Costochondritis : Treatments

The goals of treatment are to reduce inflammation and to control pain. To accomplish these goals, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) are used, with ibuprofen usually selected as the drug of choice. Other NSAIDS options are flurbiprofen...

Anti-inflammatory medicines (such as ibuprofen) are used to treat costochondritis.

Detailed information on biofeedback as a form of alternative therapy

Biofeedback is a technique that uses monitoring instruments to measure and feed back information about muscle tension, heart rate, sweat responses, skin temperature, or brain activity. Terms associated with biofeedback include applied psychophysiology or behavioral physiology.

Biofeedback is a technique that measures bodily functions, like breathing, heart rate , blood pressure , skin temperature, and muscle tension. By watching these measurements, you can learn how to alter these functions by relaxing or holding pleasant images in your mind. Your heart rate, blood pressure, or some other function is measured using electrodes. The results are displayed on a monitor that both you and the trained practitioner can see. While the practitioner describes stressful situations and guides you through relaxation techniques, you can see how your heart rate and blood pressure change in response to being stressed or relaxed. This teaches you how to control and change these bodily functions. By doing so, you feel more relaxed and may be able to help treat your own high blood pressure, tension and migraine headaches, chronic pain, or urinary incontinence (a few examples of conditions for which biofeedback is particularly helpful).

This technique can ease migraines and tension-type headaches, as well as low back pain and fibromyalgia.

Biofeedback, or applied psychophysiological feedback, is a patient-guided treatment that teaches an individual to control muscle tension, pain , body temperature, brain waves, and other bodily functions and processes through relaxation, visualization, and other cognitive control techniques. The name biofeedback refers to the biological signals that are fed back, or returned, to the patient in order for the patient to develop techniques of manipulating them.

Biofeedback, or applied psychophysiological feedback, is a patient-guided treatment that teaches an individual to control muscle tension, pain , body temperature, brain waves, and other bodily functions and processes through relaxation , visualization, and other cognitive control techniques. The name biofeedback refers to the biological signals that are fed back, or returned, to the patient in order for the patient to develop techniques of manipulating them.

Incontinence is surprisingly common. Surgery, medications, childbirth, or injury can interfere with urinary and rectal function. But there are a variety of treatments available including exercise programs, medications and surgery.

Heat treatments are therapeutic applications of superficial or deep-heating agents to areas of the body. Purpose Thermal agents are used therapeutically to: decrease pain decrease muscle spasm decrease muscle tightness and increase flexibility prepare joints and muscles for exercise increase local blood flow to the area, thus promoting tissue healing Precautions Therapeutic heat treatments should not be used in individuals who have bleeding or recent hemorrhage, an acute inflammatory process, or local infection near the point of application.

Heat treatments are applications of therapeutic thermal agents to specific body areas experiencing injury or dysfunction. Purpose The general purpose of a heat treatment is to increase the extensibility of soft tissues, remove toxins from cells, enhance blood flow, increase function of the tissue cells, encourage muscle relaxation, and help relieve pain .

These back exercises are done on your hands and knees.

These three exercises are done on the floor.

These exercises work your lower back, buttocks and hips.

For best results, these exercises are each repeated five times.

These exercises work your sides and shoulders.

Stretching is a vital part of any exercise program and is as important as any other part of your health and fitness plan. Without flexibility training, you’re missing a necessary part of your workout.

While it's true that stretching won't strengthen your heart or flatten your stomach, it can help you reach those goals more efficiently.

An adolescent athlete can never stretch too much, experts say. Stretching to stay flexible is vital -- particularly when a child reaches puberty and goes through a growth spurt.