04/17/2024
RIB PAIN.
“My ribs out” “It hurts to breathe” “I can’t move without a sharp pain” 🩻
Patients with rib pain often come in saying these phrases. But is the rib really “out”? No, thankfully your rib isn’t out of its joint. However the joint can become irritated and create pain and muscle spasms locally.
We have 12 pairs ribs all of which attach to the spine at the back creating the costovertebral/transverse joints. 1-7 are true ribs that attach to the sternum on the front, where we have costochondral and sternocostal joints. 8-10 are false ribs attaching to costal cartilage. 11-12 are floating not attaching to the costal cartilage or sternum.
There are several muscles that attach to the ribs including the intercostals, obliques, serratus, pecs, lats, scalenes and re**us abdominus, diaphragm and more. We have intercostal nerves between each rib and several nerves around the bones and muscles.
Any of these joints, muscles or nerves can become irritated by external forces or repetitive movement causing pain and spasms.
Following an assessment to rule out red flags (ex. rib fracture or lung issues) manual therapy and rehab will help ease your symptoms!
—Dr. Natasha 🤍
