Do you suffer from pain in your back underneath your shoulder blade or in your neck/shoulder region?
Does it hurt when you breathe and is the pain slightly to the side of your spine?
Does the pain wrap around from your chest to your back, or vice versa?
Are you feeling tingling or burning type of pain down one or both of your arms/hands- especially in your pinky and ring finger?
Rib issues are one of the most common issues with which people suffer and most say the pain resembles a “knife or in the back” somewhere to the side of the spine. Quite frequently the pain is much, much worse at the end of a deep breath, sometimes even restricting breathing and causing the characteristic “ice pick in the back” feeling. Often, this can greatly reduce the oxygen content of the blood, causing fatigue, anxiety, lack of mental clarity, migraines, headaches and even shoulder/rotator cuff dysfunction.
Our ribs act as a source of protection for our vital organs and aid in our breathing mechanism with some help from our diaphragm. They are also extremely important as a source of muscle attachment, allowing for multiple biomechanical processes to occur during trunk, upper limb and lower limb movement. When affected, they can cause pain in a range of areas that may appear as muscular strains.
In our upper to mid back region, each rib forms two joints with our spine, as well as an additional joint in the front portion, where they form connections with the sternum/breastbone.
Rib pain occurs as the result of restrictions associated with these joints. This may occur as the result of injury (whiplash from a motor vehicle, athletic injury, or a fall), prolonged positioning (such as sitting in front of a computer, television, reading, etc.), repetitive side-to-side motion, or may come on without warning.
Rib pain treatment through chiropractic care focuses on the body’s intricate structure. Like anything mechanical, the ribcage too needs maintenance and chiropractors deal with rib pain successfully on a regular basis. Because rib pain is likely to be piercing in nature, it usually responds rapidly with chiropractic care.
Once conditions of the chest and other possibilities for the pain, such as spinal infection are ruled out, chiropractic treatment is a viable option for such pain. Through careful examination, chiropractors are able to determine the cause(s) of your presenting symptoms. A treatment plan can be created to restore normal joint motion, retrain muscles by reducing tension, improve strength and stability, restore posture and reduce inflammation.
The aim of the treatment is to restore movement, reduce pain, and reduce muscle spasms. This is done using a variety of different “hands on” manipulation techniques and sometimes in combination with massage and stretching exercises.
The chiropractic rib manipulation treatment will likely consist of a gentle thrust straight onto your back while you are lying on your stomach. Often your chiropractor will manipulate the whole area, so your chiropractor may need feedback from you to make sure that he is focusing on the correct rib.
Because chiropractic care is such a versatile treatment, it does not matter how old you are, or whether you are affected by osteoporosis or other medical problems, a suitable treatment method can be used by a chiropractor to help manage the issue of pain caused by improper rib alignment.
If you’re experiencing pain that you think may be associated with your ribs, contact our offices at 865.429.4404 today for a complete evaluation.