costochondritis pain

[lagoya]

hi i was just wondering if any body has any tip to help with chest wall pain --i have a lot of left-sided chest wall pain -and i think i may have damaged my muscles .it is not from my heart just in case somebody thinks so {been checked} altough i do suffer from pvcs and i am not sure if this is causing it.i dont want to be taking anti -inflammatories and was wonder if there is an alternative.it has been going for quite a while

tx

[lagoya]

hi
thanks for the reply
i gotta say mine is going on for months altough i do work in a physical job so i dont know if its healing and im damaging them all over again
its a real tiring pain

tx again

[redrodeo]

I don't know if sandy has ever had it but I had it last summer. The day before it started I had eaten something and got extremely sick. The next day after getting ill is when the pain started. Very painful. It was on my right side the last two ribs. It scared me.  I went to my md and he sent me for xrays and then mri. He said it was as he expected I had pulled my ribs and muscles causing costochondritis. So he wrote for Daypro first that didn't work then finally Vicodin. Which helped a little but really just got me loaded. But he did say this condition usually lasts 4 to 6 weeks. Right at week 5 it stoped and that was it.It just takes longer then 2 weeks.
     Red

[sandee1818]

Treatments and drugs
Costochondritis usually goes away on its own. The pain usually lasts a week or two and then resolves.

To ease your pain until it fades, your doctor may recommend:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve)
Antidepressants, specifically a category of medicines called tricyclic antidepressants, if pain is making it difficult to sleep at night
Muscle relaxants, which can also help ease pain It can be frustrating to know that there's little your doctor can do to treat your costochondritis. But you can take self-care measures to make yourself more comfortable, which can give you a greater sense of control over your condition.
To help relieve the pain of costochondritis, try to:
Rest. Avoid activities that make your pain worse.
Exercise. It may seem contradictory to rest, but gentle exercises, such as walking or swimming, can improve your mood and keep your body healthy. Don't overdo it, and stop if exercise increases your pain.
Use a heating pad. Apply a heating pad to the painful area several times a day. Keep the heat setting on low.
Once your pain is gone, continue taking it easy. Slowly work your way back to your normal activities.
Ihope this helps you some.