I am a 38 year old woman. A year ago last Feb. I lifted and carried about seventy 5 gallon water buckets (I'm a horse person)in the course of less than an hour. At the time I felt a little tightness in my chest but nothing else until about a week and a half later. Then the chest pain started. I figured it was from the lifting so I thought it would heal with a little time but it didn't. Spring came and I had a lot of stress in my life and the chest pain was still there, with the addition of difficulty taking a deep breath, shoulder pain, feeling a pulse in my neck and muscle spasms. I also began to have anxiety which I had never had before. It was very scary. I went to doctors and had tests and all they said was my heart was fine and here's some Atavan for the anxiety. I only took one when I really felt I needed it to sleep (I avoid and drugs as much as possible). Last fall I finally found a good chirpractor who gave me the diagnosis of costochondritis which totally made sense with the onset after heavy lifting, the pain in the chest, shoulder, and side. However, no one has put the anxiety with it.
I have gotten rid of the muscle spasms and reduced the stress in my life.
Today, I can stay pretty much pain free and anxiety free if I do not lift anything heavy. I feel so fine that I forget sometimes or I think maybe I'm all healed and I go and lift a 50 lb bag or dig and plant a few bushes. The first thing that will happen is I will get emotionally upset. My husband has learned to notice it. I won't even connect the two - but suddenly he'll ask if I lifted something yesterday or today and always the answer is yes. I have not found anyone else to connect the emotions to costochondritis but from my own personal experience and that of my husband of 17 years, I can say most definitely that for me they are very much connected. Once I recognize the emotion is tied, I feel better able to cope with it. It's usually another day or two before I actually feel the chest pain come on and I know I'm paying for lifting I did a few days prior.

I hope this might help someone out there.