I have experianced and overcome costochondritis and know how painful it can be. There where some days where i thought it was never going to end and had me terrified. I spent hours trying to find how people overcame costochondritis and could find very little information which was also scary. So i would like to share my story of how i overcame it and some tips to make it a little easier to deal with.
My Story
I Started showing signs of costochondritis when i was 17. I started to get random pains in my ribs. The pain was bad, however it only lasted around an hour or so. I went to the doctors and he told me i had costochondritis and gave me some anti-inflammatory. He also told me that it was most likely caused by my waitressing and weight lifting.
I took that round of anti-inflammatory but the pain was not going away. It was actually getting worse, where the pain would start and not go away all night. I must admit at this time i didnt do anything to help myself until...
One day the pain did not go away, it was always there and 10x more painful than normal. I went to the doctors virtually begging more the best painkillers possible. I found there where some medications that made me feel better and some worse.
There was a week where i barely left my bed. The walk from my bed to the bathroom would have me in tears. It felt like my ribs where overlapping and someone was jumping on them.
I found the combination of rest, appropriate medication and VERY light stretching was the key to making me feel better.
After a while the pain started to fade and i would only feel the pain once in a while. I am now 21 and am completely free from the pain of Costochondritis.
TIPS AND ADVICE
Easing the Pain
- Heatpacks!!: Definitely was my the best thing for me! i would have one under my back and one ontop of my chest whenever the pain was bad
- Voltaren Emugel: would rub on the front and back or the painful area 3 times per day.
- Good Posture: Whenever sitting up in bed (or doing anything else), ensure you are not slouching. Always ensure there are pillows behind your back so you are sitting up straight comfortably
- Support: I 100% needed the support of my boyfriend who helped me do virtually everything for me. As i said even walking to the toilet was a painful task
- Warm Fluids: I found drinking cold beverages hurt my ribs more!
- Rest: It was hard to sleep but try the meds isted below! Worked wonders!
Medications
- Naproxen 250mg: This was the BEST anti nflammatory i tried (need prescription)
- Voltaren 50mg: (anti nflammatory) Did not work for me. To be honest made me worse as it killed my stomach! (no prescription needed)
- Panadeine Forte: This pain killer worked well for medium amount of pain but not when it was seriously bad. it also hurt my stomach sometimes (prescription needed)
- Tramadool:This pain killer is what i used when the pain was at its worst. It didnt get rid of all of the pain. but it got rid of most. A combination of tramadool and heatpacks made me comfortable (prescription needed)
- Restavit: This sleeping pill was the best thing that happend to me when i had costochondritis. After i found this, i never had a sleepless night sue to pain. I would take 1 pill (sometimes even half) and half an hour later i was uncontrolably knocked out! (no prescription needed)
Gym
- DO NOT even attempt gym when you have pain!
- When you notice your pain is decreasing. Do some very light back exercises/stretches (with no weight) to try and build up some strength. Stop if you start feeling bad pain.
- When the pain stopped being consistent and only happened every now and then. I tried using the treadmill and small weights. This was not a good idea. It was very painful and i woke up very sore the next morning.
- Dont give up, keep trying once every couple of days to do some light gym work, but stop if you get pain
- I was so motivated to get back into gym that when i finally was able to go in the gym without any pain i regained my strength and fitness back surprisingly fast!
Dont try
- Cold packs: Made the pain so much worse
Hope this could help 