Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). Pain from costochondritis could feel like pain from a heart attack or other heart problems.
Costochondritis is also called costosternal syndrome, chest wall pain syndrome, and costosternal chondrodynia. Sometimes the pain comes with swelling which is known as Tietze syndrome.
It’s not clear what causes costochondritis. The main goal of treatment is to ease the pain while the condition gets better on its own, which can take a few weeks or more.
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Can Costochondritis Cause Boob Pain?
Costochondritis, an inflammation of the ribs behind the breast, may be the most common cause of localized ‘breast pain’. This could be caused by more physical activity or a shock, but most of the time, no one knows why.
What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Costochondritis Breast Pain?
Costochondritis that leads to underboob pain has some symptoms and signs such as
When the costochondral joint gets inflamed, it can cause sharp chest pain and tenderness that can come on slowly or all at once. Sometimes the pain could get worse if
- A certain position, like lying down;
- Pressure on your chest, like when you wear a seatbelt or hug someone
- Deep breathing,
- Coughing, sneezing, and physical activity.
Most of the time, chest pain from costochondritis starts after exercise, a small injury, or an upper respiratory infection. You feel a sharp pain in the front of your chest, usually on the left side, near where your breastbone and ribs meet. It could move to your back or stomach.
When you cough or take a deep breath, it hurts. When you stop moving or quiet down your breathing, it gets better. And when you press on your rib joints, they hurt. If you don’t feel this pain, it feels like you don’t have costochondritis.
If you get costochondritis breast pain because of an infection after surgery, the site of the surgery will be red, swollen, or drain pus.
If you have any of the following, you should call your doctor:
- Can’t get enough air?
- A lot of heat
- Redness, pus, and more swelling at the rib joints are signs of an infection.
- Pain that doesn’t go away or gets worse despite medication
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Dizziness
Go to the emergency room of a hospital if you can’t breathe or if any of the following happens. Most of the time, they are not caused by costochondritis:
- High fever that doesn’t go away even after taking acetaminophen or ibuprofen to bring it down.
- Signs of infection at the sore spot, such as pus, redness, increased pain, and swelling
- Any kind of persistent chest pain when you also feel sick, sweat, or have pain in your left arm. These could be signs of a heart attack. If you don’t know why you’re having chest pain, you should go to the emergency room.
How To Diagnose Costochondritis Breast Pain?
During the physical exam, the doctor or nurse will feel your breastbone for tenderness or swelling. The doctor or nurse may also move your rib cage or arms in certain ways to try to bring on symptoms.
Costochondritis breast pain is similar to the pain of heart disease, lung disease, stomach problems, and osteoarthritis. Costochondritis can’t be confirmed by a lab or imaging test. But a doctor might order an electrocardiogram and chest X-ray to rule out other conditions. Now let’s move to its super cool home remedies that can help you to reduce underboob pain.
Home Remedies For Under Boob Pain
We all sometimes get tired of medicines and looked for some natural treatment option so here are a few of them such as
Use Heat Compress
According to the top reviewed Plastic Surgeon in Lahore, Dr. Mehwish Ihsan Butt “Apply warm or cold packs to your breasts. A warm pack is a great way to help sore breasts feel better while they heal.” You should try to put a warm pack on the hurt area four times a day for the 20 minutes that your doctor suggests.
The pain and swelling in your breasts can be eased with an ice pack. If you notice swelling, put an ice pack on it and leave it on for 20 minutes at a time. You should do this within 24 hours.
If your breasts are sore, you can relax and heal with the help of a gel hot and cold pack at the right temperature.
Wear A Sports Bra
Wear a bra that gives you firm support and, if you can, get it fitted by a professional. No matter if you’re working out or not, a well-fitting, supportive bra can help relieve breast pain and prevent back and neck pain, as well as permanent breast sagging. Wear a sports bra when you work out, especially if your breasts tend to get sore.
Relaxation Therapy
Try relaxation therapy, which can help you deal with the high levels of stress that come with severe breast pain. A type of therapy that helps relieve muscle tension and stress, lowers blood pressure and controls pain. It could involve tightening and loosening muscles.
Control Your Caffeine Consumption
Some women find it helpful to cut back on or get rid of caffeine, but studies on how caffeine affects breast pain and other premenstrual symptoms haven’t come to a clear conclusion.
Nutritional Supplements
Evening primrose oil has polyunsaturated fatty acids in it, which may help relieve breast pain. Many doctors say that you should take 3 grams a day for at least 6 months. Vitamin B6 and vitamin E should be increased.
It has been shown that both vitamins can help ease breast pain. Vitamin E also keeps your breasts safe from damage caused by free radicals, which can kill cells.
Low Fat Diet
One study reveals that the effect of a low-fat diet is directly linked to estrogen and estrogen is related to breast pain, and eating a low-fat diet, especially one low in saturated fats, can make breast pain and lumpiness go away. Avoid meat and eat more fish, tofu, and low-fat dairy. Observational studies have shown that some women with breast pain feel better when they eat less fat and more complex carbs.
Keep A journal
Keep a journal and write down when you have breast pain and other symptoms. Try to visit your doctor and this will help you figure out if your pain is cyclic or not. Write down all of your symptoms, even if they seem to have nothing to do with your breast pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine, how bad is your pain?
Things You Should Consider
No treatments for costochondritis have been tested in real people. Most of the time, painkillers like acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or other analgesics are used to treat pain. Putting heat on sore muscles with compresses or heating pads can help, especially if the muscles have been used too much. . Costochondritis breast pain that doesn’t go away can be treated with local injections of combined lidocaine (Xylocaine) and corticosteroid into the costochondral areas. This is usually not necessary, though. In case of any problem do not hesitate to contact your nearest doctor. He will guide you and maybe suggest you have a biopsy for breast cancer. But you don’t need to worry, have some patience and trust in nature.
