Costochondritis can be treated with medical massage therapy

Costochondritis is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum. It causes sharp and often severe pain in the costosternal joint (where the ribs connect to the sternum), sometimes mimicking a heart attack. While the cause of this condition is not know, medical massage therapy focused on the breathing muscles and other muscles that attach to the thoracic cage (rib cage) has been shown to be an effective treatment for the pain associated with costochondritis.

Humans normally have 12 rib bones on each side, ten of which attach to the sternum via costal cartilage. Cartilage is softer and more pliable than bone allowing the ribs to expand during inhalation. Dozens of individual muscles attach to the ribs and many of those muscles are used during inhalation. When these muscles are tight (hypertonic) additional stress is placed on the costal cartilage contributing to the painful condition.

Additionally the pain from the cartilage inflammation sometimes causes patients to breathe more shallowly, contributing to muscle tightness that can cause continued pain long after the cartilage inflammation has dissipated.

By assessing the condition of the breathing muscles and other muscles connected to the rib cage, your medical massage therapist can formulate a treatment plan to effectively alleviate your symptoms completely in many circumstances. Your therapist will stretch and release hypertonic muscles in the intercostals (muscles between each rib), diaphragm (your main breathing muscle) as well as the other muscles he or she finds are exerting an abnormal amount of pressure on the costosternal joints.

For the massage therapist:
Be sure to assess all muscles of inhalation as well as any other muscles which attach to the thoracic cage or thoracic spine. While all muscles are important to assess and treat if needed, specific muscles which should not be overlooked are; the sternocleidomastoids, scalenes, obliques, rectus abdominis, internal and external intercostals, pectoral major and minor, diaphragm, serratus anterior, latissimus dorsi, and trapezius. Muscles on the posterior of the body must be addressed even though symptoms may only present themselves at the costosternal joints because of the pressure these muscles exert on the thoracic cage. You may experience difficulty in palpating and releasing deeper muscles until the more superficial muscles are released. According to the Mayo Clinic other treatments for costochondritis include muscle relaxers, NSAIDS, antidepressants, physical therapy, and heat.

Some information in this article was obtained from MayoClinic.com.