Can costochondritis cause sternum pain?

Causes

The Causes include:

• Injury/trauma from an accident or a fall
• Physical strain like heavy weight lifting and exercise
• Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
• Genetic predisposition
• Viral, fungal or bacterial infections such as syphilis, tuberculosis and aspergillosis
• Non-cancerous and cancerous tumors

Risk factors include:

• Gender – women are more prone for this condition
• Age – people older than 40 years

Symptoms & ReportsSymptoms & Reports If you or someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of Costochondritis, seek medical attention immediately.

Symptoms include:

• Dull to sharp pain at the front of the chest wall that may radiate to the back or abdomen.
• Pain with deep breathing, coughing or Physical activity.
• Tenderness or palpitation at the sides of the breastbone.
• Fourth, fifth and sixth ribs are the common sites of pain.
• Costochondritis caused from infection after surgery shows redness, swelling or pus discharge.
• Pain generally seen on the left side of the chest and often mistaken for heart attack.

Common symptoms and their severity as reported by people on

SymptomsSeverity Graph

(365)

(360)

(357)

(355)

(115)Last Update : December 4, 2022.Seve…Mode…MildNonePreventionPrevention

Risk may be reduced by precautionary measures like:

• Encouraging children to use backpacks properly. For example, an overstuffed backpack should not be worn on just one shoulder
• Treat infections promptly
• Mobilizing early after surgery prevents muscle stiffness

ComplicationsComplications

Complications of costochondritis include:

• Long term pain
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Fatigue
• Depression

Common treatment optionsHow is this diagnosed?How to manage symptoms?Source: Focus Medica . For informational purposes only. Consult a medical professional for advice. Was this helpful?Why is costochondritis so painful? Costochondritis is rib pain, specifically a chest wall pain caused by inflammation of the rib cartilages or the area where the ribs meet the sternum, known as sternal articulations (1). In a group of 122 patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain not due to malignancy, fever, or trauma, Costochondritis was the diagnosis in 36 of the patients (30%) (2).

How can I stop the pain of costochondritis? What can I do to help decrease the pain caused by costochondritis?

• Rest: You may need to rest and avoid painful movements and activities. Do not carry objects, such as a purse or backpack, if this causes pain.
• Heat: Heat helps decrease pain in some patients.
• Ice: Ice helps decrease swelling and pain.
• Stretching exercises: Gentle stretching may help your symptoms.

What causes pain in the upper sternum? What other musculoskeletal conditions cause sternum pain?

• Sternoclavicular joint injury. The sternoclavicular joint (SC joint) connects the top of your sternum with your collarbone (clavicle).
• Collarbone trauma. The collarbone is directly connected to your sternum, so injuries, dislocation, fractures, or other trauma to the collarbone can affect the sternum.
• Sternum fracture.
• Muscle strain or hernia.

What does sternum pain mean? Sternum pain is usually felt in the chest area, and it is normally associated with various problems that are considered serious such as heart disease. However, most of the time, the pain is caused by inflammation or an injury to the breastbone. This means that the pain is not related to a heart condition.

costal chondritis vs costochondritis

Symptoms & Reports If you or someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of Costochondritis, seek medical attention immediately.

Symptoms include:

• Dull to sharp pain at the front of the chest wall that may radiate to the back or abdomen.
• Pain with deep breathing, coughing or Physical activity.
• Tenderness or palpitation at the sides of the breastbone.
• Fourth, fifth and sixth ribs are the common sites of pain.
• Costochondritis caused from infection after surgery shows redness, swelling or pus discharge.
• Pain generally seen on the left side of the chest and often mistaken for heart attack.

Common symptoms and their severity as reported by people on

SymptomsSeverity Graph

(365)

(360)

(357)

(355)

(115)Last Update : December 4, 2022.Seve…Mode…MildNoneCausesCauses

The Causes include:

• Injury/trauma from an accident or a fall
• Physical strain like heavy weight lifting and exercise
• Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
• Genetic predisposition
• Viral, fungal or bacterial infections such as syphilis, tuberculosis and aspergillosis
• Non-cancerous and cancerous tumors

Risk factors include:

• Gender – women are more prone for this condition
• Age – people older than 40 years

PreventionPrevention

Risk may be reduced by precautionary measures like:

• Encouraging children to use backpacks properly. For example, an overstuffed backpack should not be worn on just one shoulder
• Treat infections promptly
• Mobilizing early after surgery prevents muscle stiffness

ComplicationsComplications

Complications of costochondritis include:

• Long term pain
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Fatigue
• Depression

Common treatment optionsHow is this diagnosed?How to manage symptoms?Source: Focus Medica . For informational purposes only. Consult a medical professional for advice. Was this helpful?How long does costochondritis take to heal? It will often go away on its own within a few days or weeks, but sometimes it can take a number of months. There is a costochondritis cure, but the course of treatment will depend on the underlying cause of your pain.

What are the symptoms of costochondritis? Symptoms of Costochondritis. People with costochondritis often experience chest pain in the upper and middle rib area on either side of the breastbone. The pain may radiate to the back or the abdomen. It may also get worse if you move, stretch, or breathe deeply. These symptoms can indicate other conditions, including a heart attack.

What to know about costochondritis? Costochondritis (kos-toe-kon-DRY-tis) is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). Pain caused by costochondritis might mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions. Costochondritis is sometimes known as chest wall pain, costosternal syndrome or costosternal chondrodynia.

How to treat costochondritis? What can I do to help decrease the pain caused by costochondritis?

• Rest: You may need to rest and avoid painful movements and activities. Do not carry objects, such as a purse or backpack, if this causes pain.
• Heat: Heat helps decrease pain in some patients.
• Ice: Ice helps decrease swelling and pain.
• Stretching exercises: Gentle stretching may help your symptoms.

Why is costochondritis so painful?

Symptoms & Reports If you or someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of Costochondritis, seek medical attention immediately.

Symptoms include:

• Dull to sharp pain at the front of the chest wall that may radiate to the back or abdomen.
• Pain with deep breathing, coughing or Physical activity.
• Tenderness or palpitation at the sides of the breastbone.
• Fourth, fifth and sixth ribs are the common sites of pain.
• Costochondritis caused from infection after surgery shows redness, swelling or pus discharge.
• Pain generally seen on the left side of the chest and often mistaken for heart attack.

Common symptoms and their severity as reported by people on

SymptomsSeverity Graph

(365)

(360)

(357)

(355)

(115)Last Update : December 4, 2022.Seve…Mode…MildNoneCausesCauses

The Causes include:

• Injury/trauma from an accident or a fall
• Physical strain like heavy weight lifting and exercise
• Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
• Genetic predisposition
• Viral, fungal or bacterial infections such as syphilis, tuberculosis and aspergillosis
• Non-cancerous and cancerous tumors

Risk factors include:

• Gender – women are more prone for this condition
• Age – people older than 40 years

PreventionPrevention

Risk may be reduced by precautionary measures like:

• Encouraging children to use backpacks properly. For example, an overstuffed backpack should not be worn on just one shoulder
• Treat infections promptly
• Mobilizing early after surgery prevents muscle stiffness

ComplicationsComplications

Complications of costochondritis include:

• Long term pain
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Fatigue
• Depression

Common treatment optionsHow is this diagnosed?How to manage symptoms?Source: Focus Medica . For informational purposes only. Consult a medical professional for advice. Was this helpful?How bad can costochondritis get? While 90% can experience pain in the ribs or lumbar. If this disease fails to be diagnosed in time, patients can experience bone loss. They will be more prone to bone fractures and can have serious complications.

How long does costochondritis take to heal? It will often go away on its own within a few days or weeks, but sometimes it can take a number of months. There is a costochondritis cure, but the course of treatment will depend on the underlying cause of your pain.

When chest pain is “just” costochondritis? When Chest Pain is “Just” Costochondritis. Chest wall pain is caused by problems affecting the muscles, bones or nerves of the chest wall. Although it is critical to exclude non musculoskeletal causes particularly those requiring urgent intervention, that is as far as the physician takes the diagnosis. Once the serious causes have been ruled out, physicians often consider their job to be done.

How to treat costochondritis? What can I do to help decrease the pain caused by costochondritis?

• Rest: You may need to rest and avoid painful movements and activities. Do not carry objects, such as a purse or backpack, if this causes pain.
• Heat: Heat helps decrease pain in some patients.
• Ice: Ice helps decrease swelling and pain.
• Stretching exercises: Gentle stretching may help your symptoms.