Thread: Rib/flank pain

WTF? For the past few months, the spot where I've previously cracked a rib is really freaking sore. Nothing makes it better - Advil, heat, stretching.

I don't have any abdominal pain, no urinary symptoms, no shortness of breath.

I can't think of anything besides something musculoskeletal - but why the hell won't it go away?!

Anyone? Bueller?

I occasionally get some rib pain like that and I think I have it narrowed down to a subluxed costo-vertebral joint.

Try tracing the pain back along the rib all the way to where it connects with your spine. If you have some muscle spasm and or tenderness at that spot it might be possible that you might have the same thing.

Originally Posted by Vinman

I occasionally get some rib pain like that and I think I have it narrowed down to a subluxed costo-vertebral joint.

Try tracing the pain back along the rib all the way to where it connects with your spine. If you have some muscle spasm and or tenderness at that spot it might be possible that you might have the same thing.

Interesting suggestion, thanks! What can they do for it? NSAIDs? Nothing?

It may just reduce itself or you could look into having it mobilized/ manipulated by a chiro.

I have a friend who has this and can now maniulate it on his own just by twisting his spine just so.

I think mine reduced the other night when I was lying on the floor and my wife was messing around and stepped on my back. I felt some pain and a pop right at that spot. So far it doesn't hurt anymore. I even raced a triathlon yesterday without any pain in my ribs. Usually it hurts when I run and occasionally when I swim due to the tightness of the wetsuit.

Vin, I paid a visit to my internist. She ordered up a chest x-ray and gave me a Rx for Flexeril. Holy shit is that stuff powerful. I took half a tab last night and was comatose for 11 hours.

Hopefully the x-ray doesn't show anything freaky. She thinks it's a pulled intercostal. Charming.

Originally Posted by LAN

WTF? For the past few months, the spot where I've previously cracked a rib is really freaking sore. Nothing makes it better - Advil, heat, stretching.

I don't have any abdominal pain, no urinary symptoms, no shortness of breath.

I can't think of anything besides something musculoskeletal - but why the hell won't it go away?!

Anyone? Bueller?

Take it easy in the love swing for a couple of weeks.

Rib's probably out. Could need pushed in on the back or the front. Usually it can be felt or is visible. Probably tweaking the intercostals and that's how the pain is manifesting. I've had one go out and drop me to my knees, thinking I'd had a heart attack. Chiro just gave a strong 'oomph' push on the rib in my back and it was over. I had 4 ribs that got totally pushed in from hitting a tree last year, letting them heal for a month before going to the chiro. By then, it was if they had grown tissue holding them there. He said 'this is going to hurt'. When he adjusted them, I went through the roof screaming and probably scared the shit out of all the patients in the waiting room. I could hear shit rip when he put them back in place.