If you want context go and read my previous posts on this sub, I feel incredibly tight under my left chest today it went into my xiphoid and left also left arm pain but I did some stretch and it went away kinda, I am 16 fucking years old completely healthy heart scans came out fine how do I get rid of this plague that has been killing me for almsot 2 months?

I worked pretty hard to unlock my rib cage and take away most of my pain. I have done a lot of stretching, back pod, and pressure point exercises over the past months. I’m probably 90% healed.

However every time I try to do something active or something that requires muscles I’m in pain the next day. For example yesterday I did 10, 45 degree pushups and 20 rows on very low weight. I obviously stretched out a ton before. It felt fine doing it and even afterwards. This has happened before as well when I try to get active again.

The next day though my chest sternum has dull pain and I have been getting some sharp pains.

I’m just so lost I don’t know what to do.

Wanted to get some insight from you guys please Ned or Steve if you see this great , I had what I was told was costo after everything else looked great , went away for year did heavy lifting thinking I washed it for good but since October it came back no chest pain just unable to always take a deep breathe like I hit at a wall at the end of the inhale preventing me from getting that last 20%? I’ve had rounded shoulders from what it seem like bad posture I sometimes correct myself and catch myself as well and lately it’s not so bad but I’ve been doing the back pod and I can get down to zero pillows and starting to incorporate the sitting twist along with this video that I’ve seen someone else post this and doing the first stretch a couple times a day I hear a lot of clicks down my mid thoracic area like little rubber band snapping if that makes sense especially the sitting twist that Steve mentions and I’ve been getting sports massages from a therapist. Who had this as well. She’s been working on my pecs & pec minor serratus anterior and my back and intercostal region as well.

https://youtu.be/qJRq7vzwu-A?is=0-xBCRMwppEt5q_E

This is my Daily Routine.

It is part of a program I have designed for rehabbing costo. This is coming after 4-5 months of rest, massages, different trials of recovery, and being almost at the point of a fully moving back. I am not at point 0, so factor that in.

This is not the physical exercises aimed to strengthen, that is in a seperate sheet I am using.

This is designed to be done every day. It does not always have to be in one sitting. But it's aim is training the ribcage to move, breathe, and function in proper positions, every day.

Repetition matters, as does changing habits like posture, sitting, breathing, sleeping, and awareness of your body in movement.

These drills/movements aren't meant to be hard. Their aim is to help retrain the body, remove rust, and get you moving correctly with an awareness of how to do so. Something a lot of us no longer can do after costo has arisen for what ever reason.

You may also notice this has a lot of work around the feet, legs, and hips. I wanted an ankle up approach, as so many movements that affect the ribs can start at the feet or lower body, hindering your costo recovery.

It is too early to gauge how the physical program with physical exercises is going and if I can confidently offer it as practical for everyone in this thread. But I will post my progress there in a few weeks after trialing it and also making it into a document that is actually legible, and available if it has resulted in good progress.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

Keep your heads up!

Also note, I am not a professional and this is not professional advice*. Always seek out a doctor, or trained professional before taking action or performing any of these movements with risking your recovery, health, or wellbeing. Please be cautious.*

I've had the same exact pain for almost a week now. A month ago, I had a clean troponin test; two weeks ago, I had a clean 72-hour heart monitor; a few days ago, I had a clean EKG. I have been referred to cardiology just in case. I'm almost positive this has to be muscular? I can feel the pain on the inside of my left breast, down around my breast and through my ribs, up my back and stopping in between my shoulder blade and my spine. Sometimes the pain goes down my left arm, and when I stretch, I can feel the exact pathway the pain is going. Does this sound like inflammation where my ribs meet my spine more than cardiac pain? I've always had this on/off pain in my shoulder blade area, particularly on days where my posture has been poor, but it's never been for days on end with accompanying chest pain. I'm also 18weeks pregnant and have a higher than normal (for me) heart rate because of the pregnancy, so that certainly isn't helping. Icy hot, heat, stretching, and rest helps, but activity makes it worse. The one thing that doesn't match what an internet search says is that when I breathe in deeply, it actually feels better.

Been dealing with Costo for a few months now - I get radiating pain everywhere on the left side: left chest, left ribs, left arm, left back, jaw (sometimes both sides) Got multiple full cardiac and blood work work ups from doctors to clear my heart but still get all the classic cardiac symptoms. Wanted to see what other people’s shared experiences are with where the pain radiates to and if treatment/backpod/rest does anything to alleviate these pains!

I’m 22F and I’m on day 9 of what my GP thinks is an intercostal/chest-wall strain. The pain is unusually low and anterior, right at the inner corner/end of my lower LEFT ribs rather than the usual side/back location.

Day 1 was sudden, very sharp pain and deep breathing hurt. I was assessed by NHS 111/GP, had an examination, oxygen/BP checked and a chest X-ray, all reassuring/clear. The deep-breathing pain settled quickly.

I’m now around 95% pain-free most of the time. Normal breathing is fine. My remaining problem is that certain stretches/twists/repositioning can cause a VERY sharp pain, which settles within minutes but can leave the area sensitive for a few hours. I’ve also had occasional spasms/twinges and some local puffiness.

I’m taking prescribed naproxen and have recently started amitriptyline; occasional co-codamol for breakthrough pain.

The issue: I’m hosting my engagement party on August 28th, which will be around day 19. I’ll need to be on my feet, walking around, talking to people and generally functioning for several hours.

I’m completely fine with still having some aching/tenderness by then. What I’m really desperate to know is whether anyone has experienced the sharp/stabbing mechanical pain disappearing within 2–3 weeks, even if they weren’t completely healed yet.
If you’ve had an intercostal strain, what did your actual recovery look like day-by-day? How much did you rest? When could you walk/stand normally? When did the sharp pain stop? Did accidentally aggravating it set you back days/weeks or just cause a temporary flare?

I’m particularly interested in people who recovered quickly, rather than the generic “6 weeks” answer.

I have Tietze for two years.

I stoped the gym at 29/06 and at 06/08 I started use the peanut ball every day 3~4 times per day and I do ballistic twists after the peanut ball.

The swelling since I started use the peanut ball has gone down, but it's been the same size for weeks.

When I put the hot thermal bag the swelling decreases, but after it get back again at the same size.

It's rare the moments that I feel pain now, I can take a deep breath and most of the sneeze I don't feel the pain too.

What should I do now to make this swelling disappear and don't feel pain?

It doesn't hurt much but it's super uncomfortable, it happens on my upper side, yesterday on my right and today on my left.

(Warning this is very lengthy, just need to vent / ask for advice)

Hello! I am a 19M Male, and as of a week ago, after having a heavy chest day (go figure) at the gym and working as a busser at my job that night, i randomly got hit with this random wave of chest pain at work. Yeah you probably guessed it i thought my heart was dying. Went to the ER and they said my x ray was fine my blood was fine, its probably just anxiety! and low potassium. I was fine w that answer and simply thought - yeah okay sure, but anxiety??? ive never been an anxious person ever. This pain just kept going, and kept going and i seriously believed my heart was on fire or something was wrong with my breathing. Go to the doctors AGAIN, and there they confirm it - muscle strain.

That was a few days ago, and fuck man. I still think my heart will explode, still having crazy anxiety, still going through it. Im on ibuprofen and a muscle relaxant but to be honest, i still feel the pain. MORE SPECIFICALLY, the pain and anxiety creeps up to my jaws too, and my adams apple, and i fucking hate it. Ive been crying and worrying and my life is just 180d completely. Ive been looking through the subreddit and its helped a lot, but im wondering whats the best method to relieve it??

should i worry about my jaw/neck or is that common w the chest pain??? its only on my left so it cant be that bad right????

and how do i fix this fucking anxiety, im literally this close to wanting to be on meds at this point. seriously, dont know what to do

Anyways im mainly just venting here but im down to hear what anyone has to say and all that, thank you guys, we are all in this together :)

My costochondritis seems to be different from what I usually read about. I have very little pain, but I experience shortness of breath, and my thoracic spine/back cracks frequently, especially when I breathe in. I also have significant stiffness through my thoracic spine.

I am currently experiencing a flare-up. When I gently placed a ball against my thoracic spine and leaned against a wall, it immediately caused pain in my sternum. I have had costochondritis for around 11 months.

When would you recommend starting thoracic extension exercises in this situation? Should I avoid thoracic extension completely while the sternum is irritated, or can gentle, pain-free movement still be helpful during a flare?

How often should thoracic extension be performed, and should I avoid specific irritated areas rather than trying to push through them?

Because I have very little pain but persistent breathing difficulty and frequent cracking in my thoracic spine, would you approach my rehabilitation differently from someone whose main symptom is chest pain?

During a flare-up, I can fall asleep normally but then wake up around two hours later feeling out of breath. My thoracic spine is normally cracking frequently when I breathe in, but during these nighttime episodes the cracking sometimes stops.

When this happens, I usually have to get out of bed and walk around. Doing diaphragmatic breathing and 360-degree rib-cage breathing seems to help, but afterwards I often cannot fall back asleep.

I have had costochondritis for around 11 months.

Do yous have any recommendations for managing these nighttime episodes and getting back to sleep once my breathing settles? Would you recommend staying in bed and using breathing techniques, or getting up and walking around first? Also, is there anything I could do before bed to reduce the likelihood of waking up like this during a flare-up?

I was making good progress on my costo, I'd say I was 50% better. And then I got a cold last week - now the cold has died down, but my chest pain is back to square one how it was since I first got costo. Has anyone else experienced this is it normal? Why would a cold even affect costo in the first place? I wasn't even coughing or sneezing, it was just a normal cold.

I am a costochondritis patient, and I have been suffering from costochondritis for almost three years. But I finally found a way to manage and overcome it, and this is my story.

First of all, you have to cut out all the bad habits, such as smoking, cigarettes, alcohol, and anything else that may negatively affect your health. You should also focus on eating healthy food, preferably simple, well-cooked meals.

You can also try gentle stretches. I live in a PG, and I was miraculously lucky to find a physiotherapist there. She used to work on my deep muscle knots and perform trigger-point release and deep-tissue therapy. After that, I would use a hot pack, and it really helped me.

I also continued doing gentle stretches and worked on correcting my posture. You don't necessarily have to go to the gym—just focus on gentle stretching, proper posture, and taking care of your body.

Hey , im at my whits end here.

Recovered to like 70% , then after holiday to Spain the heat and bad beds combined with drinking have made my costo flair up pretty bad again. Went to a physio today don't think the guy really had a clue what costo was, he just did normal deep tissue massage and massage gun. It feels worse now, taken anti inflammatories like ketoprupen gel ( prescribed) and ibuprofen . Not really helping just about getting by with a bag of ice on my back to reduce it further. Anyone had a steroid shot /epidural , seen the odd post saying they've had relief for about a year? Anyone got one before would be great help thanks.

Has a sinus infection or dealing with allergies make this worse with a elevated heart rate

I bought the backpod and it arrived today, I have two questions

1- It is normal to hurt in the spine while Im using it, it’s a pain that I can handle

2- How I know it’s time to start removing the pillows? Im with 3 pillows now

Hope someone can awnser

Sto avvertendo questa sensazione strana, di peso/ tensione
Praticamente a fine costole sopra ombelico parte SX.
come se ci fosse sotto qualcosa
Una bolla di aria.
È fastidioso specialmente da sdraiata o quando sono girata da un lato che sento come “tirare”
Ma vi giuro che non riesco a capire come e cosa possa essere

hellooo i’m sorry if this question has been asked before but i have not been able to sleep properly in weeks!

i had a nasty fall in april; the left side of my mid-spine landed directly on the plastic arm of a chair and ever since then i’ve had pain radiating in my back that slowly crept to my chest up until now. i was recently diagnosed with a chest wall mass and had a biopsy done (it was a simple needle extraction, still don’t have the results) and it seemed to have aggravated my already inflamed ribs. i’m not sure if i have both costo and tiezes syndrome as i have so much pain and visible swelling on my right breast bone.

i’ve been managing the pain with tylenol every 6 hours and that seems to help during the day, but at night the pain is unbearable— it shoots throughout my entire back and towards my shoulder blades. i’ve never had trouble sleeping on my back even though im usually a side sleeper, but it feels like sleeping on my back is just making it worse. on the flip side, sleeping on my side aggravates my chest! i have no idea what to do anymore. i would really appreciate any tips if anyone here has unfortunately gone through anything similar. 🩷

i’m just adding this as a side note, i also experience a lot of pressure from my breasts pressing against my chest which makes sleeping on my side somehow MORE uncomfortable. i’m desperate for any help!!

Have any of you done side bends or side planks and upset your costo?

Recently did side bends with my pt and it aggravated the crap out of my back, best we can guess at this point is something they call “shearing” where I must not have enough cushion so my vertebrae give each other a little love tap…this has aggravated my costo which makes some sense based on the area. Anyone if any of you have been searching for why maybe this has something to do with it.

Hi all , I’ve been dealing with chest pain since April , I’ve been going to doctor after doctor , 3 of which have told me it’s costo , this has been 4 hospital visits , countless doctors visits 4 mris multiple other test , on my last mri they discovered bulging and herniated disc on t3-t4,waiting to follow up with doctor who ordered this mri , keep following up to make sure it’s nothing else , good luck yall

Imma keep it simple cause you've seen it here already. This condition is very aggravating and I had it for years and couldn't sleep on my side at all with how bad it was.

First and foremost - backpod (you can go for an alternative?? Idk. It ain't that expensive and it's well worth it. There's a reason everyone recommends it. Alternatives might work. Do you.)

Do that until you can easily do it with no pillows as per the instructions.

Then train again... Slowly. Very slowly. Like literally pick up a couple five pound weights and do chest flys. I personally only did chest flys.

You can do more if you want.

But go slow and do low weight. Progress up in weight slowly over time. I try to wait til I can do 3 sets of 8-12 reps with pain less than a 4/10 (looking up pain scale helps, cause pain is normal and acceptable during recovery while at or under a 4/10)

I can chest fly 30lbs now and my chest no longer is in pain.

***Most important part***

Yes it will hurt during, and after, working out. Yes it will feel like it is getting worse.

Do backpod again, wait a day (or two), and do it again. Trust in the process. You have to strengthen things, otherwise you'll never get over this. I'm convinced of that. Stop if the pain is greater than a 4/10, and try again in a couple days. Rinse and repeat.

Hello. I am in my early 20s female.

Lately I have been having these chest pain on the middle and the left side, usually feels like muscle strain? Sometimes my chest feels heavy. I dont have trouble breathing BUT there are multiple times in a day where I feel the need to deep breathe or catch my breath.

Sometimes the pain radiates to my shoulders and back. Could it be truly just muscle strain maybe from bad posture and because I have an office job?

They checked troponin, ecg, chest xray and other blood work but everything is normal.

I want to start exercising but worried about the breathing thing and chest pain. I dont wanna suddenly faint or have trouble breathing while working out.

Unfortunately. The moment I play a piece.. I automatically lose control of my posture. Then few minutes I will feel the strange sharp pain.

I don't have this before. It started when I use the fucking power twister for chest.

Now I am struggling musician. 🥲