sever back rib pain when breathing

For a little over a month I've been having a lot of pain when taking a deep breath. It's in my right rib cage but in the back. It feels like that side won't expand all the way. I went to the dr and he listened and said if it's not better in 3 weeks to come back and he'll order an x-ray. It's been about a week and it's getting worse and worse. I've done everything I know to do. I've had a massage, I've been to the doctor, I've been sleeping on a heating pad. Now I'm really getting worried that it could be something serious. I'm usually pretty good with pain but I've been in tears 3 times already today. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

if the pain is persistent i advise you go to a hospital IMMEDIATELY

you could be having and appendicitis attack

it could be anything and you're not loosing anything by going, have them give you a CAT scan immediately

Well, I went to the doctor about 2 weeks ago. They did a CBC and chest x-ray and everything was normal but it still hurts REALLY bad!

Upper back pain upon taking a deep breath could be a ribhead out. What happens is that when the back muscles get into a spasm, they can actually pop the head of your rib up and it can lay against a nerve pathway, causing more pain and spasm. Also the intercostal cartilage between your ribs could be in spasm as well. The best way to tell if you have a rib out is that you take a deep breath and get a sharp pain, usually localized to one spot. It can also give you discomfort in the chest side as well. Also just plain back muscle spasm could be the problem. A chiropractor is the best remedy for that rib out though. Deep tissue massage, if it is done right can be very effective as well. If the therapist knows what they are doing. This is just some advice, considering you have had all the appropriate medical tests and they came out normal. The good doctor can be very helpful in this case as well, he can prescribe maybe a muscle relaxer to calm down those ribs/back muscles. usually but not all the time upper back pain is largely stress related.

Guest wrote:

if the pain is persistent i advise you go to a hospital IMMEDIATELY you could be having and appendicitis attack it could be anything and you're not loosing anything by going, have them give you a CAT scan immediately

Please do not post medical advise if you have 0 medical training or background. You are correct that you've got nothing to lose by going to the hospital immediately, oh wait except for that $4,000 medical bill for the cat scans. Hey why not get an MRI while you're at it!

Hello To All,
I'm not a doctor, but I do have an EMS liscence! I lift a lot of weights, and I too had exactly the same problem. I went to the crack doctor, & about 15 min. later I was fixed up fine! I still had a lot of residual muscle & nerve pain but that was taken care of with a heating pad & some Ibuprofin. It's happened to me a couple of times now & the reasoning is because once it comes out your muscle memory alows it to come out a lot easier! It will eventually heal up enough so that it won't come out at all any more! need to rest it for a while & then strenghten up the muscles arround it to try and keep it from happening again! This is not a diagnosis or a solution but an oppinion from a fellow ribhead patient!

Wow, great! I've been sitting with the same problem, and neither the doctor nor the chiro has explained to me about a rib out.

Thanks a lot for explaining this!

i have a spasmodic pain in my ribs , mainly right rib when breathing in, i am just getting over a nasty chest infection, so if you are coughing and spitting up green or yellow coloured phlegm then check it out with your doctor , the sore ribs are connected with chest infections also, as well as other reasons.

cj[/b]

That is all fine and good for ya'll but I have Interstitial Lung Disease (Pulmonary Fibrosis) I am afraid to go to the doctor as I am afraid m disease may be out of remission. I have had the pain since Friday hoping it will go away.

I've JUST got back from my chiropractor who I had be seeing for sciatica caused by a prolapsed disc.

I had a treatment on Tuesday where he cracked my UPPER back in 3 places (unrelated to the sciatica).

When I got home that night at some point I twisted in such a way that caused an excruciating pain in the right hand side of my back/side.

My wife has had some experience in sports therepy and said she could feel a lump in the area and she though it my ribs.

Sure enough my Chiro diagnosed a popped rib head which he explained could have been encouraged by the therepy I received that tuesday.

He treated it by using a downward vertical thrust with me lying on his treatment bed. This had been propped using one of the beds mechanisms and when he thrusted the bed drops about 2 inch which aids in the pressure of the thrust.

My back instantly popped and it felt 10 times better although still tender.

He gave me excersises to do every half hour which he explained prevent the muscle from tightening again.

I am still in a lot of pain but I have regained alot of movement that was previously restricted.

I also refused to pay for the treatment as it was caused by his actions previously which he acknowledged to we're all good !