What is chest inflammation. Understanding Chest Inflammation: Costochondritis – Diagnosis and Treatment

05.09.202304.07.2023 by alexxlab

What is chest inflammation? Learn about the diagnosis and treatment of costochondritis, a common cause of chest pain and inflammation. Get insights from medical experts.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Costochondritis

Costochondritis is a common cause of chest pain and inflammation. The main symptom is a sharp, stabbing pain in the chest, often in the middle or left side. The pain may worsen when taking deep breaths, coughing, or leaning forward. Other symptoms can include tenderness, swelling, and redness in the affected area.

To diagnose costochondritis, a doctor will conduct a physical examination, looking for tenderness or swelling in the chest wall. They may also order tests, such as an X-ray or CT scan, to rule out other underlying conditions. A doctor may also ask about your medical history, including any recent respiratory infections or injuries to the chest.

Causes and Risk Factors of Costochondritis

The exact cause of costochondritis is often unknown, but it can be associated with several factors, including:

Chest injury or trauma
Repetitive strain or overuse of the chest muscles
Respiratory infections, such as the flu or pneumonia
Certain underlying conditions, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia

Costochondritis is more common in women and people over the age of 40. It can also occur in children and adolescents, though less frequently.

Complications of Costochondritis

While costochondritis is generally a benign condition, it can sometimes lead to more serious complications, such as:

Cardiac tamponade: A buildup of fluid in the pericardial sac surrounding the heart, which can impair heart function.
Chronic constrictive pericarditis: Scarring and stiffening of the pericardial sac, leading to impaired heart function.

These complications are relatively rare, but it’s important to seek prompt medical attention if you experience severe or persistent chest pain or other concerning symptoms.

Treatment and Management of Costochondritis

The primary goal of treatment for costochondritis is to alleviate pain and inflammation. Common treatment approaches include:

Rest and activity modification
Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen or naproxen
Topical pain relief creams or ointments
Gentle stretching and exercises to improve chest wall mobility
Corticosteroid injections in severe cases

In most cases, costochondritis will resolve within a few weeks to a few months with appropriate treatment and self-care measures. However, some people may experience recurrent or chronic pain, requiring ongoing management.

Prevention of Costochondritis

While it’s not always possible to prevent costochondritis, there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk:

Maintain good posture and avoid activities that strain the chest wall
Practice regular stretching and strengthening exercises for the chest and upper body
Seek prompt medical attention for any chest injuries or respiratory infections
Manage any underlying conditions, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, that may contribute to costochondritis

When to Seek Medical Attention

If you experience persistent or severe chest pain, it’s important to seek medical attention right away. While costochondritis is a common and generally benign condition, it’s important to rule out more serious underlying conditions, such as a heart attack or pericarditis.

Seek immediate medical care if you experience any of the following symptoms:

Sudden, severe chest pain
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting
Rapid or irregular heartbeat

Conclusion

Costochondritis is a common cause of chest pain and inflammation, often characterized by a sharp, stabbing pain in the chest wall. While it’s generally a benign condition, it’s important to seek medical attention to rule out more serious underlying conditions and receive appropriate treatment. With proper management, most people with costochondritis can find relief and return to their normal activities.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Pericarditis

Signs and symptoms of pericarditis

A common symptom of acute pericarditis is a sharp, stabbing chest pain, usually coming on quickly. It’s often is in the middle or left side of the chest, and there may be pain in one or both shoulders.

Sitting up and leaning forward tends to ease the pain, while lying down and breathing deep worsens it. Some people describe the pain as a dull ache or pressure in their chest.

The chest pain may feel like a heart attack. If you experience chest pain, call 911 right away because you may be having a heart attack.

Fever is another common symptom of acute pericarditis. Other symptoms are weakness, trouble breathing and coughing. Palpitations, which are feelings that your heart is skipping a beat, fluttering or beating too hard or too fast, may occur and can be a sign of deeper heart tissue involvement.

Chronic pericarditis often causes tiredness, coughing and shortness of breath. Chest pain is sometimes absent with this type of pericarditis. Severe cases of chronic pericarditis can lead to swelling in the stomach, feet, ankles and legs and hypotension (low blood pressure).

Complications of pericarditis

Two serious complications of pericarditis are cardiac tamponade and chronic constrictive pericarditis.

Cardiac tamponade happens if too much fluid collects in the sac, putting pressure on the heart. This prevents the heart from properly filling with blood, so less blood leaves the heart, causing a sharp drop in blood pressure. Untreated cardiac tamponade can be fatal.
Chronic constrictive pericarditis is a rare disease that takes time to develop. It leads to scar-like tissue forming throughout the sac around the heart. As the sac becomes stiff and unable to move properly, the scarred tissue starts to compress the heart and prevent it from functioning well.

Diagnosing pericarditis

A doctor diagnoses pericarditis based on your medical history, a physical exam and test results.

Specialists involved

Primary care doctors, such as a family doctor, internist or pediatrician, often diagnose and treat pericarditis. A cardiologist, pediatric cardiologist or infectious disease specialist may be involved, depending on the patient’s age and medical conditions.

Medical history

Your doctor may ask whether you have had:

A recent respiratory infection or flu-like illness
A recent heart attack or injury to your chest
Other medical conditions

If you have chest pain (angina), your doctor will ask you to describe how it feels, where it’s located and whether it’s worse when you lie down, breathe or cough.

Physical exam

When the pericardium is inflamed, the fluid between the sac’s two layers of tissue increases. So your doctor will look for signs of excess fluid in your chest. A common sign is the pericardial rub. This is the sound of the pericardium rubbing against the outer layer of your heart. Your doctor will listen for this using a stethoscope.

Your doctor may hear other chest sounds that are signs of fluid in the pericardium (pericardial effusion) or the lungs (pleural effusion). Both are more severe problems related to pericarditis.

Diagnostic tests

Your doctor may recommend tests to diagnose your condition and its severity. The most common tests are:

Learn more:

View an animation of angina

Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisors. See our editorial policies and staff.

Last Reviewed: Apr 8, 2021

Angina (Chest Pain)

Costochondritis…a mysterious inflammation of the rib joints in your chest…or is it? – Sophie Cooke – Soft Tissue Therapy

Post author:

FINALLY, A SIMPLE ANSWER! All hail Steve! The answer – the joints at the back of the rib cage (attached to the spine) are stiff and immobile and therefore the costochondral joints (the bits at the front) become overworked and more mobile to allow your body to breath ultimately causing them to strain. This inflammation creates pain and sensitivity and will continue until the immobile joints at the back are fixed!

Effective treatment includes the mobilisation of the stiff joints in your ribs that attach to your spine, deep tissue massage of your shoulders, neck and upper back combined with strengthening exercises and a focus on posture. I began my treatment journey with an Osteopath to free up my stiff rib joints and then maintained the release using the Backpod daily combined with a monthly deep tissue massage by a Soft Tissue therapist who knows how to treat costochondritis – it is very important they know what to do as some methods of treatment can make the inflammation worse. In between treatments I used various exercises to strengthen my shoulders and very quietly stretch my pectoral muscles. For more information on this please visit Costochondritis Explained

– The main reason is the penetration of pathogenic microflora into the tissue of the mammary glands, in particular a bacterial infection (most often staphylococcal). If a woman does not properly attach her baby to her breast, if her nipples are not prepared, cracks may appear on them, forming an entrance gate for the penetration of microbes. Incomplete pumping of milk from the breast contributes to the development of lactostasis, and this is a favorable environment for the development of inflammation.

— Acute and chronic mastitis, unilateral and bilateral, are distinguished along the course. By the nature of the inflammatory process, they are serous, infiltrative, purulent, abscessing, gangrenous, phlegmonous. The first two forms are characterized by a limited focus of inflammation. When ensuring a good outflow of milk, they usually do not suppurate. All other forms of the inflammatory process require surgical intervention.

— First of all, observe the rules of personal hygiene when feeding and caring for the mammary glands, prevent congestion by regularly feeding the child with both glands in turn, followed by decanting milk residues. Contact obstetricians or lactation consultants for information on the technique and rules of feeding, pumping. It is important that a woman wears properly sized underwear made from natural fabrics.

Mastitis is an acute or chronic inflammation of the mammary gland caused by the penetration of a bacterial infection through the injured nipple or skin of the breast through the lymphatic pathways. Most often, mastitis is diagnosed in a nursing woman. Also, the disease can develop in a pregnant woman, less often in girls, and sometimes, as a result of a malfunction of metabolic processes and disruption of the endocrine system, and in men.