Costochondritis is a medical condition in which the smaller joints between the ribs and the chest bone or the joints between the ribs and the backbone get swollen and inflamed. This results in acute pain and tenderness in the affected area. Costochondritis can result from heavy manual work, local trauma, prolonged work, and generalised inflammation of the joints.
Costochondritis can be treated effectively with Ayurvedic herbal medicines. These medicines effectively reduce the pain, inflammation and tenderness in the affected areas. Treatment is in the form of oral medication as well as the local application of medicated oils or ointments, followed by fomentation. The pain felt in costochondritis is usually highly localized; however, in certain affected individuals, the location of the pain is not localized. In the treatment of such individuals, the local application of ointments is to be done in the entire affected area from the front part of the chest to the backbone. This is followed by fomentation, which usually gives very good results.
Most people affected with costochondritis benefit with about 2 to 6 weeks of Ayurvedic therapy. Some individuals have a different type of costochondritis known as Teitz Syndrome, in which the inflammation takes a longer time to subside; however regular treatment for about 2 to 4 months usually suffices to bring about a complete relief from pain.
Patients with costochondritis who have a history of trauma need to be investigated to rule out fracture of the ribs. If there is evidence of fracture, treatment needs to be slightly modified in order to treat the fracture. In such situations, it is important to rule out injury to internal organs like the lungs. Once this possibility is ruled out, treatment through oral medicines and local applications, along with medicines to bring about a faster healing of the fracture, usually suffices.
Ayurvedic medicines can thus be judiciously used to treat costochondritis.
The writer, Dr. A. A. Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at https://www.mundewadiayurvedicclinic.com and http://www.ayurvedaphysician.com For Ayurvedic herbal treatment of costochondritis, kindly click here
