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Question: Back/arm/rib pain-what to do?
| Badfish740
- Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:21 am |
I am a 24 year old male in reasonably good health, I quit smoking around 6 months ago (had smoked for about 5 years), and the only illness in my family history is heart disease. No current meds, one surgery 8 years ago to correct a perforated eardrum. For about three years now I've had a sometimes aching and sometimes stabbing pain which seems to emenate from under my middle left rib cage, between my spine and left shoulder blade, and down the back of my left arm to my elbow. These pains came and went in the past, but now they seem to always be there although they vary in intensity. The pain in my arm seems to worsen when I do the following:
Lie on my left side and breathe in deeply
Turn my head to the extreme left in any position
Cough (I actually have a bad cold right now)
I also have developed an aching sternum pain as of about a year and a half to two years ago. This is aggravated by certain movements such as pushing or pulling against resistance across my chest (like working out on a butterfly machine), or lying a certain way. Sometimes (especially when first waking up) I can "crack" my chest by reaching backwards as far as possible. I can hear and feel the crack which seems to alleviate the pain temporarily as well as feel very satisfying almost as if I am relieving tension.
I saw a doctor for the first time about this last year and he did an EKG to rule out heart problems. He basically told me to take Aspirin when I had pain and that the pain was due to an inflammation of the connective tissue of the ribcage (Costochondritis?), but at this point I don't want to live on Aspirin every day.
I've been through countless websites which attribute rib/shoulder pain to everything from metastisized cancer to Heart attack, but I think its safe to say that at my age those diagnoses are probably remote. What can I do to alleviate this pain? Can I modify my sleeping position, see a chiropractor, etc...?
Thanks,
Matthew
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| Theresa Jones, RN
- Thu Jun 29, 2006 11:04 am |
 Hi Badfish740,
Have you had any diagnostic studies/labwork, ie., sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein test? These studies would assist in identification of the causative factor. Costochondritis may involve factors such as trauma, recent illness, or may be indicative of other disorders such as psoriatic Arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, reactive Arthritis, inflammatory bowel disorders, etc. etc. Treatment typically consists of minimization of stressing activities that seem to aggravate the condition, Anti-inflammatory medications, and in some cases physical therapy. If there has been no diagnostic studies to identify the causative factor, I would suggest that you inquire with your physician regarding this matter.
Sincerely,
Theresa Jones, RN
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