chondritis/costal chondritis

[neoplop]

Hi! Thanks for reading!

A client had severe pain (note the past tense) for a few weeks in the back; I hadn't seen her during this time, and we just ran into each other and she pointed to it (she did this quickly but I'm pretty sure I saw right): it was inferior to the scapula, running about 3 inches along the intercostal btw her 8th and 9th ribs: the pain about aligned with the the lateral border of the scapula and ended an inch or more lateral to where the ribs articulate with the spine (she is very small boned). She said her doctor had diagnosed it as chondritis, and another massage therapist told her massage was contraindicated for that. The doctor could only mean costal chondritis here, right? But would it refer back here (and not be felt anywhere else)? And why is massage contraindicated? (I understand massaging the spot directly might be painful, but couldn't you free up the joint safely in other ways)

It *looked* to me like she had just strained her intercostal. The client has chronic pancreatitis, which I understand might also direct pain here, although I don't know if it would be localized this wayl.

The pain has mostly cleared up, and my client is coming for a massage next week. In the meantime, I would like to understand! Thanks for any help or clarification!

 

[~ Poca ~]

is my post flawed

hi! nooo rush (i.e., I know you have lives ), but just because no one has replied to this yet, I'm checking in to see whether there's anything wrong/stupid/missing in my post. Thank you! I can take it.

Take care.

 

[Leonardo]

In my Clinical Massage Therapy, costochondritis is not listed among the quite expansive list of contraindications & modifications.

That said, when I was in student clinic I had a client with costochondritis and was very minimally instructed to check in with the client frequently on the pain level and avoid the specific site of pain as to not increase the acute inflammation. We were told anything ending in "itis" is a local caution, and that makes very good sense to me. Then, of course, instructing the client to ice the area of inflammation was done.

I remember reading specific instructions for massage but don't remember where.

 

[just me being bored]

Thank you, Sharon! Avoiding the site of inflammation is probably what the MT meant. (I might have just called her, but she's the MT of the client's friend...in another state!)

I realized maybe I should have posted on one of the other threads on "costochondritis" and "costo-chondritis" (just so readers know what to search for) that have helpful massage discussions (the server won't let me post the urls because I'm new). I posted a new thread in part on the chance that there was some other chondritis (?!) that would refer pain here and only here.

Since her pain's so much better it's "all good"! But she said the pain was very severe, worrying, and interrupted her sleep, so I am curious in case I see this again.

 

[one x sweet]

Thank you, Sharon! Avoiding the site of inflammation is probably what the MT meant. (I might have just called her, but she's the MT of the client's friend...in another state!)

I realized maybe I should have posted on one of the other threads on "costochondritis" and "costo-chondritis" (just so readers know what to search for) that have small but helpful massage discussions (the server won't let me post the urls because I'm new). I posted a new thread in part on the chance that there was some other chondritis (?!) that would refer pain here and only here.

Since her pain's so much better it's "all good"! But she said the pain was very severe, worrying, and interrupted her sleep, so I am curious in case I see this again.

 

[AdvicePlease]

I saw my client yesterday, and she'd had a funny experience the day before: Lifting a bag, she felt what felt like her rib clicking back into place--she must have had a subluxated rib! Her doctor had done an x-ray, but hadn't seen the subluxation. My client's pain had been getting better, but with the rib back in place, she suddenly felt 100%.

I was wrong in assessing where the pain was; it turned out the pain ended at the spine--the doctor may have been speculating chondritis in the articular cartilage (I'm not sure how/when that develops by itself; i.e. what the doctor thought caused the chondritis). Thanks for bearing with a wacky thread. And have a good day!