Has any ever had Costochondritis from Drumming?

[Drumdame]

Today that is what the doctor diagnosed me with. This is the second time I got that and it's a very scary feeling. I got it about 3 years ago around covid time and my son came to stay with me to try to calm me down because I thought it was having a severe Asthma attack. The pain was so excruciating in the front of my chest and I felt I couldn't take deep breaths and would have a dry cough trying to catch my breath. It lasted for hours on end.

Me, thinking it was a severe Asthma attack I said no I don't want to go to the hospital because I felt like I was dying and I said I rather die at home with family then to be alone in the hospital. Well, the same thing happened to me last night and because the pain in my chest was still there in the morning all these hours later a doctor friend of mine that I go to church with said if I were you I'd be checked out it could be a heart.

Anyway, they got me in for an emergency appointment and sure enough it was what they call Costcochondritis. It can be caused by upper body repetitious movement and believe me when I tell you I was wailing on that kit last night that's an understatement!

But not in the beginning... I was just drumming to a quiet song and all of a sudden I felt it coming on then I went to a mediocre speed song and I felt like I ran around the block so I was getting frustrated and I figured I'm going to give it one good song and I picked it up a notch on the floor tom and every now and then hitting the rack Toms and that did it... my God I barely made it upstairs. It was scary... again I didn't want to go to the hospital. So I was just wondering has anyone ever had that experience?

Also the pain went right through my back it was horrendous to say the least. I just woke up from a nap because this whole episode wiped me out. If it ever starts to happen again the best advice I can give myself is stop! and listen to my body.

The doctor just told me to take an anti-inflammatory (like ibuprofen) and he did give me a script for an inhaler but since the episode happened last night there was no telling if I had an Asthma attack but this morning he said my lungs were clear which was a good sign.

 

[JimmyM]

Hope you don’t have another reoccurrence. Never had it but it sounds incredibly unpleasant.

 

[Tiges]

Oh Boy thats sounds like a terrible experience i hope its getting under controll i can say ive never had that type of healt experience my problem is i smoke cigarettes and do get some type of Asma now and again , hope it gets better soon the drums will always be there but getting better is a lot more important Cheers.

 

[Drumdame]

Hope you don’t have another reoccurrence. Never had it but it sounds incredibly unpleasant.

Three years ago when it happened I didn't want to go to the hospital because of Covid. People were dying alone. So I told my son I don't want to go to the hospital I rather die at home with family.

I was doing some reading on this and it said the pain is similar to a heart attack.

To be honest with you when I really started to think about how I felt... yes, the symptoms are very similar to an Asthma attack but every time I had an Asthma attack many years ago I don't remember it ever being severe like 3 years ago and what just happened two nights ago.

I had what they call, exercise induced Asthma. So of course I thought it was over exerting myself on the kit. Hindsight, I wasn't realty exerting myself with the first song (Stormy) that I played. That's when it all started.

So now I'm thinking back to when I was a child and lived at home with Mom and Dad. I remember my father getting overly excited in a stressed out way and grabbing his chest and whatever he was doing at that very moment he would go immediately into his bedroom and lie down. He never went to the hospital either and I was wondering if that same thing was happening to him because that used to happen to him quite often.

He worked at Holy Cross College and did very heavy lifting and strenuous work at an older age.

 

[Drumdame]

Oh Boy thats sounds like a terrible experience i hope its getting under controll i can say ive never had that type of healt experience my problem is i smoke cigarettes and do get some type of Asma now and again , hope it gets better soon the drums will always be there but getting better is a lot more important Cheers.

Thanks Tiges.

 

[Drumdame]

Hope you don’t have another reoccurrence. Never had it but it sounds incredibly unpleasant.

Thanks Jimmy... I hope I never get that again either!

 

[I-P]

Ick. Heal up.

 

[Croatian Man]

DrumDame, You have gone through a lot recently - health wise. I get bouts of Costochondritis (on & Off occasionally). It is another "ITIS" - Inflammation of the cartilage of the Chest cavity/Rib Cage. Poor Forward Head Posture is one contributor. Moreover, I have lots of Cervical spine issues (called Cervical Instabilities - "CI"). CI can create Costo, IBS, Tinnitus, Sinusitis, TMJ issues, and more. It would behoove you to have your cervical spine checked for Disc issues, etc. I have Radiculopathy in my left arm to an extent, and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists - but worse on the left and I'm RH. In addition to taking ADVIL, you can try Voltaren (which is like Liquid Advil that rubs into the skin). Not everyday. A carpenter revealed his secret to me when his Arthritis would flare up in his Joints, I have lots of that in my Knees, hips, and Spine. Take 1 Advil in combination with 1 extra Strength Tylenol. Advil attacks the Inflammation , the Tylenol deals with the pain center in the brain! Different pathways for relief. Not a Cure , but it helps. Take a look at You Tube videos for more info. Bottomline .. watch that Forward Head Posture ! Many Chiros say that FHP will replace Diabetes as the next Generation's health Affliction due to always looking at Phones, PCs, and poor driving (That Did it for me after 48 years of commuting by car for ver 3 hours a day and form other spinal afflictiions I have).

 

[Drumdame]

Hope you don’t have another reoccurrence. Never had it but it sounds incredibly unpleasant.

Thanks Jimmy... I hope I never get that again either

DrumDame, You have gone through a lot recently - health wise. I get bouts of Costochondritis (on & Off occasionally). It is another "ITIS" - Inflammation of the cartilage of the Chest cavity/Rib Cage. Poor Forward Head Posture is one contributor. Moreover, I have lots of Cervical spine issues (called Cervical Instabilities - "CI"). CI can create Costo, IBS, Tinnitus, Sinusitis, TMJ issues, and more. It would behoove you to have your cervical spine checked for Disc issues, etc. I have Radiculopathy in my left arm to an extent, and Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists - but worse on the left and I'm RH. In addition to taking ADVIL, you can try Voltaren (which is like Liquid Advil that rubs into the skin). Not everyday. A carpenter revealed his secret to me when his Arthritis would flare up in his Joints, I have lots of that in my Knees, hips, and Spine. Take 1 Advil in combination with 1 extra Strength Tylenol. Advil attacks the Inflammation , the Tylenol deals with the pain center in the brain! Different pathways for relief. Not a Cure , but it helps. Take a look at You Tube videos for more info. Bottomline .. watch that Forward Head Posture ! Many Chiros say that FHP will replace Diabetes as the next Generation's health Affliction due to always looking at Phones, PCs, and poor driving (That Did it for me after 48 years of commuting by car for ver 3 hours a day and form other spinal afflictiions I have).

Thank you for your concern. I'll be honest with you I'm not the type to carry on about sickness / illnesses. I don't want to be taking even what the doctor suggested (600 mg of ibuprofen) because I don't need to damage my kidneys. I'm just going to lay low for a while. I got a clean bill of health yesterday all but that costochondritis. I have no health issues going on right at the moment. Thank God that a lot of these things are not permanent.

 

[Syncopated_1]

Today that is what the doctor diagnosed me with. This is the second time I got that and it's a very scary feeling. I got it about 3 years ago around covid time and my son came to stay with me to try to calm me down because I thought it was having a severe Asthma attack. The pain was so excruciating in the front of my chest and I felt I couldn't take deep breaths and would have a dry cough trying to catch my breath. It lasted for hours on end.

Me, thinking it was a severe Asthma attack I said no I don't want to go to the hospital because I felt like I was dying and I said I rather die at home with family then to be alone in the hospital. Well, the same thing happened to me last night and because the pain in my chest was still there in the morning all these hours later a doctor friend of mine that I go to church with said if I were you I'd be checked out it could be a heart.

Anyway, they got me in for an emergency appointment and sure enough it was what they call Costcochondritis. It can be caused by upper body repetitious movement and believe me when I tell you I was wailing on that kit last night that's an understatement!

But not in the beginning... I was just drumming to a quiet song and all of a sudden I felt it coming on then I went to a mediocre speed song and I felt like I ran around the block so I was getting frustrated and I figured I'm going to give it one good song and I picked it up a notch on the floor tom and every now and then hitting the rack Toms and that did it... my God I barely made it upstairs. It was scary... again I didn't want to go to the hospital. So I was just wondering has anyone ever had that experience?

Also the pain went right through my back it was horrendous to say the least. I just woke up from a nap because this whole episode wiped me out. If it ever starts to happen again the best advice I can give myself is stop! and listen to my body.

The doctor just told me to take an anti-inflammatory (like ibuprofen) and he did give me a script for an inhaler but since the episode happened last night there was no telling if I had an Asthma attack but this morning he said my lungs were clear which was a good sign.

I experienced pain and swelling where the sternum meets the ribs, but never from drumming. Weight training / bench press.

Yikes sorry to hear that, hopefully it will subside.

 

[Drumdame]

I experienced pain and swelling where the sternum meets the ribs, but never from drumming. Weight training / bench press.

Yikes sorry to hear that, hopefully it will subside.

The first time that it happened to me it was so severe that I thought I was dying, (I've never experienced anything like that) I also I thought it was a severe asthma attack but after the second time it happened during drumming I can honestly say that I don't remember ever having an asthma attack like that.

So, luckily I have a doctor friend that said, you should see your PC Doctor and I took her advice and I did the next day and that's when he diagnosed me with that. I can tell you one thing if I feel it coming on again I'm not going to continue to drum it made it so much worse. The pain was excruciating.

 

[Benthedrummer]

Hi Drumdame.

No, I've never had costochondritis from drumming.

Costochondritis is just a terrible thing to have.

I've had a few patients in my career that have had it and it's just dreadful, my sympathies for you.

But it's unlikely that it's CAUSED by drumming alone.....not impossible.....but highly unlikely.

The ribs and sternum need to be flexible for breathing but they need to be incredibly strong in order to protect the vital organs in the area......heart and lungs.

Costochondritis is usually the result of repeated trauma to that area such as from CPR, extended severe coughing from lung diseases ( COPD, Asthma, aspiration etc), blunt trauma from accidents, neoplasms and auto immune responses.

I've performed chest compressions in CPR and ribs have been broken.

If there is a pre-existing costochondritis then drumming is simply not going to help at all. Like you said.....you are most definitely going to have to stop drumming. It can take absolute weeks to heal the cartilage.

Keep up with your appointments with your health care professional.

 

[cbphoto]

...it was what they call Costcochondritis.

I think it's from spending too much time at Costco. Or, is that a typo?

I hope simple NSAID/ibuprofen work for you! Costco-whatever sounds painful.

I've performed chest compressions in CPR and ribs have been broken.

Thanks for the warning! Remind me not to have a cardiac arrest with you around.

 

[Duck Tape]

How sure is your doctor about the diagnosis? I know of two people who experienced pericarditis after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, both were signed off by the doctor as having an adverse reaction as a direct result, and one was given an exemption from getting further shots (not sure about the other). One was my girlfriends cousin, he said he woke up and he said it felt like someone was sitting on his chest and he could barely breathe. My dad experienced tightness in his chest when he went for a walk but his cardiologist didn’t label it myocarditis/pericarditis, I seem to know a fair few ppl who experienced heart issues after 2021.

 

[JimmyM]

I think it's from spending too much time at Costco. Or, is that a typo?

I hope simple NSAID/ibuprofen work for you! Costco-whatever sounds painful.


Thanks for the warning! Remind me not to have a cardiac arrest with you around.

Better a couple broken ribs than a face full of dirt.

 

[Drumdame]

Hi Drumdame.

No, I've never had costochondritis from drumming.

Costochondritis is just a terrible thing to have.

I've had a few patients in my career that have had it and it's just dreadful, my sympathies for you.

But it's unlikely that it's CAUSED by drumming alone.....not impossible.....but highly unlikely.

The ribs and sternum need to be flexible for breathing but they need to be incredibly strong in order to protect the vital organs in the area......heart and lungs.

Costochondritis is usually the result of repeated trauma to that area such as from CPR, extended severe coughing from lung diseases ( COPD, Asthma, aspiration etc), blunt trauma from accidents, neoplasms and auto immune responses.

I've performed chest compressions in CPR and ribs have been broken.

If there is a pre-existing costochondritis then drumming is simply not going to help at all. Like you said.....you are most definitely going to have to stop drumming. It can take absolute weeks to heal the cartilage.

Keep up with your appointments with your health care professional.

I believe it's just a coincidence that the 2 times it did happen to me I happened to be drumming.

I read that repetitive upper body movement doesn't help. And that's probably what happened when I was drumming.

Unknowingly, I might have already had the inflammation but when I began to drum is when I noticed there was a problem. And the more I drummed the worse it got. So now I'm just going to listen to my body. At the first onset of that horrible feeling I'm going to stop!

What I've read... it's an unknown cause so nobody really knows what causes it but you can aggravate it for sure.

Like I said, I believe it's a coincidence that I was drumming twice when it happened.

I've also noticed if I start getting myself anxious or excited in a conversation that it will bring on that chest pain. I immediately put my hand to my chest... it's a very uncomfortable feeling so I have to stop talking and take a breather.

 

[Drumdame]

How sure is your doctor about the diagnosis? I know of two people who experienced pericarditis after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, both were signed off by the doctor as having an adverse reaction as a direct result, and one was given an exemption from getting further shots (not sure about the other). One was my girlfriends cousin, he said he woke up and he said it felt like someone was sitting on his chest and he could barely breathe. My dad experienced tightness in his chest when he went for a walk but his cardiologist didn’t label it myocarditis/pericarditis, I seem to know a fair few ppl who experienced heart issues after 2021.

No, not me! I didn't take the JAB and I never will! I have never even taken a flu shot and I never will either. And just recently I remember cutting my hand deeply washing a glass and they were trying to talk me into a tetanus shot and I said no way. I don't want any of their needles in me. No thank you... stay away!

 

[Syncopated_1]

Hi Drumdame.

No, I've never had costochondritis from drumming.

Costochondritis is just a terrible thing to have.

I've had a few patients in my career that have had it and it's just dreadful, my sympathies for you.

But it's unlikely that it's CAUSED by drumming alone.....not impossible.....but highly unlikely.

The ribs and sternum need to be flexible for breathing but they need to be incredibly strong in order to protect the vital organs in the area......heart and lungs.

Costochondritis is usually the result of repeated trauma to that area such as from CPR, extended severe coughing from lung diseases ( COPD, Asthma, aspiration etc), blunt trauma from accidents, neoplasms and auto immune responses.

I've performed chest compressions in CPR and ribs have been broken.

If there is a pre-existing costochondritis then drumming is simply not going to help at all. Like you said.....you are most definitely going to have to stop drumming. It can take absolute weeks to heal the cartilage.

Keep up with your appointments with your health care professional.

@Drumdame, very, very sorry to hear this. Other than God and family, music has been my main passion in life. But from your recent posts about your grandson, you still have a path to 'stay close' as you can teach him. It's like a boxer that's too old to box, but they have to be around it.

I am praying for a miracle for you.

 

[Drumdame]

@Drumdame, very, very sorry to hear this. Other than God and family, music has been my main passion in life. But from your recent posts about your grandson, you still have a path to 'stay close' as you can teach him. It's like a boxer that's too old to box, but they have to be around it.

I am praying for a miracle for you.

Thank you for your prayers Syncopated_1:, I too make God and family my priority and music is my passion. As a matter of fact that young 9-year-old grandson of mine called me early this morning as I was getting ready for church and we had a nice conversation.

I'm in agreement with you... praying for a miracle and that it will never happen again.

Thanks drum buddy.
D'

 

[PaisteGuy]

Very Sorry that Your experiencing this. Sending Prayers upstairs to the Good Lord above for a full recovery and that You can get back to hitting the skins with abandon soon.