Friday, July 19, 2013

Pain is not relative....nope Pain is OUCH!

I have costochondritis aka this is my crazy back pain that we've not known what is going on. Luckily today hobbling across to lunch I ran into a friend who is an athletic trainer and chiropractor. We were talking and he asked me how I was doing and I explained what had been going on. He looked at me touched my back and asked me a few questions about the pain etc. He asked me what I had been doing and then told me with a smile on my face...you should of called me sooner!

So what is costochondritis? Check out this great link here

What is costochondritis?
cost= rib, chond = cartilage, itis = inflammation
Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that attaches the ribs to the breastbone  What hurts with daily activities?  Sitting at a computer- try putting a binder under your feet (heels down, toes up) to shift your body weight
Long drives in a vehicle- try to not "hunch" over the steering wheel
Weather- rainy/humid weather makes a lot of people worse
Sneezing/coughing
Lifting heavy objects from the floor, or above your head
Repetitive motions such a vacuuming, mopping
Stress
Caffeine


What can I do? I am to de-stress, limit caffeine, and do my stretches. Work on massage and chiropractic care, watch how I sit (no leg crossing), and use ice to help inflammation, heat to help with pain.

Here are some basic of my nifty stretches that instantly helped http://costohope.blogspot.com/2009/11/costochondritis-stretching-exercises.html After seeing my friend I called up my regular chiropractor. He is super great and is always willing to answer questions. I've had this type of problem off and on for a long while and when I told him about the costochondritis that was suggested he giggled at me and said I never stop amazing him. He definitely told me that outside of retraining my hips to be in place over the last year this is the main cause of my issue, he just never explained it with that word! StretchStress LessStress Ice for InflamationSleep with one pillowSit correctlyStretchStretchoh and Stretch! In 3-6 weeks I should start really feeling better and seeing some benefit from it all.
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