Rib Pain

The region from which rib pain arises is pretty vast and contains a lot of structures, many different factors can cause this pain.

Some of the most prominent ones are:

• • Pulled muscles
  • Broken or fractured ribs
  • Rib dislocation or fixation
  • Bone diseases such as osteoporosis
  • Muscle spasms
  • Inflammation of the linings of the lungs
  • Swollen Rib Cartilage

An accurate diagnosis of rib pain is critical because many important viscera lie close together in that region. Certain rib pain can become chronic if left untreated, so it is crucial to address in its acute stage. For this, a proper diagnosis is necessary.

1. Patient History: While visiting your doctor, he will ask you if you have recently suffered from trauma or falls. If it is the case, most chances are the reason behind your rib pain are broken or fractured ribs. If no trauma is seen in recent weeks, he will move on to other diagnoses.
2. Clinical Evaluation: Describing the type of pain you feel and what movements increase the pain can help your practitioner identify where the issue lies. The area of pain will assist in pinpointing a location, whereas the type can lead to an understanding of the cause behind the pain. Orthopedic tests and range of motion will assist the doctor in forming a more accurate diagnosis as well.
3. Imaging and Injections: X-rays are the first test your doctor will order as it will enable them to see whether there is a fracture or broken rib. They may also order an MRI to better understand if there’s any damage to the surrounding muscles, organs, and tissues.

Most of the symptoms correlate with respiratory distress or pain during breathing. However, they are not limited to these and can manifest as a stabbing pain that increases with every breath.

The most frequent symptoms include:

• • Sharp pain while breathing in or moving into a certain position
  • Pain or pressure in your chest
  • Rib cage discomfort
  • Sleeping problems
  • Pain with pressure to the thoracic region

Surgical treatment is rarely required for rib pain. Only in the case of bone cancer is surgery a necessity. The surgical procedure will be based on the type and origin of the cancer.

Determining the origin of the cancer is important. In some cases, surgery becomes too dangerous initially, so chemotherapy or radiation is used as treatment until the mass is small enough to be removed.

Most common treatments for rib pain are minimally invasive. The goal here is to reduce stress on the affected structures so that it may heal appropriately. 

You can do this in several different ways. Some of them are:

• • Chiropractic manipulation to adjust the rib if it is fixated
  • Cold compress to relieve any swelling
  • Compression wraps or kinesiotaping
  • Cough suppressants to relieve sharp pain that comes while coughing
  • Rehabilitation of the affected area using physical therapy if there are bone or joint abnormalities