Anyone found working through the pain actually brought relief?

CeeBeeSlim
CeeBeeSlim Posts: 1,254 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I may just have had it. I finally worked through my lower back issues and have been doing my training program - having fun, getting stronger, have been pain-free and started increasing my core exercises by doing lots of plank variations. Then costochronditis?! What even is that? I’m self diagnosing as this is the only thing that makes sense based on my symptoms - it feels like someone heated a knife tip and is sticking it in a lower left rib under my left breast. I’ve researched exercises and stretches but do not want to stop my upper body work. Anyone - whether with this or anything else - found that working through pain actually helped? Or any mind over matter tips? I sooooo do not want to stop my workouts - it’s the only thing keeping me sane, but I also don’t want to be stupid.

Replies

  • jmf552
    jmf552 Posts: 47 Member
    Some basics you probably already know. 1) Ask your doctor 2) Costochondritis is inflammation. Get the inflammation down with what your doctor advises for meds, stretches and ice. 3) If working out makes it feel worse, take a break from what makes it feel worse until the inflammation subsides.Taking a break is not bad from time to time. Don't stop working out, but work on some other areas of the body.

    Working through pain is a balance. Sometimes it helps, but sometimes it can make things worse and put you out for a while. Just for me personally, I am cautious of sharp pains and pains that come on suddenly. I am more likely to work through dull pains that come and go. Just MHO.

  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    edited October 2020
    There’s obviously no way for me to know what your injury is, but anecdotally I had costochondritis from labored breathing due to kidney stone pain. My pain was higher, near the sternum to the left, just about where my heart is :s There was a very sharp stabbing pain in my chest with any deep breathing (shallow breathing was painless though) My doctor said I could do whatever lower body exercises I wanted to such as running but to absolutely not do any upper body exercises or anything that involved lifting with my arms or chest muscles. Since he gave me the OK to run I did and it was fine, the pain was nearly nonexistent while running anyway, even though it was really bad just with everyday activity when I took a deeper breath. He also told me the pain would take weeks or months to completely go away and would cycle through times where it would seemingly almost be gone only to come back again and keep doing that until it finally subsided. It took a couple of months to heal all the way, apparently women with narrow rib cages are slightly more prone to suffering from costochondritis for unknown reasons. Just my experience, definitely consult with your doctor. Good luck! :)
  • CeeBeeSlim
    CeeBeeSlim Posts: 1,254 Member
    @jmf552 Thanks for the feedback. I will try to continue and stop as soon as I think I have made things worse.

    @RunsWithBees - whoa. Sorry to hear about your experience! I only have pain that comes and go mostly when sleeping and also to the touch - at just one specific spot. Do you think you could have done biceps or tricep work - upper body as long as you weren’t lifting anything over your head? Two months to heal?! Wow. Thanks for the well wishes. 🙂
  • RunsWithBees
    RunsWithBees Posts: 1,508 Member
    CeeBeeSlim wrote: »
    @jmf552 Thanks for the feedback. I will try to continue and stop as soon as I think I have made things worse.

    @RunsWithBees - whoa. Sorry to hear about your experience! I only have pain that comes and go mostly when sleeping and also to the touch - at just one specific spot. Do you think you could have done biceps or tricep work - upper body as long as you weren’t lifting anything over your head? Two months to heal?! Wow. Thanks for the well wishes. 🙂

    My pain was in a specific spot on my sternum and my doctor said it was classic costochondritis by the fact that it didn’t hurt with shallow breathing and hurt a lot with deep breathing, that’s a telltale sign. Not sure if yours sounds the same, could it be a bruised rib? Or a strain or sprain? I didn’t do ANY arm work whatsoever because my doctor said so EXPLICITLY and the fact that it hurt like I was getting stabbed in the heart and I wanted it to go away asap. He went so far as to forbid me from hiking if I used hiking poles because it could aggravate the rib cartilage to use my arm like that. So glad he let me run though, it’s what I enjoy the most! He said there’s a layer of very dense nerves around the ribcage and any inflammation of the cartilage can be very painful. It healed just like he said it would, it waxed and waned until it finally went away. Not sure which was more painful... the kidney stone that lasted a few hours or the costochondritis that lasted 2 months! :#
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    edited October 2020
    Yours sounds more like pleuritis than costochronditis because of the location. I had severe pain in my left side, under the breast. Mine can start out as a small little flutter, or a pulsating pain when leaning to the side or forward. Or it just feels like a stabbing pain when exercising. It is inflammation of the pleural wall or lining, so mine is aggravated more with cardio and deep breathing, although I don't remember if I tried to lift while I had it. Running and swimming really made it worse. I was prescribed a strong anti inflammatory. You have to be careful because it can flare up again even when you think it's gone.
  • CeeBeeSlim
    CeeBeeSlim Posts: 1,254 Member
    @DancingMoosie @RunswithBees Thanks for the feedback. I’ll see a doc if it doesn’t improve. Strangely, there’s nothing I do that seems to aggravate it or bring it on. Doesn’t hurt when breathing, moving, nothing. It almost like someone every few hours comes and pokes that one spot for 5 seconds and stops and the only thing can point to was doing a long plank routine and moving a stationary bike indoors. It’s worse when sleeping for some reason. Either way, rest seems the smart way to go.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    When mine flares, I can't lay on that side. Working through it DOES NOT WORK, it only gets worse! Yours sounds different from mine, though.
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 910 Member
    i've found that working through pain either A) causes the pain to get worse or B) causes injury, a couple times injury that lasted for months.

    btw, a pain in a specific spot can mean a torn or sprained muscle or connective tissue, in your case perhaps to the underside of your pec. working through any of these can make it get worse. i did that to my lat, and what started as a small tear ended up a much larger tear.

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