Pain in side/rib area

I just posted a similar question about this recently. It was suggested to me that it might be costcochondritis, which is inflammation in your rib cartilage I believe. I get this and it flares up then gets better in 3-4 days to only flare again later on. It really causes me alot of pain at night and early morning the worst. The only thing that helps mine is to lay on the opposite side and put my heating bag on the painful side. Hope that helps some.

Gosh, I've had costochondritis pain quite often but it usually occurs more in my chest region than my sides.  But that does make sense - it's all connected.  Thanks for your replies!

I've just been doing some reading and research about this type of pain.  I've experienced the stabbing and sharp pains like most of you talk about ... but recently, I've also had what feels more like a constricting pain like a boa constrictor is squeezing me around my diaphram.  It can even make it hard to fully breathe in or out. The interesting thing to me it that it appears to be either the same or very similar to what some MS patients call the "MS hug."  (MS patients and doctors may take great exception with my saying this ... but I believe there is some correlation between the two.)

 

I found some articles about this type of pain/constricting feeling ... one of them suggested that it could be caused by Intercostal Muscle Spasms.  The Intercostal Muscles are the muscles between the ribs and breast bone and attach to the cartilage, that then attach to the bones.  Evidently, the condition of Costochondritis effects the cartilage and bones in the same area.  Sooo, it would make sense that the Costochondritis could be caused by Intercostal Muscle Spasms.  Sometimes Costochondritis is caused by overuse (i.e. workers, athletes).  Hmmm ..... what's the difference if it's caused by a muscle that's spasming on its own?  Hmmm ....

 

In my opinion, the specifics of many diagnoses just might depend on the doctor's specialty or scope of experience.   What do you think?  And ... it's okay with me if you tell me I'm barking up the wrong tree.

 

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sprainsstrains/a/costochondritis.htm

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/symptoms/chest_tenderness/causes.htm

http://ms.about.com/od/signssymptoms/a/ms_hug_pain.htm

The one suggestion I have about helping to alleviate the pain in your back, ribs, pelvis, legs ... where ever it hurts ... is to take the time to gently gently gently STRETCH.  I've suffered with dibilitating muscle spasms upon arising for way too long ... until I learned to allow at least 5 minutes to stretch before going about my day.  Some may say, "I don't have 5 minutes to stretch" or "it's too painful to stretch."  Well ... my experience is that it's worth setting the alarm clock 5 minutes early to allow for it.  Your body will thank you.  Gently supporting the muscles you're stretching is vitally important, too!

 

When you first awaken in the morning, don't rush to jump outta bed. 

 

Move slowly ... gently stretch out your muscles.  Kinda like you see your cat or dog do.  Round your back, wriggle your hips ... whatever, it's all good.  I can even do it while I'm still lying down!

 

Circle your feet ... flex your feet ... squeeze your tush muscles together.  Gently push one hip out to the side ... then do the other side.

 

Just kinda go from head to toe and gently stretch or squeeze/then stretch every set of muscles ... particularly if they are tight or painful.

 

I even will sit on the edge of the bed and slowly bend over like I'm trying to touch my toes.  The key is that I support myself with my hands on my legs, especially as I come up again.  Repeat it if necessary a couple more times.

 

If my hips are really bad, I lie on my back and put my foot up on the opposite leg ... like how most men sit when they relax.  You hold on to your knee or thigh and gently pull your leg toward you.  It will hurt ... so stop and just hold it for a moment and then slowly release it.  I will repeat this several times and alternate legs.  (It's the same type of stretch that many dancers use to stretch out their pelvic muscles.)

 

The important thing is to do it all very slowly.  Support yourself.  Don't try to lift any of your muscles or limbs unassisted.  Do as much of it while still lying in bed.  AND ... Avoid any sudden movements upon arising and going about your business.

 

I will stop throughout the day to do more gentle stretching.  It has made a world of difference in the amount of muscle spasms and the level of pain I deal with each day.

 

Let me know if it works for you!  ~fingers crossed~

 

Sending love ~*~ Karen  free2bfree

Sorry about a couple of the links "being broken" that I listed above.  Arrrgh!  You can find those links if you Google the same keywords in the addresses listed.

I believe that the Costochondritis can be all along the Intercostal Muscle region.  It could also just be the muscles that hurt, rather than the cartilage or bones being the actual problem.

I'll try again to post a link.  Here's one to Wiki with a diagram of the Intercostal Muscles.  You can also have pain all the way up into the front of your arm/bicep.

Diagram of the Intercostal Muscles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercostal_muscle

Info on Costochondritis:

http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Costochondritis__Symptoms___Treatment_a182_f0.html

~fingers crossed~

Hope this helps ~*~ Karen free2bfree

Hi Free,

I previously suffered from the feeling of something pushing up under my ribs and squeezing/hard to breathe. My doctor thought it was allergies. I was living in a horrible apartment at the time re. air quality. After moving out and (and making some healthier diet/lifestyle choices) that problem went away. Maybe it's allergies?

Take care, mb

Stretching definitely helps & I do that throughout the day. First thing in the morning I jump into a hot shower & find much relief. Thanks for the stretching recommendations. Listening to one's body is so important & I find that when I have this kind of pain I need to listen & just take it easy until my body says it's okay to go back at it.

I get the burning in the sternum area too - sometimes it's pain from costochondritis but sometimes I find that it's heartburn from eating something that just doesn't agree with me (which is a whole lot of things).

Breathing, especially deep breathing, can be difficult when I'm in this kind of pain. Taking Ibuprofen would probably be better than Tylenol but with my sensitive stomach I lean toward Tylenol.

Thanks for all the info & suggestions. It's feeling better today but I'm still trying to take it easy. Everyone take care!