The possible causes of chest wall pain. A summery on costochondritis.
Chest sternum pain / chest wall pain / pain in the rib cage is a problem to worry for many people. Chest sternum is the flat bone in the middle of the chest where all the ribs are connected. Rib cage is one of the most important parts of our body. It protects all of our sensitive important organs. It works as a shield to protect the organs. Now chest pain in this area can be serious sometimes.
Most of the people gets very worried when they feel in the region
of the chest. Often people visits the emergency doctors for check up. But not all the chest pain are serious. I have been suffering from chest pain for almost 2 years.In this Hub I am going describe about all the possible causes of Chest sternum pain.
What causes Chest wall (rib and sternum) pain :
There are many possible causes of chest pain. Some of the most common causes of chest pain are described below :
i) Costochondritis/ Tietz syndrome: Costochondritis is a very common cause of chest rib/ sternum pain. It's the inflammation of the costochondral are. This condition is not serious but the pain will be irritating. Sometime the pain is so serious it becomes difficult to breath.
Symptom of costochondritis: The most common symptom of the costochondritis is to have pain in the rib cage/ sternum. The pain can be sharp when you press on the chest wall pain , taking deep breath ordoing any physical work/excercise. Shortness of breath does not occur normally. But when the pain increases then slight shortness of breath can be occur.
How to diagnose that this is Costochondritis: If you are feeling the pain in the left side of your chest then your need to consult a Doctor urgently to make sure the problem is not related to cardiac. A chest radiography should be done to clear all other possibility. If the chest x-ray is clear and you do not have any other symptoms beside chest pain then you probably have Costochondritis.
Causes of Costochondritis: Causes of Costochondritis is not clear. Past physical trauma in the chest region is one of the cause of Costochondritis. Sneezing heavily, Cold infection etc can cause Costochondritis.
Treatment of Costochondritis: Acute Costochondritis goes way within a period times. Taking rest is recommended to get rid of the pain. If the pain is unbearable then doctor may prescribed NSAID (Non-steroid anti inflammatory drugs) to get rid of the pain. However prolong use of this
medicine can cause side effect. Usually it goes way within couple of weeks to 6 months. But in some cases it stays for a long time.Tietz Syndrome: The severe form of Costochondritis is known as Tietz syndrome. The pain is sharp and specific to single space. Sometime the area of the rib will be too tender to touch or press. The pain may radiate to shoulder and back of the chest.
Some of the other causes of Chest Wall pain:
ii) Chest Trauma: Physical injury in the chest region can cause chest pain. Doctor can diagnose the problem easily by a chest X-ray. Doctor prescribed medication and rest should be taken to recover from this problem.
iii) Asthma: Chest pain with severe breathing difficulty can be a sign of Asthma. Consult with the Doctor to diagnose the cause of the Asthma. Doctor will prescribe medicine according the cause of the asthma to cure it. An Inhaler will be recommended if it is necessary.
Iv) Heartburn: If you feel a burning sensation in your chest area then it could be a symptom of Heartburn. The pain may be felt in in the neck and throat as well. Home care and rest is highly recommended to treat heartburn problems. If the pain is severe and other symptoms occur then you should consult with a doctor.
The above listed conditions are some of the common causes of chest wall pain. Now if your chest pain is related pulmonary problems then you must consult with a doctor to diagnose the actual cause. If you have prolong cough, breathing difficulty, pain below sternum, fever, weight loss etc then you probably need to talk with a doctor immediately.Chest pain with fever , weight loss , night sweat , cough can be a sign of diseases like pneumonia, pericarditis, pulmonary embolism, Lung infections, Tuberculosis etc.
I hope all this information will help you to understand about chest wall pain. If you have any question , make sure to ask me in the comment. If you like the article please rate it :) . Thank you very much for reading my article:)