Anyone had/have this and what are the symptoms. I have a left sided back pain which radiates to side and front and i saw an osteopath on Tuesday who said all my left felt tight and my rib/s felt locked. My back is even hurting when i walk and sit back and lean on a chair/sofa. Most of my left side feels inflamed or something.
Rib cage pain - costochondritis??
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charles shepherd
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This is a question that crops up with remarkable frequency on our MEA Facebook page and in queries sent into our ME Connect service
The latest discussion, which is still in progress, started two days ago:
COULD MY COSTOCHONDRITIS HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE COXSACKIE VIRUS WHICH AFFECTED ME OVER 20 YEARS AGO?
xxxxx writes:
Can anyone give me some advice? I was diagnosed with ME over 20 years ago after I had coxsackie virus.
Can this virus stay in the body particularly coxsackie B and flare up at anytime?
I have been very unwell recently with ? costochondritis. ER x 3 times all tests came back negative for heart, lungs etc but I'm wondering if this has anything to do with coxsackie and should I ask GP for a virus blood test. Many thanks folks xox
_____________________
Dr Charles Shepherd, our medical adviser, comments:
I'm very sorry to hear about all the problems you are facing with the management of your ? costochondritis.
I hope you will appreciate that as a doctor I cannot provide individual advice on either diagnosis or management over the internet>
This is something that has to be done in the consulting room with a doctor who knows your full past and current clinical history, examination findings, and the results of all relevant investigations.
What I can say in general terms is that the type of pain you describe –costochondritis – does appear to be more common in ME/CFS and is something that we discuss on MEA Facebook from time to time.
The last MEAF discussion, which you may find helpful to look at, was on October 18.
I would also add that a similar problem called Bornholm's disease can can be linked to coxsackie B virus infection, which can also trigger ME/CFS<
There is conflicting research evidence regarding the possibility that persisting enteroviral (including coxsackie) infection plays a role in ME/CFS. Professor Peter Behan's group in Glasgow came to the conclusion that there was no evidence of a link whereas John Chia in America has published evidence supporting a link in at least a sub-group of people with ME/CFS. There is more info in the research section of the MEA purple book if you want to pursue.
Useful information on costochondritis:
http://www.nhs.uk/…/Tietzes-syndrome/pages/introduction.aspx
http://patient.info/health/costochondritis
It sounds as though your GP would benefit from having a copy of the new edition of the MEA purple booklet.
The latest discussion, which is still in progress, started two days ago:
COULD MY COSTOCHONDRITIS HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE COXSACKIE VIRUS WHICH AFFECTED ME OVER 20 YEARS AGO?
xxxxx writes:
Can anyone give me some advice? I was diagnosed with ME over 20 years ago after I had coxsackie virus.
Can this virus stay in the body particularly coxsackie B and flare up at anytime?
I have been very unwell recently with ? costochondritis. ER x 3 times all tests came back negative for heart, lungs etc but I'm wondering if this has anything to do with coxsackie and should I ask GP for a virus blood test. Many thanks folks xox
_____________________
Dr Charles Shepherd, our medical adviser, comments:
I'm very sorry to hear about all the problems you are facing with the management of your ? costochondritis.
I hope you will appreciate that as a doctor I cannot provide individual advice on either diagnosis or management over the internet>
This is something that has to be done in the consulting room with a doctor who knows your full past and current clinical history, examination findings, and the results of all relevant investigations.
What I can say in general terms is that the type of pain you describe –costochondritis – does appear to be more common in ME/CFS and is something that we discuss on MEA Facebook from time to time.
The last MEAF discussion, which you may find helpful to look at, was on October 18.
I would also add that a similar problem called Bornholm's disease can can be linked to coxsackie B virus infection, which can also trigger ME/CFS<
There is conflicting research evidence regarding the possibility that persisting enteroviral (including coxsackie) infection plays a role in ME/CFS. Professor Peter Behan's group in Glasgow came to the conclusion that there was no evidence of a link whereas John Chia in America has published evidence supporting a link in at least a sub-group of people with ME/CFS. There is more info in the research section of the MEA purple book if you want to pursue.
Useful information on costochondritis:
http://www.nhs.uk/…/Tietzes-syndrome/pages/introduction.aspx
http://patient.info/health/costochondritis
It sounds as though your GP would benefit from having a copy of the new edition of the MEA purple booklet.
charles shepherd
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charles shepherd
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Besides being implicated in ME/CFS, Coxsackie B virus infection can also cause an interesting type of chest pain that involves the pleura (outer lining of the lungs)
This is called pleurodynia:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/epidemic-pleurodynia
This is called pleurodynia:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/epidemic-pleurodynia
Biarritz13
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A doctor told me that this can be due to Bartonella.
Horizon
Senior Member
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- 239
Interesting. I have high titers and constant terrible chest pain. Is there any test showing this Pleurodynia? I have had heart exams and chest x-rays show clear. I am just wondering if there is a way to prove this to doctors that I have constant horrible chest pains.
Butydoc
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Costochondritis is usually at the costochrondral rib junction. When palpating along the affected rib, you should be able to feel pinpoint pain at this junction. Look up on line to see an anatomy picture of this area. I usually treat this problem with non-steroidal drug like ibuprofen. Your primary care doctor should be able to make this diagnosis easily on physical exam if this is the correct diagnosis.
Best,
Gary
daisybell
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- New Zealand
I had presumed costochondritis for a while - it's basically gone now which is nice. At its worst I used to wake up in the middle of the night feeling like I was having a heart attack. Not nice. It seemed for me to be one of those ME symptoms that waxes and wanes...
wonderoushope
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I have had it since I was a kid, it usually lasted for about 10 seconds as a kid, once or twice a month.
In my mid 20's it got a bit worse and would have longer periods of having it. Sometimes it would happen once or twice a day for a minute or two.
Then in my mid 20's I had one bout 24 hours and ended up going to emergency and the doctor did x-rays and said it was costochondritis. They said it was probably caused from an infection I had as a kid.
I then had a good remission period, but it has come back in the last 12 months.
The last 5 months I only seem to get it at night when I am in asleep (never had it while I was asleep previous to this) and I wake up unable to move because of the pain. I feel it has something to do with my chronic fatigue symptoms, as I have been going through a bit of down spiral with it of late. I also get other joint issues in my body at the same time. I'm assuming it costochondritis, based on what doctor said it hospital, they gave me that diagnosis about 10 years ago.
I can no longer have anti-inflammatory drugs because my stomach gets affected by it (gastritis flares), so I just have to take panadol, which does nothing. When i was at hospital at the time they told me to take 2 x panadols and 2 x asprins when I get a bout of it. I also think when I have a slight infection of acid reflux it flares up. Also straining body through movement can bring on a flare-up.
The pain is only on one side of my rib cage close to my aorta. Pain doesn't really transfer to my back or anything like that.
In my mid 20's it got a bit worse and would have longer periods of having it. Sometimes it would happen once or twice a day for a minute or two.
Then in my mid 20's I had one bout 24 hours and ended up going to emergency and the doctor did x-rays and said it was costochondritis. They said it was probably caused from an infection I had as a kid.
I then had a good remission period, but it has come back in the last 12 months.
The last 5 months I only seem to get it at night when I am in asleep (never had it while I was asleep previous to this) and I wake up unable to move because of the pain. I feel it has something to do with my chronic fatigue symptoms, as I have been going through a bit of down spiral with it of late. I also get other joint issues in my body at the same time. I'm assuming it costochondritis, based on what doctor said it hospital, they gave me that diagnosis about 10 years ago.
I can no longer have anti-inflammatory drugs because my stomach gets affected by it (gastritis flares), so I just have to take panadol, which does nothing. When i was at hospital at the time they told me to take 2 x panadols and 2 x asprins when I get a bout of it. I also think when I have a slight infection of acid reflux it flares up. Also straining body through movement can bring on a flare-up.
The pain is only on one side of my rib cage close to my aorta. Pain doesn't really transfer to my back or anything like that.
Last edited:
Costochondritis may also be caused by Lyme disease. I had it before I got IV antibiotics.
Dr. Richard Horowitz writes in his book " Why can´t I get better - solving the mystery of lyme and chronic disease", p. 42
' ... and Lyme disease frequently causes chest pain with costochondritis, with associated palpitations and shortness of breath (which is often made worse with Babesia)'. ...
Dr. Richard Horowitz writes in his book " Why can´t I get better - solving the mystery of lyme and chronic disease", p. 42
' ... and Lyme disease frequently causes chest pain with costochondritis, with associated palpitations and shortness of breath (which is often made worse with Babesia)'. ...
I had costrochonitis(sp? I can't do spell check without losing text) for years so does my dad. Mine is gone but my dad still gets it. It's interesting how we used to get symptoms at the same time.
I don't think I have it now but don't know if the FM pain overides it.
It's a different type of pain than FM. At least for me. I had this way before FM but wonder if there's an inherited component or like RLS might, emphasis on might be a predictor that you may be at risk. Evidence is showing up that RLS may be related to FM, if at a later time there's a trigger. For me it was a complicated broken arm and wrist.
I don't think I have it now but don't know if the FM pain overides it.
It's a different type of pain than FM. At least for me. I had this way before FM but wonder if there's an inherited component or like RLS might, emphasis on might be a predictor that you may be at risk. Evidence is showing up that RLS may be related to FM, if at a later time there's a trigger. For me it was a complicated broken arm and wrist.
ChrisD
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Hi, about a year ago when I first started having Fibro/CFs symptoms, I was working in an office hunched over a desk and developed a lot of pressure in my chest. I had an inflammatory pain in both my sternum and upper back, and the pain in my chest also felt like it was clenching my heart, it was definitely costochondritis and was clearly linked to the virus that had initiated my CFS. I decided to follow the health blogs and took a lot of turmeric to control the inflammation and activated Charcoal tto absorb and flush out excess toxins - this worked pretty well and I haven't had it as a symptom since.....