It begins with a stabbing pain in his chest so intense that he thinks he is having a heart attack and rushes to the hospital.
Acute pain can last from minutes to hours after a strenuous workout, a period of heavy lifting, or muscle strain. Sometimes it occurs without a clear cause or injury.
But despite its resemblance to a heart attack, if you don’t experience other common symptoms of the cardiovascular event, such as pain that radiates to the neck, jaw, or arms, you may actually have costochondritis.
This condition occurs when the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone (breastbone) becomes inflamed, and while benign, the pain can be debilitating.
Inflamed cartilage that connects the breastbone to the ribs causes costochondritis. The inflammation causes pain that radiates from the front of the chest down the back and into the neck.
Erin, from New York City, told DailyMail.com that she once experienced costochondritis with pain so severe for 14 hours that she wondered if she should go to the hospital to rule out a heart attack or blood clot.
She said: ‘The pain was so bad I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t do anything. I had to bend forward just to get air.’
There is no definitive number of people who experience costochondritis because it is often unreported, misdiagnosed, or undiagnosed.
However, in his 2019 book Costochondritis: a forgotten conditionPeter Askes, a physical therapist and founder of the American Rib Pain Institute, wrote that between 1 and 2 million people who visit the emergency room for chest pain each year may have costochondritis.
And of the 62 million who visit their doctor each year with chest pain, up to 18.5 million may have costochondritis.
Furthermore, about 80 percent of these patients are women and most do not receive proper diagnosis or treatment.
Costochondritis is caused by inflammation of the body’s protective tissue called cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone.
When that cartilage becomes inflamed due to overly strenuous activity, movements of the rib cage can cause pressure and pain, which can radiate to the spine.
It may increase with deep breathing as the chest wall expands and contracts, and people may also experience pain when pressing on the area where the ribs meet the breastbone.
Costochondritis can be difficult to diagnose because it is a diagnosis of exclusion. No laboratory or imaging can detect inflamed cartilage.
When people seek medical care, doctors first try to rule out as many potentially serious conditions as possible, including heart attacks, blood clots, broken ribs, pneumonia, and collapsed lungs before getting to costochondritis.
Some people experience pain only for a short time, but others may experience it for months. The condition usually resolves on its own within four weeks, but it can come back.
A TikToker named Melissa described He described his costochondritis as radiating pain and “a horrible cycle.”
She said: ‘So you have pain in your chest and also in your back because your rib is always connected.
A common cause of costochondritis is strenuous exercise or heavy lifting.
His video has been commented on by dozens of people detailing their similar experience.
Kelsey Sullivan said she has this condition and feels like “I’m having a heart attack.”
Another said she experienced costochondritis and “thought it was a heart attack.”
A user named Haley added: ‘This made me feel so validated!!! I’ve had all the same symptoms and finally went to the doctor today after a long crying (session) thinking I was having a heart attack at 27.’
There are many reasons why someone may experience costochondritis, including an excessive and strong cough, a viral infection, heavy lifting, and a chest injury.
Sarah, also from New York, experienced costochondritis after lifting her 20-pound cat, Thurston. He didn’t expect the 14-year-old feline to weigh so much, but when he started having chest pain shortly after, he went to the doctor.
Concerned about the severity of her symptoms, her doctor told her to go to the hospital immediately, she told DailyMail.com.
Doctors then performed a series of tests on him over fears he was experiencing a life-threatening blood clot, including blood tests, a CT scan and an electrocardiogram.
With no worrisome test results, doctors said he had “a lot of swelling” in his chest that could be caused by strenuous physical activity, such as lifting heavy objects.
The only strenuous thing he could think of was carrying his 20-pound pet with him.
Sarah was told to rest for several days and take high doses of over-the-counter pain relievers.
Another common cause of costochondritis is exercise, which is what Erin told DailyMail.com she believes her pain is caused by.
Erin attributed her bout of costochondritis to her yoga practice and the advanced poses she was doing, specifically the chaturanga dandasana pose.
This requires yogis to remain suspended in a low board, keeping the elbows at a 90-degree angle along the body.
Erin attributed her bout of costochondritis to her yoga practice and the advanced poses she was doing, specifically the chaturanga dandasana pose (shown above).
It is a more advanced pose that requires people to keep their body parallel to the ground while lowering themselves to their stomach and then pushing their chest up and forward.
When in a low plank, your body weight presses down through your chest, putting pressure on your rib cage and costal cartilage, the tissue that connects your ribs to your breastbone.
The lowering motion can also exacerbate the condition because it compresses the rib cage, putting additional pressure on the swollen areas.
New Jersey yoga instructor Cathy Narchese warned that while yoga is good for flexibility and strength, if you don’t flow correctly from one pose to the next or don’t activate supporting muscles, you can cause or inflame an injury. , including costochondritis: ‘It can definitely be 100 percent due to that.
Ms Narchese, owner of Thrive Yoga, told DailyMail.com: “What I see a lot of times is when people go down, their elbows straighten out, and that puts too much pressure on the shoulders, so all the attention is focused on them. in stabilizing”. the shoulders and not the rest of the body.
He said people often think they just need to go through the motions or imitate their neighbors to force themselves into a posture they’re not prepared for, and that’s when injuries occur.
Treatment options for costochondritis are limited, and it is recommended that people take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen, or apply a heating pad to their chest and rest for several days.
Sometimes physical therapy or chiropractic is also prescribed.