If I Am Having Upper Left Back Swelling And Chest

Posted on Mon, 3 Feb 2020

Question: If I am having upper left back swelling and chest pain, what kind of doctor should I go see? The chest pain has been going on for more than 4 months. It's sternum pain- offset to the left of sternum pain as well. The swelling has gone down but the pain in my chest is extremely painful. It hurts most when I flex/move my chest in a pushing manner, not when I'm flexing/stretching my chest back.
One doctor thought it was costochondritis. But I think I need to ask a specialists.

Answered by Dr. Aashish Raghu (14 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Physiotherapy

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to Ask A Doctor service.

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

Yes. It is most probably costochondritis. It is inflammation of the front of the cartilage and ribs junction.

You may take pain killers like ibuprofen or naproxen for relief. Apple some ice packs or warm packs, whichever gives you relief as well. For stronger pain killers you will need written prescription.

Physiotherapy will help to strengthen muscles like Trapezius for upper back and scapular muscles. So you need to see an orthopedic and physiotherapist.

Also get Vitamin D levels tested and if it is low you can take Vitamin D supplements.

Hope this helps. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj