Middle Torso Sleep Pain

[kalico]

I've been looking online for a bit, but can't really figure out what this is. A couple nights ago I woke up with bad tightness/pain in kind of my lower-ribs area. So a bit to low for heart pain, and a bit to high for stomach. It seems to only happen when I sleep, and if I turn onto my back, it eventually goes away. I'm not sure what this could be, but any help would be appreciated.

[J T Junig, MD PhD]

Please see my comment on the prior post about diagnosing... but given that you are a mother of twins (at least by name) I would suspect inflammation at the junction between your ribs and sternum, in the area of cartilage that provides for some motion between the two structures.  Moving on your side or to your back would pyut different amounts of pressure on this area as the ribcage 'rolls' from the side to flat on the back.

Reflux is a common condition, if the pain is coming more from the middle, right behind the sternum.  But a word of caution-- pain and/or pressure in the chest cannot be ruled out for cardiac causes based on exactly where it is felt;  the heart causes 'referred pain' to the jaw, shoulder, and arm, and can mimic pain in the gallbladder as well.  Although the positional nature of your pain argues against a cardiac cause.

[mammaoftwins]

Sounds like the condition I was just diagnosed with, Costochondritis.
Hope this helps.



Mammaoftwins