Costochondritis
Overview
Costochondritis is inflammation where your ribs join the bone in the middle of your chest (breastbone). It can cause sharp chest pain, especially when moving or breathing. It usually gets better on its own over time.
Symptoms
Costochondritis may cause sharp pain in the front or side of your chest. The pain may be worse when: moving your upper bodylying downbreathing deeplyyou press the middle of your chest
Causes
It is not always known what causes costochondritis, but it may be caused by: an injury to your chestrepetitive upper body movements, like liftingcoughing a lot Sometimes it may be caused by a problem with the joints in the back, or another underlying condition likefibromyalgiaorrheumatoid arthritis. It can also be caused by an infection.
Treatment
Costochondritis usually gets better on its own, over time. It can last for a few weeks to several months. Painkillers that help with inflammation, likeibuprofen, may be recommended to help with the pain. If you have very bad pain that does not get better over time, you may be offered a steroid injection to help reduce inflammation orlocal anaestheticto ease the pain.