Q. I have chest soreness and radiating pain. Is this due to pleurisy or costochondritis?
Hello doctor,
- I am a 36 year old, otherwise healthy (as far as I know) female.
- I was a smoker earlier. No history of heart disease.
- My mother has COPD, but has been a long time smoker.
- Two and a half weeks ago, I went on a hayride with my sons.
- I have a short stature. To get on and off the hayride, I literally had to pull myself up onto the trailer. (Imagine pulling yourself out of a swimming pool).
- The next morning, I woke up with chest soreness.
- I had pain in the upper left chest area, a few inches to the left of sternum.
- That was a radiating pain over the breast towards armpit.
- Pain worsened on bending over.
- Also, I could locate very tender spots when pressing on the area with fingers.
- I had no pain during regular breathing, but very deep breaths caused pain to worsen (from the left of sternum radiating across and to the left breast).
- Over the past two and a half weeks, pain has improved, but still not completely subsided.
- Most of the pain (while bending) is gone, but I still have tender areas across upper left chest when poking around with finger (trigger points?).
- I have some minor discomfort on taking deep breath, but greatly improved from what it was.
- And now pain is just in an area to the left of my left breast.
- Now, pain is mostly towards armpit area and may be slightly radiating to the upper, bottom side of arm.
- I do not have much pain as it was in the beginning, but more of soreness.
- It is not constant, it occurs mostly just when I move in a certain way or tense my chest.
- Also I am noticing upper left back discomfort, not really pain.
- Local FNP suspects strained muscle. No x-rays were done.
- I have no cough, no shortness of breath, no loss of appetite, no indigestion or heartburn.
- Otherwise I feel fine. My concern is that I still have some pain and discomfort after almost 3 weeks.
- Shouldn't a muscle strain be healed by now?
- I am a bit concerned as it may be something more serious than a strained muscle, perhaps pleurisy or costochondritis?
Hello,
Welcome to icliniq.com.
You are right, muscular pain will not last so long.
Pleurisy:
- It is an inflammation of the outer covering of lungs.
- It is most commonly caused by infections in which condition there will be fever which is not present in your case.
- Rarely it can also be caused by chest trauma i.e, what has happened in your case.
- Get a Decubitus chest x-ray to rule it out.
- Treatment is by simple analgesics such as tablet Ibuprofen thrice a day for 2-3 weeks.
Chostochondritis:
- This is caused due to physical strain/injury/arthritis/infections.
- Symptoms of pleurisy and costochondritis are the same i.e, pain during deep respiration/tenderness on applying pressure.
- Treatment here also is the same i.e, analgesics.
Another possibility is that you might have a rib fracture.
Start taking analgesic and hot fomentation 2-3 times a day for the painful region.
Use a thoracic belt to restrict movements of the affected part.
Get a chest x-ray done immediately and revert back to a general practitioner online --> https://icliniq.com./ask-a-doctor-online/general-practitioner
Was this answer helpful?
|Same symptoms doesn’t mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!
Related Questions:
In chest x-ray, what is the meaning of bilateral apical inhomogeneities?
In the chest x-ray report, it was mentioned as bilateral apical inhomogeneities ... A chest x-ray is a routine part of any pre-employment checkup ... Read full
I have a burning chest pain which improves when I stand. Is it costochondritis?.. carefully through your question and would explain that your symptoms are not typical of any cardiac disorders. They could be suggestive of costochondritis or gastro-esophageal reflux. Is the pain triggered by deep breathing or pressure in this chest a Read full
Why do I get right-sided chest pains when I sleep on my side?.. posting your query. Right-sided chest pain could be due to a muscle catch, pleurisy, gastritis, lung infection, stones in the gallbladder, and liver problem. I need more information on the pain, Since how long it is paining? Read full
Also Read Answers From:
Comprehensive Medical Second Opinion.Submit your Case
iCliniq's FREE Newsletters
Expert-backed health and wellness information, delivered to your email.
Thank you for subscribing to our Newsletters!
Also Read
PCOS and Liver Problems
The hormonal imbalances in polycystic ovary syndrome could cause liver diseases. Read the article to know the relationship between these medical conditions. Read more»
Inferior Alveolar Nerve Lateralization Technique
The inferior alveolar nerve lateralization technique is a surgical lateralization technique to reposition the nerve. Read the article to know more about this. Read more»
COVID-19 and Ebola: Similarities and Differences
This article gives a comparison and broader overview of the outbreak of the two deadliest diseases that showed a greater incidence over the last two decades. Read more»
Ask your health query to a doctor online?
Ask a Cardiologist Now* guaranteed answer within 4 hours.