Mid-Back & Ribs
Costochondritis
Also called: Chest wall inflammation
Inflammation of the cartilage joining ribs to the breastbone, causing front-of-chest pain that's tender to the touch. A common, benign cause of chest pain — but chest pain always earns a careful evaluation before settling on this diagnosis.
Common signs
- Aching or sharp pain beside the breastbone, often left side
- Reproduced by pressing on the spot
- Worse with deep breaths, coughing, or certain movements
- No swelling (if visibly swollen, that's a related condition called Tietze syndrome)
Seek help now if
- Chest pain with exertion, pressure, radiation to arm/jaw, shortness of breath, nausea, or sweating — emergency evaluation
- Fever, or chest pain with recent infection
- Trauma to the chest
Any of these: call 911 or get to an emergency room first. Everything else can wait.
What to do first
- Establish safety first: cardiac and pulmonary causes are excluded by history, exam, and testing as needed
- Relative rest from aggravating movements (push-ups, heavy carrying)
- Heat and gentle mobility for the mid-back and chest wall
If it's become chronic
- Lingering cases respond to thoracic spine mobility work — a stiff mid-back overloads the front chest joints
- Review training loads (pressing volume) and posture
Natural healing options we use
- Thoracic chiropractic care to unload the anterior chest wall
- Gentle soft tissue therapy around (not aggressively on) the tender joints
- PEMF for inflammation
- Omega-3 and anti-inflammatory nutrition support
About imaging
Normal in costochondritis; testing is used to exclude other causes of chest pain, not to confirm this one.
Daily self-care
- Pec doorway stretches and thoracic extension daily
- Temporarily reduce pressing exercises
- Full easy breathing — don't guard
More in Mid-Back & Ribs
Thoracic Sprain/StrainRib Joint DysfunctionThoracic Outlet SyndromeScheuermann's KyphosisIntercostal NeuralgiaUpper Crossed / Postural SyndromePostural Hyperkyphosis
Please read: this page is education, not a diagnosis. A proper examination is how a condition gets confirmed and a plan gets built. See our medical disclaimer.