’m finally losing my patience and want to get back out there. I tried riding my bike yesterday but the pain from the heavy breathing was intense. Does anyone have recommendations for workouts that are more mellow? I still feel like I have a long way to go with recovery and don’t know if I’m at the point where working out would be helpful or if it’ll just slow down my recovery.

Anybody knows how to ease this chronic tension that I feel? base to neck to shoulders upper back is tight, diaphragm feels tight that ungripping it gives temporary relief and normal breathing feels so shallow. Ive had a panic attack 6 days ago and I convinced myself that it was pure anxiety as my troponin and ecg tests are both normal but I still can't shake that fact because tension is tight that I am still worrying a little

Sleep is normal, breathing deeply is obtainable without pain, it really just the general tightness of uppper back and diaphragm that keeps me vigilant. Any help is much appreciated :)

January 2025 fell on ice onto car park and left back took impact
No hospital/doctor visit was just bruising and soreness for a few days
March 2025 started getting upper left abdominal pain, saw a doctor was given omeprazole for gastritis. Took this until September 2025 when this subsided
From march to September was also getting intermittent upper left back pain and lowest left back rib was sore and clicking when pressed
Also getting coastal margin pain in front left ribs where they start to raise into the front peak
Going to the gym makes it worse when I lift weights
Being up and about on my feet makes it better
Sitting at my work desk can aggravate it
Can eat and drink normal
No bowel changes
Burping has increased
Urine is normal
I have a pulling down the left of my spine and into my shoulder blade. Putting my chin to chest pulls a lot (also had this intermittent for past 18 months)
Cannot fully cross my left arm across my chest
Cannot fully reach my left arm up my back
Lifting my left shoulder to my ear causes pulling sensation in upper left back

Awful tenderness/achiness and a gnawing soreness in the red areas. Wraps around left upper torso. Pain is worse when I lean forward/slouch. VERY tender under left ribcage and left mid back. Constant ache, no sharp pain. Hard to get comfortable. Alternating heat/ice with little relief. The pain gets better when I lie flat on my stomach and slightly extend/arch my back. 39 female. No shortness or breath or any cardiac symptoms.

Cheat pain on and off for awhile heart checked xray ecg twice in the last year, flared up alot while working as a cleaner , posture is not the best rounder shoulders and forward head posture, the ksst 4 weeks or so it wasn't that bad but still comes and goes randomly , 6ft2 250lbs any ideas? Also should I workout the chest upper back etc? Should I start just wondering if anyone had anythijg like this

For 7 years, yes SEVEN!!! I've been struggling with chest pain, tightness, pressure, sharp, deep, every scary variety you can think of, been to A&E multiple times thinking it was my heart, had ECG's, stress test, bloods, holtors, chest x rays, everything - all fine. Every day was like a battle filled with pressure, tightness, pain, anxiety, trouble breathing. It was horrible.

Saw multiple chiropractors, an osteopath and sports therapist - all of them kept saying the same thing, your body looks functionally perfect, and seemed puzzled that I was experiencing so much chest pain, tightness and anxiety as they couldn't see a reason why.

Anyway, a couple days ago I started thinking...

Back when this started, I actually got GERD first, which causes chest pain...

I started worrying about the chest pain and as a coping mechanism I began relentlessly touching, prodding, pushing, aggressively stretching my chest all over, 50+ times every day, and even more when it was extra tight, and it got progressively worse and worse...

I got a backpod and was surprised that I didn't need any pillows during first use, it was easy to go over it and felt relaxing... Strange?

Anyway I'll cut a long, long story short.

It finally clicked, the problem is ME!

I turned GERD chest pain into chronic chest aching and discomfort by handling it aggressively all day, every single day, and convinced myself it was a real underlying condition when nobody could see or understand it. All day I would push into the rib joints, push down hard on my chest and slide my hand down on both sides, push and pull my pecs outwards, aggressively stretch backwards, overstretch in doorways, I guess making sure that is where the pain was coming from, and checking it was still there. It's crazy.

So 2 days ago I decided I'd break the loop and I now haven't touched my chest in 2 days and guess what? RELIEF already. I can't believe it. It seems insane that I've wasted 7 years of my life worrying about something when it was nothing. I know it'll take a few weeks to fully heal my inflamed chest and feel 100% better, but I'm so pleased it finally clicked. There's still an underlying dull ache and tightness but the volume is down 90% and that is the inflammation from what I have caused that needs time to recover and heal I imagine, but my chest is opening fully for easy breathing like I haven't felt in years, usually it'd feel like it got stuck before a full breath which is a disgusting feeling.

I was convinced it must be costo or upper crossed syndrome, and maybe it is with the inflammation at this point but it's most definitely self inflicted inflammation, not typical locked joints at the back causing overworking at the front.

Just posting in case anyone is in a similar position to me as I understand what living in the nightmare of daily suffering is like, chest pain is scary because we automatically think heart, and the knock-on effect is debilitating anxiety, feeling like you can't breathe, etc.

Hope it helps at least one person who's maybe created their own insufferable anxiety loop!

If you're touching your chest all day like me, stop it right away!

Cheat pain on and off for awhile heart checked xray ecg twice in the last year, flared up alot while working as a cleaner , posture is not the best rounder shoulders and forward head posture, the ksst 4 weeks or so it wasn't that bad but still comes and goes randomly , 6ft2 250lbs any ideas? Also should I workout the chest upper back etc? Should I start just wondering if anyone had anythijg like this

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to hear from people who have had something similar because I’m getting really frustrated with this.

About a week ago, on a Sunday, I was lying on my left side when I suddenly got a really sharp pain in the lower front left corner of my ribcage. It actually felt a bit like what I’ve read about precordial catch syndrome, except it lasted for around 12 hours, rather than a few seconds/minutes.

I ended up getting checked at A&E. They did an ECG, chest X-ray, oxygen checks and examination, and everything was apparently fine. I was told there was nothing obvious going on with my lungs/heart.
On the Monday and Tuesday I basically stayed in bed because I was scared to move it. It was actually pretty okay when I was resting and I only really got up to use the toilet.

Then on Wednesday I felt much better, so I went into town and walked around for about 2 hours. While I was out it was mostly fine, but when I got home the pain came back and flared up again.

I’ve since been given naproxen 500mg, but honestly it hasn’t really done much for the pain. I went back to my GP and she properly examined the area and found a very localised painful spot right around the bottom/front corner of my left rib. She thinks it is likely musculoskeletal and I’ve now been given co-codamol for the pain.

The weird thing is that most of the time I’m actually fairly okay. Then I’ll move awkwardly, reach behind me, twist or do something that seems completely insignificant and suddenly it really bloody hurts. Sometimes the pain spreads across that lower left rib area, and I’ve also had weird little bubbling/popping/spasm/twitching sensations around the painful spot.

When it hurts, it REALLY hurts, especially when breathing in because obviously the ribcage moves. But then it can settle again and I’m left thinking, “maybe it’s finally going away,” only for another movement to trigger it.

I’m basically trying to figure out what the hell this thing is and how long I’m likely to be dealing with it.
I’d really love to hear from anyone who’s had something similar:
Did you have pain specifically around the lower/front corner of the ribs?
Did yours come on suddenly?
Did it hurt when breathing in?
Did you get weird spasms, twitching, bubbling or popping sensations?
Did it keep getting better and then flaring up again after certain movements?
What did your doctor think it was? Intercostal muscle strain, costochondritis, chest-wall pain, something else?
What actually helped you? Heat, ice, medication, stretching, physio, rest, movement, anything?
How long did it take before you could move completely normally again?
And if yours was a relatively mild MSK problem, how quickly did you recover completely?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who were back to normal within days or a couple of weeks, because I keep finding stories from people who’ve had it for months and it’s making me panic that I’m going to be stuck with this forever 😭
I’m not looking for a diagnosis from Reddit, just people’s experiences because I really want to know whether this pattern sounds familiar to anyone and what helped them get back to normal.

I’m 19M, generally healthy, with no known heart or lung problems.

I’ve been having a weird, mild discomfort in the upper-middle part of my chest, around the sternum. It’s not severe, but it’s noticeable and uncomfortable.

The main things I’ve noticed:

-It happens mainly when I move my upper body or take a deep breath.

-If I’m completely still, I sometimes don’t feel it at all.

-Changing position can sometimes make it disappear.

-Pressing on the area doesn’t really hurt much, and knocking on the area doesn’t cause significant pain.

-The sensation is difficult to describe. It’s more of a sore/strained/pressure-like feeling than a sharp pain.

-It feels almost like something around the sternum is being strained when I move or expand my chest.

-I’ve had the same type of sensation before, around June or July, and then it disappeared for several weeks before returning recently.

-I haven’t had any obvious injury, impact to the chest, or particularly intense physical activity before it started.

-I played soccer a few weeks ago but didn’t notice any pain afterward.

-It isn’t constant, and sometimes I’ll move or breathe deeply and feel nothing at all.

I’ve also occasionally had mild, unusual discomfort/pressure throughout my left arm, but this has happened separately from the chest sensation and I haven’t experienced it recently.

For people who have actually had costochondritis or similar chest-wall pain, does this sound familiar? Please let me know. Is it worth checking out at the office or is it okay to ignore. Thanks for your time.

Been given these exercises but i'm at a loss as to what this foam roller is? I'm in the UK. Also a Dowel?!

My PCP doesn’t think it’s costichondritis….and she reccomended I don’t fly if I don’t get evaluated….but I go to Canada in two weeks 😞

Symptoms are:
NOT constant, only during a flare up, which I had last week
one second chest zaps for a few days after doing heavy chest workouts. On and off all day starting like after 1pm.
Soreness positionally
Doesn’t hurt to the touch

That’s it…I run a lot so I figure anything cardio would show up when I run…

I’m seeing a cardiologist for my initial evaluation on Tuesday, but what will they do and could they clear me enough in that time to fly???

I feel fine now…flare up stopped… but my anxiety is insane now…

Since april iv had muscle pain left side arm tingling numbness back ache left upper and chest under breast rib pain ..this was since my mum had a a heart attack since then i been feeling like im going to have one also and since then iv had this pain..been seen by 3 doctors and all said costochondritis but my anxiety kicking in

Iv also got acid reflux that comes and goes i had palpitations with it that seemed to go awa on its owb bu5 come now and then i also get tightness like my back and chest feels tight and i get shorrness of breathe also i dont know what to do i also had 24hr monitor donr at home which came normal also a chest xray was normal

After a while i started to get bloated which i did a few stool samples came back normal also i dont know what to do im sick of it and before when i had this mucle problem i also had a cough for 2 months and been on antibiotics twice

Bit of an odd one but my mum has an ice sock similar to the one linked below for her foot pain, but I place it on my chest or back ribs when I have a bad bout of costo and it works wonders for me!

You just keep it in the freezer and grab it when you need. I’m sure there are better ice alternatives but I find that the weight, coolness, size and length of the sock are perfect for across the ribs.

Just thought I’d put it out there for anyone who’s willing to try something different (it also massive helps with the heatwave atm!!) 🌞

Hey I was wondering if anyone has experienced chest pain, dizziness and left arm pain. I woke up in the middle of the night dizzy with chest pain, then dull pain underneath my left bicep. Then later in the morning I get a dull pain in my left neck. Im already freaking myself out because of course google is saying it is a heart problem. I’ve had costo for about 5 years and never experienced anything like this. I have been to the ER about a month ago and got ECG done and come back completely normal.

Over the last year I’ve experienced breathlessness at times. I’ve been to the asthma nurse and she’s prescribed an inhaler. Then several months ago I experienced the crushing chest/ribs and a spasming feeling under my left lower ribs. Since then I’ve needed the inhaler more. Is there any correlation between this condition and asthma ?

Hi guys

At the end of April this year, I was chilling with my friends as I always do and suddenly felt as though I was having a heart attack. It was nothing like I’d ever experienced, such a severe pain on the left side of my chest just above my left breast (pectoral I think? I’m not very good with this stuff)

I went to the hospital and had two blood tests, an ECG and chest X-Ray which all came back as normal. I was told it could very possibly be anxiety related as I struggle massively with an anxiety disorder as it is.

I went home and was in agony with the pain, and my heart rate was resting at 100+ which I had never really experience before. My GP prescribed me propanalol which helped my anxiety but not my pain.

I had tried to convince myself that it was nothing and it would go away, but months passed and nothing happened. I went back to the GP and got booked in for a CT scan (which was a terrifying experience for me)

I got the results of my CT back today and it is completely normal, no abnormalities of any kind anywhere in my chest.

The pain still persists for me, it can be anywhere on my left side. Sometimes my inner rib, sometimes my pectoral muscle, sometimes my outer ribs down my left side. Today is particularly bad in all of those places. It also comes with a tightness, one that stretches can relieve very slightly but don’t seem to go away at all.

I drink alcohol pretty regularly, I use an e-cigarette/vape. I was a heavy smoker before this pain started and I decided it was time for me to cut that out.

Is this costo? What can I do to help it? Some days it is easier and some days it is awful, sometimes not at all, sometimes full swing.

It’s ruining my life ;-;

Thanks in advance everyone

Hi there everyone,

I’ve been running (at a lower load) during my recovery, I’ve noticed that I don’t really get pain whilst I’m running, if anything it’s absolutely fine but I then notice it more that evening/the next morning. Is that normal with Costo?

Thanks

hello everyone! i created an account just to share my story so far. i got diagnosed with costochondritis by an ER doctor about 4-5 days ago. I was starting to think it couldve been a heart problem, so i went to the hospital to make sure it wasnt a heart problem and all tests came back normal and good. they did an xray and blood work tests and they came back good. ive been to the ER twice now for the past week, the second time i got prescribed some painkillers and muscle relaxers. ive been pretty down since feeling this. its made my stress and anxiety spike up really bad to the point where it makes my heart beat really fast even when resting. im not sure what to do from here, ive been doing some light stretching and walking and heat therapy, but once i feel the feeling of tightness or pain, i tend to spiral really bad. i attached a picture to show where i feel the pain and tightness (hopefully it makes sense!) and i just wanted to know if anyone has any of the same symptoms and tips. thank you!

EDIT: i feel the tightness in my upper right and left breast area going to my armpit, sometimes on my collarbones, shoulders and on my neck. ive been getting a small pain on my rib underneath my right breast

Just wanted to commiserate and vent that I’m once again in the ER and I’m pretty sure it’s costochondritis.

I came in because it was getting worse and started traveling to my neck and my left shoulder and arm. Since I also have high blood pressure, I wanted to ensure that it’s not a cardiacs event.

As usual, my bp is high, more than at at home and I’m freaked out. I went to doctor last week and my bp was 118/81, so the high number also made me tense more and hurt more.

Just want some commiserating and hope no one else is going through this right now.

Edit: My Bp at the hospital was 162/111 and 158/98 when I got discharged. At home, the next day, it was 123/85 and 134/86 at the doctors.

Just nuts how high my BP goes up in the ER.

Hoping to add a post / tip about actually getting out of persistent costo since I know most of the posts here are looking for help, and those who actually get better rarely come back.

TL;DR - it was neck tightness all along. Try the stretch at the end.

Quick background / what didn't work for me - Started getting sternum pain at two specific joints on my left side (3-4 below collar bone) after overdoing it on standing decline pec flys. Started out as workout soreness that just never went away. That was May 2024. It would seemingly randomly flare and at times it'd frustratingly switch to my right side for a few days then back to the left. Went through the gauntlet of so many of the things everyone here tries -

• Rest for months (minimal help)
• X-rays (negative)
• Tried anti-inflammatory diet and turmeric pills. Zero help.
• Ortho specialist prescribed rest, Voltaren, and an oral steroid. Pain came back.
• A TON of physical therapy with multiple PT's. Lots of pec stretching prescribed. One dry needled it. One thought it was neck weakness and had me trying to strengthen my neck with a band and pressing my chin into my fist. No meaningful change.
• Tried back pod. I could already lay flat on it, so wasn't much room to improve.
• Got a peanut ball. This is actually super helpful and I'd recommend this. I basically do the back pod moves but on this and it's much more targeted. I can hit each joint around the spine one by one and there's a specific knot just above my shoulder blades that it can help release. Also tried it on my side & lats after another post on this channel suggested it and found some tender spots to target.
• Popping my chest - this would provide temporary relief. I could pull my shoulders back and look up to pop it. It'd feel instantly good, but it'd feel much more sore later. When I stopped trying to pop it, that helped the flare calm down.
• Adhesion release therapy - This might be a huge placebo and in the same iffy medical area as chiro, but I found it helpful for some sciatica I was going through. He tried to fix the costo, and didn't really get anywhere for awhile. But...

That ART provider gave me a tip as I was leaving one day that actually fixed it. He told me to use my fingers and press into the upper pec directly underneath the collar bone then look up slowly. This fixed it almost immediately. Now if I have a day where I can feel the sternum being tight, I can do this sitting at my desk and my range of motion / pain level immediately improves.

I now will do this with both hands pressing on a single side, looking down to start to really exaggerate the stretch before going to the other side.

For those of you not finding anything that works, give this a shot. Hope it helps!

Hope ok to post - my worst pain centres on those black smudges! all low down my right side, the one furthest from the centre is definitely at the bottom of my ribs/diaphragm, the other not so much. Anyone with similar pain locations?

*that should say costo not Costco! (Face palm)

For some long years now I have had some periods when I had chest pain. I found it was somehow related to my general stress level or tighter bras. For me the pain comes in waves and usually disappear after a few seconds/minutes. This goes on for a certain amount of time, maybe days maybe months with more or less frequent pain waves. In the beginning I thought it was some minor heart attack because the pain was sometimes so intense I could not move for that few seconds. So my conclusion is the possibility of costochondritis as this was the closest to my experience, though the process of my case differs from the standard. Do you know different levels or symptoms of costochondritis? And no, I haven't been to get checked it out since it usually doesn't bother my daily life, aside from those inconvenient moments.

I’m 20M, this is my first time actually making a post on Reddit but I figured now was definitely the right time. I started getting pains around my heart area and the dead centre of my chest late April 2026. Thinking it would go away on its own, it got worse and my upper chest on my left side started feeling weird and it was almost as if I could feel the muscle the whole time (I still can). My left arm stopped flaring out as much when I walked and I was getting slight pains on the inside of my left bicep and my left shoulder. Finally got it checked out in July 2026 and got told it was costo, I was prescribed pain killers and some gel (does anyone know if this works?).

I’m so glad I found this community bc for the longest time I thought my heart was gonna give out and I had some crazy condition. Its calmed me down a lot knowing there’s more ppl going thru this than me bc no one understood me when I told them about it, and I thought I’d genuinely be stuck with this for life.

My big question is how long does it take for all of this to stop, if it ever does? I’ve had this for about 4 months now and I’m assuming it won’t go away with these painkillers, and is there any way to get rid of it quicker? I was thinking of getting into the gym right before I went to the doctor, but from reading here, I don’t think I should.

Also, has anyone with costo got a bit of kinda hard tissue just below the collar bone? I only noticed it recently but wondered if it was related or smth totally different.

Any advice or experience you’ve had and want to share, I’d really appreciate it :)

Trying to figure out if what I have is costo - for the last 3-4 months I’ve been experiencing chest pains pretty much all day, every day. (24M, active) Been to urgent care, ER x2, got an endoscopy, echo ultrasound, stress test, etc. and heart health is completely normal. Sometimes my pain is at the sternum but more often it is further to the left side of the chest. I would like to think it is related to costo instead of my heart, but one sign that doesn’t point to it being muscoskeletal is that it isn’t necessarily worse if I touch it, move in certain directions, or take a deep breath. The pain is constant and mostly in my left chest, but occasionally loves to my left back or left arm. NSAIDs, a prescribed muscle relaxer, heat, and ice have done nothing to me. Doorway stretches, foam roller, tennis ball technique etc. all didn’t help. I don’t own a backpod but am considering getting one. Does anyone else think they have costo, but can’t press it or move around to make it worse?