Health & Fitness Tools

Osteochondritis Dissecans – Cause of Rib Pain

25th November, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

When most people think of rib pain, they’re thinking of the type that comes from a fractured rib or a bruised rib. But a condition doctors call osteochondritis dissecans (often just called “osteochondritis”) can also cause ribcage pain and discomfort.

Osteochondritis dissecans doesn’t only affect the ribs. It can occur anywhere there’s a joint. Typically it occurs it in hips, knees, or ankles.

Osteochondritis dissecans is the result of a piece of cartilage, breaking loose from the end of a bone. When this happens, a thin layer of bone also separates from the rest.

Individuals who are most likely to be affected by osteochondritis dissecans are not older adults, as you might expect. Osteochondritis dissecans is more common among teenagers and young adults, particularly if they play sports.

When you have osteochondritis dissecans, you feel pain near the end of a bone. When it causes rib pain, the discomfort typically occurs where the ribs connect to the spine in the back or the breastbone in the front. The exact reason why osteochondritis dissecans occurs remains somewhat uncertain. But when it happens, one or more of the following circumstances are usually present.

1. Some type of repetitive stress damage or injury has occurred in a joint. Since osteochondritis dissecans happens most often to younger people, it’s often the result of a sports injury (like a blow to the chest or back during football).

Another classic cause of rib pain from osteochondritis dissecans is injury due to an accident (particularly an auto accident).

But, osteochondritis dissecans isn’t always caused by a single blow. Small, repeated blows can cause minute damage over a long period of time. Eventually, this unrecognized damage will end in a case of osteochondritis dissecans.

2. Another cause of osteochondritis dissecans is blocked blood flow around the end of a bone. This lack of circulation causes a condition known as avascular necrosis – meaning the bone and the cartilage around it deteriorate and eventually die.

3. Lastly, genetics may play a part. There’s evidence that certain people are predisposed to developing osteochondritis dissecans.

Rib pain is the most common symptom of osteochondritis dissecans when the affected area is in the chest or back. Once again, the pain is likely to appear where the ribs meet the breastbone or the spine.

You may especially feel the pain and discomfort when you’re competing in sports or doing strenuous exercise, since these activities require deep, rapid breathing.

As mentioned before, osteochondritis dissecans doesn’t only affect the ribcage and torso. It often strikes other joints. When osteochondritis dissecans develops in a knee, hip, or ankle, you won’t have full range of motion and the joint will feel as if it’s sticking when you move. Some swelling and tenderness is likely in joints where osteochondritis dissecans has developed, and a feeling of weakness is also common. When there’s pain in the front of the torso from osteochondritis dissecans, it’s located in the same area that you typically feel angina – the chest pain you feel when you’re having a heart attack. So it can sometimes be frightening. Pain in the upper back near the spine could seem like a symptom of gallbladder trouble.

Early diagnosis of osteochondritis dissecans is important because if it isn’t treated, it can result in long-term disability in the affected joint. Treatment of osteochondritis dissecans focuses on alleviating pain and restoring normal function to the joint to the highest degree possible. A number of treatment options are available. Outcomes vary from one patient to another but your doctor will probably suggest one or more of the following possibilities.

Rest, relaxation and avoidance of activities that may make the condition worse.

Usually, immobilizing the joint is a good idea, but this is impossible when osteochondritis dissecans is causing rib pain. Your ribs move with every breath you take. But you can definitely refrain from activities that require deep, rapid breathing like sports or enthusiastic exercise.

There are a number of medications that can help relieve rib pain from osteochondritis dissecans. These belong to the class or pain relievers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. Brand names include Advil, Motrin, Aleve, and Naprosyn.

Physical therapy involving stretching, strengthening and range-of-motion exercises normally are beneficial to joints. But take care to follow on the advice of your doctor or physical therapist where rib pain is concerned because exercises will be somewhat different from exercises for other joints.

If non-surgical options don’t relieve rib pain caused by osteochondritis dissecans after 3-4 months, most doctors will recommend surgical remedies.

If you get an early diagnosis and follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations, you raise your chances of returning to normal activities without fear of rib pain from osteochondritis dissecans.[/body]

[resource]To learn more, click on osteochondritis dissecans symptoms and ribcage pain causes. Neal Kennedy is a former TV and radio talk show host. To read more of his articles, click on pain in the ribs.