CHEST WALL PAIN

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

DEFINITION

Chest wall pain is a very common and totally benign type of pain. However, it can be scary because it can be in the area of the heart.

The cause is inflammation of the cartilage in between the ribs or tense intercostal muscles. It may be related to copper toxicity and sympathetic dominance. It may occur more in very sensitive people.

A technical name for this condition is costochondritis. It literally means inflammation of the cartilages of the ribs.

Some medical websites have it wrong because they say that chest wall pain can be due to a heart attack. We don't believe this is correct.

Chest pain can be due to a heart attack, but chest wall pain or costochondritis is different and is due to inflammation of the cartilage or perhaps muscle tension or muscle spasms in the muscles of the ribs.

Common during a development program. Chest wall pain occasionally occurs during a development program. It may have to do with rapid detoxification or other changes in the body.

SYMPTOMS OF CHEST WALL PAIN

The main symptoms are pain and/or tightness in various spots on the chest, and maybe in the abdomen, where there can also be muscle tension. The pain may come and go and it can migrate or change location.

It can mimic a heart attack and it can cause severe anxiety. It might even cause a person to go to the emergency room, spend thousands of dollars on tests, and perhaps receive medication or even an operation for heart problems.

HOW TO IDENTIFY CHEST WALL PAIN

It is easy to tell if you have chest wall pain. Press hard with one or two fingers between your ribs in locations on your chest where you have pain.

If the area between the ribs hurts when you press hard on it, then it is chest wall pain. If there is no tenderness or pain, then it is not chest wall pain.

Then the cause of your pain is something else such as pneumonia, bronchitis, gas pains, a chiropractic problem, pleurisy (infection of the lining of the lungs) or possibly a heart problem.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT CHEST WALL PAIN

1. Leave it alone and ignore it if it is mild.

It will slowly go away as you stay on your development program.

2. Breathe deeply into your chest or wherever it hurts. This forcefully expands the muscles and helps them relax.

3. Correct your posture. Chest wall pain is much worse if you hunch over. Many people hunch and do not even realize it. Stand up really straight and tall, and chest wall pain is usually much better. This also stretches out the muscles between your ribs.

5. Foot reflexology can sometimes help, to a degree. It opens energy channels all over the body. Rub the chest reflex area of the foot, which is just behind the big toe and the second and third toes, as well. Always do the whole foot, as well, to balance the body.

6. Use of the red heat lamp or red lamp sauna may help. It brings more blood circulation to the chest area and this releases the tension.

7. If it is really bad, bodywork such as Rolfing, Structural Integration or Hellerwork may help. This is deep body work, somewhat like a deep massage. It can help break up muscle tension in the chest area

The only problem with it is you have to be wearing just your underwear. For this reason, it is not safe for young women except if your practitioner is another woman, and even then, please be careful.

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