Integrating Acupuncture for the Management of Costochondritis in Adolescents

Background: Costochondritis is a common condition involving inflammation of the costochondral or chondrosternal joints. Conventional management of costochondritis includes pain medications, but these do not provide full recovery in all patients. There is limited information on adjunctive acupuncture for pediatric costochondritis. Cases: This article describes the use of acupuncture in the management of costochondritis in adolescent patients. A retrospective chart review was conducted for 3 patients who received acupuncture treatment for costochondritis at a tertiary pediatric medical center. Patient demographics, Numerical Rating Scale, and the Brief Pain Inventory were recorded. Results: All patients demonstrated satisfactory symptomatic reduction following acupuncture treatment. Conclusions: Integrating acupuncture with conventional medicine appeared to reduce the costochondritis symptoms in the adolescent patients.