Costochondritis

Costochondritis is simply inflammation of the rib joints, and attachments of intercostal muscles to the ribs, due to persistant "bracing" of the intercostal muscles. So far, the only known cause of this persistant tension of the intercostal muscles is chronic stress-effect storage in the hypothalamus.

The well known fight or flight mechanism is the only known way the hypothalamus has to respond to ANY form of stressor. See the glossary and search engine for stress. The stressors, for which physically running or fighting are NOT appropriate, result in that readiness being stored in the hypothalamus. Nearly all stressors in our present day culture cannot be resolved by running or fighting.

This makes breathing like trying to run with a muscle cramp in your leg. You can stop running but you cannot stop breathing. SO, when this tension is always there of course, eventually, the muscles get painful and their attachments become inflamed.

Rolfing gives almost instant relief from this condition but is not a permanent cure since the cause must be eliminated for any permanent cure of anything chronic to be effective. The only permanent cure for this, yet known, is Skilled Relaxation (See this information in the glossary and search engine.) It takes 6-12 months to discharge all the tension stored in the muscles via turning down the fight or flight signals from the hypothalamus. SO, if one wants quicker results, although temporary; Chiropractic, Rolfing or a series of deep, total-body, therapeutic massages will be needed.

Feldenkrais or Alexander Technique will help the SR (Skilled Relaxation) work faster and the passive techniques listed above work better.

Walt Stoll, M.D.

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