Agonizing 'silent' condition suffered by millions of women that mimics a heart attack

It starts pinch a stabbing thorax symptom truthful terrible you deliberation you're having a bosom onslaught and unreserved to nan hospital.

The crisp symptom could past minutes to hours aft a strenuous workout, a play of dense lifting aliases musculus straining. Sometimes it occurs pinch nary clear origin aliases injury.

But contempt its resemblance to a bosom attack, if you aren't experiencing different communal symptoms of nan cardiovascular arena - for illustration radiating symptom to nan neck, jaw aliases arms - you whitethorn really person costochondritis.

This information occurs erstwhile nan cartilage connecting nan ribs to nan sternum (breastbone) becomes inflamed, and while it is benign, nan symptom tin beryllium debilitating.

Erin from New York City told DailyMail.com she erstwhile knowledgeable costochondritis pinch specified terrible symptom for 14 hours she wondered if she should spell to nan infirmary to norm retired a bosom onslaught aliases humor clot.

She said: 'The symptom was truthful bad I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t do anything. I had to crouch guardant conscionable to get air.'

There isn't a known definitive number of group who experience costochondritis because it often goes unreported, misdiagnosed aliases undiagnosed altogether. 

However, successful his 2019 book Costochondritis: A Forgotten Condition, Peter Askes, a beingness therapist and laminitis of nan American Rib Pain Institute, wrote that 1million to 2million group who sojourn nan emergency room for thorax symptom each twelvemonth whitethorn person costochondritis. 

And of nan 62million who sojourn their expert each twelvemonth pinch thorax pain, up to 18.5million whitethorn have costochondritis.

Additionally, astir 80 percent of these patients are female and astir do not person nan due test aliases treatment.  

Costochondritis is caused by inflammation of nan body's protective insubstantial called cartilage that connects nan ribs to nan bosom bone.

When that cartilage becomes inflamed owed to overly strenuous activity, nan movements of nan rib cage tin lead to unit and pain, which tin radiate to nan spine.

It whitethorn summation erstwhile taking heavy breaths arsenic nan thorax wall expands and contracts, and group whitethorn besides acquisition symptom erstwhile pressing connected nan area wherever nan ribs meet nan sternum.

Costochondritis tin beryllium difficult to diagnose because it is simply a test of exclusion. No labs aliases imaging tin observe inflamed cartilage.

When group activity aesculapian care, doctors first effort to norm retired arsenic galore perchance terrible conditions arsenic possible, including bosom attack, humor clots, surgery ribs, pneumonia, and a collapsed lung earlier landing connected costochondritis.

Some group acquisition symptom for only a short time, but others whitethorn acquisition it for months. The information mostly resolves connected its ain wrong 4 weeks, but tin reoccur.

A TikToker named Melissa described her costochondritis arsenic a radiating symptom and 'a horrible cycle.'

She said: 'So you person nan thorax symptom and it's besides successful nan backmost because your rib is ever connected around.

Her video has been commented connected by dozens detailing their akin experience.

Kelsey Sullivan said she has nan information and it feels for illustration 'I'm having a bosom attack.'

Another said she knowledgeable costochondritis and 'thought it was a bosom attack.'

A personification named Haley added: 'This conscionable made maine consciousness truthful validated!!! I person had each nan aforesaid symptoms and yet went to nan expert coming aft a agelong outcry [session] reasoning I was having a bosom onslaught astatine 27.'

There are galore reasons personification whitethorn experience costochondritis, including excessive and powerful coughing, a viral infection, dense lifting and an wounded to nan chest.

Sarah, besides from New York, knowledgeable costochondritis aft lifting her 20-pound cat, Thurston. She wasn't anticipating nan 14-year-old feline to beryllium that heavy, but erstwhile she began having thorax symptom soon after, she went to nan doctor.

Concerned astir nan severity of her symptoms, her expert told her to instantly spell to nan hospital, she told DailyMail.com. 

Doctors past performed a artillery of tests connected her retired of interest she was experiencing a perchance deadly humor clot, including humor tests, a CT scan and an EKG. 

With nary concerning results from her tests, doctors said she had 'a ton of inflammation' successful her thorax that could person travel from strenuous beingness activity - for illustration dense lifting. 

The only point strenuous she could deliberation of - carrying astir her 20-pound pet.  

Sarah was told to remainder for respective days and return precocious doses of over-the-counter symptom killers. 

Another communal origin of costochondritis is exercise, which is what Erin told DailyMail.com she believes her symptom stemmed from.  

Erin attributed her bout of costochondritis to her yoga believe and nan precocious poses she was doing, specifically nan chaturanga dandasana pose.

This requires yogis to hover successful a debased plank, keeping their elbows astatine a 90-degree perspective alongside nan body.

It is simply a much precocious airs that requires group to support their assemblage parallel to nan crushed while they little down to their tummy and past push their thorax up and forward.

When successful a debased plank, nan weight of nan assemblage presses down done nan chest, putting strain connected nan ribcage and nan costal cartilage - nan insubstantial that connects nan ribs to nan sternum.

The lowering mobility tin besides exacerbate nan information because it compresses nan ribcage, putting further unit connected inflamed areas.

New Jersey yoga coach Cathy Narchese warned that while yoga is bully for elasticity and strength, if you aren't flowing from 1 posture to nan adjacent correctly aliases aren't engaging supportive muscles, you tin origin aliases inflame an injury, including costochondritis: 'It tin decidedly 100 percent' beryllium because of that.

Ms Narchese, proprietor of Thrive Yoga, told DailyMail.com: 'What I spot a batch of nan times is erstwhile group little down, their elbows propulsion out, and that puts excessively overmuch unit into nan shoulders, truthful each nan attraction goes into stabilizing nan shoulders and not nan remainder of nan body.'

She said often group deliberation they request to conscionable spell done nan motions aliases mimic their neighbors truthful they push themselves done a posture they aren't fresh for, and that is erstwhile injuries happen.

Treatment options for costochondritis are constricted and it is recommended group return over-the-counter symptom medicine specified arsenic ibuprofen, aliases use a heating pad to nan thorax and remainder for respective days.

Physical therapy aliases chiropractics are besides sometimes prescribed.