Symptoms of sternocostal arthritis

Joints are important connection points of the body's bones. Only with the function of joints can the body perform various movements. Joints are everywhere. Even the ribs in the chest have joints, which are called costal joints. This part of the joint is very important and plays an extremely important role in the health of the chest. However, the ribs are also prone to inflammation, leading to costal arthritis, which causes great pain in the body. Let’s take a look at the symptoms of thoracic costoarthritis.

Symptoms:

Costochondritis causes painful lumps and tenderness over the costal cartilages. Also known as Tietze's disease. It is more common in people aged 20 to 40 years old, often at the junction of the 2nd and/or 3rd costal cartilage and sternum, and occasionally at other ribs or sternoclavicular joints. Most of the lesions are in one place. The cause may be related to viral infection or trauma. The course of the disease may last for several hours or days, but it may relapse. It usually heals itself within a few months, and some may last for several years. Common treatments include hot compresses, analgesics, local injections of prednisolone acetate, etc.

Causes:

The cause of the disease is unknown, but it is generally believed to be related to strain or trauma, and is more common in workers who hold heavy loads on their upper arms for a long time. Clinical manifestations: It is more common in women aged 20 to 30 years, with a male to female ratio of 1:9. The onset may be acute or slow. Acute cases may occur suddenly, with a feeling of stabbing, throbbing or soreness in the chest; insidious cases may develop slowly, causing the junction of the ribs and costal cartilage to become arched, swollen, and dull pain, sometimes radiating to the shoulders, back, armpits, neck and chest, and sometimes chest tightness and shortness of breath. The pain is relieved by resting or lying on the side, but worsens with deep breathing, coughing, lying flat, chest straightening and fatigue. No obvious abnormalities were found in X-rays, and there is generally no obvious clinical classification.

Clinical examination methods

First, let the patient lie on his side, press the main pain point of the costal cartilage with one hand while keeping the pressure constant, and use the other hand to find the tender point beside the thoracic spinous process or on the back of the scapula. When a highly sensitive tender point is found on the chest and back, perform strong stimulation massage. After the massage, the patient's main pain in the costal cartilage will disappear or be alleviated immediately, which proves that the massage area is the primary damage lesion of "costochondritis"; this is the embodiment of treating the disease first and then treating it. This should be diagnosed as: costochondral pain caused by soft tissue damage in the chest, back, or back of the shoulder blade.