Much of the chest wall consists of ribs and cartilage, which serve as an elastic bridge between the individual rib bones and also the sternum. Costochondritis is a condition of inflammation in the costochondral junctions of the ribs or chondrosternal joints, in the absence of swelling or induration, in the chest wall causing chest wall pain and tenderness (Proulx & Zryd, 2009).
Incidence and prevalence
Costochondritis can affect both children and adults and is a diagnosis that accounts for nearly thirty percent of adults who present to the hospital with chest pain (Proulx & Zryd, 2009). The condition occurs most often in women and adults over the age of forty (Mayo Clinic, 2011).
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