Exercise that Makes Tietze’s Syndrome Worse

Steph Kenrose — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:26:30 +0000

I’ve been struggling with my weight ever since my pregnancies. I’m not overweight, but I’m borderline (I’m always hovering on the normal/overweight mark). I’d love to lose about ten pounds, but every time I try pushups, my Tietze’s Syndrome acts up again. Over the last 20 years, I’ve learned which exercises I can do, and which I can’t. I usually try and post articles with at least a little scientific research, but seeing as there’s currently none on Tietze’s and exercise, here is a thoroughly unscientific report on my personal experiences with Tietze’s and exercise.

Activities to avoid:

Running or jogging, especially if you are a woman with large breasts. I imagine that will, for some, conjur up images of the Monty Python Meaning of Life sketch with topless women rollerskating, or perhaps those old Benny Hill episodes with big-breasted ladies chasing down a pudgy, middle-aged Benny with boobs bouncing everywhere. Trying to jog or run with Tietze’s can lead to pressure between the ribs; you breathe harder, not to mention the pounding from the pavement. If you are a lady, a good sports bra can help. However, you may want to switch to swimming or cycling for exercise–or any other non-impact sport.
Pushups. Pushups don’t just put strain on the arms; they put strain on the entire chest. If I do ten pushups, it guarantees 100% that I will be in agony the next day. After several years of not doing pushups (and forgetting why I never did them), I decided to throw in some pushups into my meager exercise routing. Oh boy, I paid for that the next two days. I had to walk around with a hot water bottle strapped to my chest and a bottle of Tylenol in my hand. No more pushups for me.
Contact sports. I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but if you do contact sports like I do (I take Tae Kwon Do lessons), then you absolutely must wear some form of chest protection otherwise you are risking severe Tietze’s syndrome attacks. The cartilage in your ribs is already damaged; it’s not worth the risk to change it being damaged even more. I wear a chest guard when I spar, and would never spar without it: not even for fun.

Those are the activities that cause me the most difficulty, as far as sports go. There are others that are obvious ones to avoid: weightlifting (chest), racquetball (without a chest guard), tennis (mild tennis would be okay) and any sport where you might risk a fall to the chest (like horseback riding).

In general, anything that strains your upper body should be avoided while you are recovering from Tietze’s syndrome. Start walking, swimming, cycling, or participating in other low impact aerobics so that you can stay physically fit while recovering from the disease. After your symptoms subside, gradually re-introduce those exercises that were giving you trouble. But don’t overdo it at first, or you may regret it the next day!

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Helping Your Child Deal With Chronic Illness

Steph Kenrose — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:37:45 +0000

I just wrote an article on my other blog, about how to help children deal with chronic illness (and how to help other adults understand as well!). The message is universal, and is just as applicable for Tietze’s syndrome as it is for reactive hypoglycemia (which is what my ten-year-old son has). You can find the full article at the Reactive Hypoglycemia website.

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All About Tietze's Syndrome » Tips for Dealing With Chronic Illness

Exercise that Makes Tietze’s Syndrome Worse

Helping Your Child Deal With Chronic Illness