ribcage issues...weird

[badgergrl]

I've been having this ongoing pain/discomfort for about a month now. My intercostal muscles get extremely sore. I will have this pain on my left side from my back (right underneath my shoulder blade) to the front of my ribs. It goes away, but comes back again. Sometimes it is extremely uncomfortable for me to sit, but it's better when I stand up.

More recently, it's been really aggravating me in the gym...especially during squats. It feels like my ribcage is going to burst.

I know this sounds insane, but has anyone experienced anything like this or know what the hell is causing it?

[TAZ]

My ex-wife got something similar to what you described. She said it hurt to take a deep breath. Eventually it healed on its own but I am clueless as to what it was. She said she felt it at first after doing deep leg pressed after squating one day.

-TAZ

[ILIEKFUDE]

ive had intercostal tendonitis twice, goes all the way around like you said if you dont let it rest.
anti inflamatories n rest is all that worked.

[Scarlett]

I've actually pulled an intercostal muscle (possibly a minor tear) - it was my first weightlifting related injury, lol. But yours does sound more like tendonitis; I had constant pain, so bad I wasn't able to drive or pick my books up from the floor.

A combination of what Taz and Fude said is good: eventually it will heal, and anti-inflammatory drugs do help. I'd suggest trying to stay away from lifts or exercises that aggravate it too.

[*Bunny*]

eek. Ever had a rib out of place and had to have it popped back in by a chiro?

[badgergrl]

Well, shit. My whole left thoracic area is fucked.

Fudey...I've never heard of anyone having tendonitis here. What would cause it?
Unfortunately, I can't really rest for another 5 weeks, so I guess I'll just have to deal with it.

I actually went to the doc today because after complaining to me mom about the pain, she freaked me out saying I could have something wrong with my lung. The appt. was a waste of time really...they gave me an x-ray refferal, but I don't even know if I'm going to go.

Bunny..what does it feel like to have a rib out of place? WTF? This has happened to you?

[Scooter]

yep, you've got a rib out. Get an adjustment, you should feel better immediately.

[Fawkes]

Originally Posted by badgergrl

I've been having this ongoing pain/discomfort for about a month now. My intercostal muscles get extremely sore. I will have this pain on my left side from my back (right underneath my shoulder blade) to the front of my ribs. It goes away, but comes back again. Sometimes it is extremely uncomfortable for me to sit, but it's better when I stand up.

More recently, it's been really aggravating me in the gym...especially during squats. It feels like my ribcage is going to burst.

I know this sounds insane, but has anyone experienced anything like this or know what the hell is causing it?

I don't mean to scare you but I remember seeing a teenager years ago with similar complaints - the pain was intermittent. Turned out he had a variation of Wollf parkinson white syndrome - which is an abberrant electrical conduction pathway in the heart. He had left sided ribcage pain when it acted up.

[Fawkes]

I amnot saying that segmental dysfunction of joints in the thoracic area can't cause pain, but you really are not going to have a "rib out of place". I have seen cadaver labs where they dissected the entire thoracic spine with ribs out, stood on it and bounced and ribs never popped out.

In the front the rib can seperate where the boney part of the rib meets the costal cartilage at the sternum,and you really cannot adjust that. Its a rib/artilage sprain. You cannot pop a rib loose in the back without major trauma, - where the rib head meets the fovea costalis transversalis is so heavily lashed down with connective tissue you would have to have major trauma to "pop" it out.

But many of the smaller muscle groups like the multifidi and the intercostals can fire abnormally causing segmental dyskinesis. A spinal adjustment has been shown to correct the firing of nerve fibers involved in normal coordinated motion (I think it is the t2 fibers - I should know that but I don't any more), so that normal coordination of these smaller muscle groups is restored, eliminating dyskinesia and allowing improved movement, which helps correct costochondritis due to abnormal motion.

its late and that explanation may be a bit awkward and I am not sure it really matters - an adjustment can help - but except for really severe trauma (falling 3 stories onto an air conditioner, hitting the steering wheel with your chest etc) popping a rib head out almost never happens. A rib will break in most cases before the head pops loose from its intervertebral attachments.

[dyoda]

Originally Posted by *Bunny*

eek. Ever had a rib out of place and had to have it popped back in by a chiro?

This is what I was thinking it might be...It can be very painful, even from breathing.

[*Bunny*]

Sorry Badge I just saw this now and SWORE I replied... Grr.

Hurts to breathe, to move side to side, achy, stiff, like a wicked cramp with painful breaths.

My yoga instructor had this happen often and she worked through it until she got to her chiro, and updates?

[badgergrl]

My chiro seems to think it's from my scoliosis. He's adjusted me a few times along with some various therapies....it seems to be helping with the rib pain. I had xrays of my spine, and there's a pretty significant left curve going on. I didn't realize it was that bad.
We'll see....

The pain isn't in my chest; it's more in the lower ribs, so I'm not concerned about it being heart-related. I thought about chostochondritis, but that is usually closer to the sternum, I think.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!

[*Bunny*]

Thanks for the update Badge