You may have heard of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis affecting the knee, hip, wrist and hand, where two bones clearly meet at a joint.
But surprisingly, these two conditions can also affect the chest.
When arthritis affects the breast bone, it can make breathing, coughing, sneezing and laughing incredibly painful, as the lungs press against this bone and puts pressure on the inflamed area. It can also restrict breathing.
There are a number of treatments that can be used to relieve the pain and discomfort caused by arthritis in the chest bone.
Minocycline is used to treat severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, but can be used to treat osteoarthritis if breathing restriction puts the patient’s life at risk.
Some sufferers may be offered a cortisone injection. Steroids are injected into the inflamed cartilage in a bid to take the swelling down. Some people only need a cortisone injection once; others need the treatment more regularly.
You may find that there are some non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs that can relieve the pain caused by arthritis in the chest. Tylenol Extra Strength is one that appears to work for many people.
Unwilling to rely solely on drugs, some sufferers are turning to homeopathic pain relief to help them live with the discomfort their condition can cause. Natural supplements are popular and ingredients included can help relieve inflammation and potentially help restore cartilage or slow down the rate of deterioration.
As soon as you start feeling pain and restriction in your chest you should seek medical help. It may be arthritis that is causing your pain or another disease or condition.
Costochondritis can mirror the symptoms of arthritis of the chest, but the inflammation of the cartilage that causes the chest pain is temporary and may disappear after a few weeks or months.