Tietzes syndrome costochondritis

by Virginia
(White Pine, Tennessee)

Hi Doc, I am 52 yr old, healthy,active (live on a farm and ride and train horse) slightly overweight, married female who routinely sees my awesome Chiro, gets yearly check ups as well as yearly mammograms.


This past August I had a complete hysterectomy. Surgery was a huge success but 10 day later I got an upper respiratory infection and severe bronchitis. I coughed violently and in spasms for 6 weeks.

One evening about three weeks into this I noticed pain on my left side under my left breast from the sternum all the way to my left armpit when I took a deep breath. Unfortunately, I have large breast so it is hard to get good palpation of the chest wall but as far as I could tell, everything hurt under the breast.

By that night it hurt to lay down, roll over or try to get up. Called my doc and got an X-ray to rule out pneumonia and the X-Ray was clear. A week later I was still in pain. My hubby, an eye surgeon, was thinking pleurisy.

After about a month the pain gradually lessened but I still had twinges of pain on exertion and palpable, very tender pain in the same area. Left side, between the sternum and the left breast is very tender to touch and feels lumpy, swollen, going under the breast and even when I press directly on top of the breast I feel soreness in the chest wall. This goes all the way to the outside of the left breast and under my armpit.

At this point my hubby was also thinking costochoNdritis. Also, when I lay down and press on the sternum between my breasts I had (and still have) considerable tenderness.

I scheduled my regular appt with my Chiro for an adj in Nov and not really thinking about the chest pain at that moment I didn't tell her about it because my hip was giving me a fit at the time. When I laid face down on the table for a mid back adj I felt discomfort under my left breast and then when she adjusted my mid back OUCH!! Intense pain from sternum to breast and following under the breast, to arm pit to collar bone. And then my condition flared up much worse again for another 3 weeks. I didn't put two and two together until today, Jan 24, when I went back again for another routine adjustment and WHAMO! stabbing pain, and what was very slowly getting better was made instantly much worse again with a face down, mid back manipulation.

That started some intense research that led me to this site. We are going on 5 mos now of this of pain in that area and tonight I am back to pain when taking a deep breath and when trying to sit up from laying down. I made the connection when I read that if one has Tietzes then a mid back will make it worse. I have a couple of questions:
1. Does this sound like Tietzes to you?
2. Do you think my violent chest cold could have started this?
3. I don't really have any back pain with this, except a little pulling tugging feeling when I take a deep breath, the pain is all in the front left from sternum, under the breast,
to armpit and maybe a little past the armpit toward the back. Would you still be thinking Tietzes even without back pain?
4. My left breast itself also feels very tender, especially under the breast, left outer side of the breast and under the arm pit, but I just can't tell if this is some referred pain on palpation or actually the rib pain I'm feeling.

When I take a deep breath my entire breast hurts deep in the chest. Does this sound normal?
5. Could Tietzes syndrome inflammation cause a lymph node reaction as in some swelling? I feel like I may have some swollen nodes under my armpit but not sure. Could just be feeling muscle tissue/connective tissue that is sore. Thanks for your opinion and any advice! Also would love ideas on how to approach my Chiro with what I think is going on. Thank you!!





Hello Virginia,
All in all a long sad tale. I must confess it ook me 25 years in practice before I really got to understand the Tietzes syndrome chostochondritis thing, how to treat it, and that a heavy mid back adjustment would worsen the condition. So, don't be too hard on your awesome chiro, but yes you must face it with her. It's the only way we doctors learn!

The rule: the regular posterior to anterior midback adjustment is completely contraindicated in a case of Tietzes syndrome. Much better, more effective with no painful side effects is the anterior thoracic technique, she'll understand.

I would have a gynae check the lymphnodes in your axilla; as I'm sure you know they can be serious, won't be caused by Tietzes and certainly a breast condition needs to be ruled out.

Having said that, this sounds like a typical grade three Tietzes. Grade four you'll also have indigestion, grade five a swollen nodule over the costochondral joint.

It commonly starts after a bout of bronchitis, so there you are typical. It's commonly worse after a chiropractic PA heavy adjustment, so there you are typical too. Also the radiation along the length of the rib, with some discomfort at the junction of the rib and spine. It's almost always worse with deep breathing.
It may radiate to or from the midback.

The solution.

1. Lie on your side and ask hubby to gently massage all the way from your back along the offended rib, under the breast as far as he can reach and then continuing between breast and sternum. No hanky panky, now!

2. In the shower use alternating iceblock directly on the rib breastbone joint, and hot shower.

3. Lying on your back, take a little cream and using your index and middle finger to straddle the rib, gently massage away from the sternum, towards and under the breast.

4. A few anterior thoracic treatments from your chiropractor.

5. Then there are some specifics that are too technical. You could ask your chiro to email me, and I could share some thoughts with her.

All in all, a painful, debilitating condition with a tendency to become chronic, rarely serious in the sense that it's caused by malignant conditions, tho serious enough to make you miserable. One that treatable with the right chiropractic treatment, and can be made worse with the wrong treatment.

Have your breast and armpit examined.

I hope this contributes.

Dr. Barrie Lewis


Comments for Tietzes syndrome costochondritis

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Jun 29, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Women's Condition ?
by: Deborah

I had a deep tissue massage early January and the next day a twisted lumpy vein appeared over my left breast. Disappeared after 3 weeks, ultrasound of breast normal. Have aches between ribs on left side area from arm pit to left breast. Can hardly wear a bra since anything tight bothers this area.
Recently found a wonderful chiropractor to help with my stiff upper back, poor posture. After a simple mild mid back adjustment in thoracic area I had an ache behind the left breast that only lasted a minute or so the next day. I have never been diagnosed but wondering if costochondritis could be the problem. I will take your advice on the chiropractor type of adjustment
because laying on my stomach is not comfortable.




Hello Deborah,
Be very reluctant to take any virtual doctor's advice over the real McCoy. Your own doctor is able to examine you and see the bigger picture from a full history.

Lying on the stomach is difficult for many folk with back and neck problems, particularly if for an extended period; I prefer to have patients lying on their sides for as much of the treatment as possible. That's quite likely what started it all when you went to the masseuse.

A costochondritis is certainly amongst the list of potential differential diagnoses. If you run your fingers down the attachments of the ribs to the breastbone, is one particularly tender and is there a palpable lump?

Any pain on deep inhalation ever, or do you have any issues related to heartburn and indigestion?

It seems you chiropractor is on top of your problems; stick with him/ her.

Dr Barrie Lewis

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Tietzes syndrome.





Did you find this page useful? Then perhaps forward it to a suffering friend. Better still, Tweet or Face Book it.

Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Then forward it to a friend. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.