costochondritis

[nervousnewmummy]

Hi,
I have just been diagnosed with costochondritis, (inflammation of the cartilage that joins ribs to the breastbone).
As I am 20 wks pregnant, - my GP (who is fab) says I can't take any decent pain relief or have any steroid injections, just do pilates/yoga to strengthen core area.
Wondering if anyone else had this during pregnancy and how they eased the terrible pain it brings...?

[japhrimel]

Are you 100% sure the diagnosis is correct? I ask because Costo gets diagnosed a lot in people with the same condition - Fibromyalgia - as I have and it isn't always actually Costo. There's something called myofascial trigger points (basically just knots on muscles) that can cause very very similar symptoms, but is often associated with more stiffness and maybe symptoms elsewhere, such as a stiff neck & tension headaches. If the pain is more widespread, that can be a sign it's not Costo, as Costo should only affect the cartilage joining the ribs at the front and back - it shouldn't affect the whole chest wall for example.

True Costo isn't helped much by things that aren't anti-inflammatory afaik - e.g. stretches and exercises (whereas the muscle issues can be). You can try ice when pregnant.