Why does my stomach hurt right below my sternum?
Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. It may cause upper abdominal pain (just below your breastbone). The pain is often described as a burning feeling. There are usually other symptoms as well, such as feeling sick (nausea), vomiting and feeling full after eating.
What causes upper abdominal pain and diarrhea?
Possible causes of abdominal pain and diarrhea include: viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) bacterial gastroenteritis (food poisoning) food allergies.
What organ is right below your sternum?
The xiphoid process is a tiny bone structure located at the center of the chest, just below the lower part of the sternum. At birth, the xiphoid process is formed from cartilage that eventually develops into bone.
Is costochondritis serious?
Costochondritis doesn’t always have a specific cause, but it’s most often a result of a chest injury, strain from physical activity, or joint conditions like osteoarthritis. Costochondritis isn’t a serious condition and shouldn’t cause you to be concerned.
What triggers costochondritis?
Causes of costochondritis severe coughing, which strains your chest area. an injury to your chest. physical strain from repeated exercise or sudden exertion you’re not used to, such as moving furniture. an infection, including respiratory tract infections and wound infections.
Where do you feel costochondritis pain?
Costochondritis most commonly affects the upper ribs on the left-hand side of your body. Pain is often worst where the rib cartilage attaches to the breastbone (sternum), but it can also occur where the cartilage attaches to the rib.
Should I go to the hospital for costochondritis?
Call 911 or the local emergency number, or go to your local emergency room right away if you have chest pain. The pain of costochondritis can be similar to the pain of a heart attack. If you have already been diagnosed with costochondritis, call your provider if you have any of the following symptoms: Trouble breathing.
How can I get rid of costochondritis fast?
They include:
- Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs pain relievers. Ask your doctor about using ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others).
- Heat or ice. Try placing hot compresses or a heating pad on the painful area several times a day.
- Rest.
How do you stop costochondritis pain?
Using local heat or ice to relieve pain. Avoiding unnecessary exercise or activities that make the symptoms worse; avoiding contact sports until there is improvement in symptoms, and then returning to normal activities only as tolerated. Doing stretching exercises.
What should I eat if I have costochondritis?
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. They’re high in antioxidants. Herbs like ginseng, chamomile, fennel, kava kava, ginger, and passionflower are great natural healers and promoters of calmness. Noni fruit and noni juice is helpful in reducing pain—noni is known as the “pain killer tree.”
Does Vitamin D Help costochondritis?
Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause hypertrophic costochondral junctions in children (“rachitic rosaries”) and sternal pain with adults diagnosed with osteomalacia. We propose that vitamin D deficiency may be related to the chest pain associated with costochondritis.
Can pain from costochondritis come and go?
Costochondritis causes pain in the area where your sternum joins with your ribs. The pain may come and go, and may get worse over time.
How do you sleep with costochondritis?
Other than taking medications for pain and inflammation, what I find helps is not to sleep on the side affected, and try not to sleep on back or stomach. When sleeping on other side prop up your ribs with a pillow this will give them support throughout the night.
Can anxiety cause costochondritis?
Although there is no confirmed link between anxiety or stress and costochondritis, these emotional states may be to blame for other underlying causes of chest pain. People who have panic disorder often report shortness of breath and chest pain as symptoms.
What is the difference between costochondritis and fibromyalgia?
While symptoms differ among people, many report intense, sharp, or stabbing pain in the chest and ribcage. When fibromyalgia causes inflammation of the cartilage that joins the upper ribs to the breastbone, it results in a condition called costochondritis. The resulting pain may be confused with heart-related pain.
Does costochondritis make you feel tired?
I developed costochondritis from an unknown virus and it’s been awful. Heavy pressure, feeling like it’s hard to breathe, aching, burning sensations as well as feeling fatigued and lightheaded. It’s been a very anxious experience.
Can poor posture cause costochondritis?
Some doctors refer to costochondritis as Tietze’s syndrome. Most of the time, those who have costochondritis don’t have an attributed cause to their condition, although research tells us that poor posture is often to blame. The chest consists of the portion of the trunk located between the abdomen and the neck.
What is Tietze’s syndrome?
Tietze syndrome is a rare, inflammatory disorder characterized by chest pain and swelling of the cartilage of one or more of the upper ribs (costochondral junction), specifically where the ribs attach to the breastbone (sternum).