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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
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or email: info@themanualtouch.com
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Physical Therapy for Rib Pain

February 24, 2019 By Denise Schwartz 3 Comments

Physical Therapy for Rib Pain

Have you ever had rib pain? Bluntly put, it hurts like Hell — it’s painful to breathe, painful to lay on the injured side, painful to roll in bed, painful to reach for something. Basically, every movement hurts.

What causes rib pain?

  • Broken or bruised rib
  • Strained intercostal muscle between the ribs
  • A rotation of a thoracic vertebrae (upper back) causing a shift of the rib either forward or backward

Where do you feel rib pain?

Rib pain can be felt in the form of:

  • Upper back pain
  • Chest pain
  • Neck pain with inability to turn head to one side
  • Side pain

A basic anatomy lesson

Your thoracic cage is made up of 12 pairs of ribs, your sternum or chest bone, and 12 thoracic vertebrae. The thoracic cage acts as armour for your most vital structures – your heart, lungs, and largest blood vessel, the aorta. In the front of your body, ribs 1 through 7 are attached to your sternum and ribs 8 through 10 are attached to cartilage at the bottom of the sternum. They all wrap around your body to attach to your thoracic vertebrae 1 through 10. Ribs 11 and 12 are known as floating ribs as they only attach to thoracic vertebrae 11 and 12 and have no attachment in front.

Respiration is initiated through your diaphragm, which is situated between your thoracic cage and your abdomen. During respiration, your lungs and rib cage expand, the ribs separate via the intercostal muscles, and then come back to resting position when you exhale.

What can you do to relieve rib pain?

Medically speaking, there is nothing you can do (besides take pain medication). Physical Therapy, on the other hand, can be extremely helpful. Here are a few methods we use to treat rib pain:

Fractured or bruised ribs

For fractured or bruised ribs, there is gentle manual therapy and kinesiotape.

Strained intercostal muscle or side pain

A strained intercostal muscle will not allow the ribs to separate like they need to during respiration, which causes pain. Treatment requires a more deep tissue form of manual therapy, which can be uncomfortable, and kinesiotape.

Upper back or chest pain

These usually go hand-in-hand, requiring hands on techniques to the involved thoracic vertebrae and rib.

Neck pain with inability to turn to one side

This is usually caused by an elevated 1st rib, and rotation of the 1st thoracic vertebra. This usually requires a manual technique to settle. For reference, your back 1st rib is just below your neck and the front 1st rib is just underneath your collarbone (clavicle).

Gentle movement exercises

Gentle movement exercises allay fear of movement and begin improving movement of the thoracic cage.

Breathing exercises

Breathing exercises are used to mobilize the thoracic cage which can be done lying on your back with your knees bent and in sitting. Here are a couple of methods:

  • Diaphragm Breathing. Diaphragm breathing is done by placing your hand on your upper abdomen (diaphragm), and breathing into that hand as deeply as you can tolerate, exhale slowly
  • Bucket handle breathing:. To practice bucket handle breathing, place your hands on your sides/lower rib cage, breathe into your hands expanding your rib cage out, and exhale slowly.

Like any soft or bony tissue injury in the body, nature takes at least 4 to 6 or more weeks to heal, so the above treatments will not get rid of your pain 100%, but it will allow you to move, breathe, sleep and function better with less pain and return you to the activities you love to do sooner.

Now that you can see a PT without a prescription, don’t suffer with rib pain! Come in as soon as you can for relief.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Rib Pain Tagged With: chest pain, rib pain, side pain

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Comments

  1. Linda says

    February 27, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    Thanks for the tip on rib pain
    As I have had it got three days!

    Reply
  2. Nila says

    April 7, 2020 at 10:18 am

    Thank you for this article. In terms of pain medications for rib pain, I have been taking ibuprofen 600 mg every 4 – 6 hours. Does this slow healing for soft tissue injuries or bone fractures in the ribs? I am in such bad pain since I had a fall that I cannot go without the IBU and tylenol is not touching the pain at all at 650 mg.

    Reply
  3. Mary T Oltmans says

    January 5, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    I have a floating rib which causes crazy pain. I want to discuss this with you.

    Reply

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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

I saw Denise at The Manual Touch recently for sciatic pain, that only the day before I saw Denise kept me from walking; I could only hobble for short distances before I would sit down and collapse. After some tissue work and gentle exercise with Deni… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/m-d-evanston-il
I was in Florida for vacation and developed an upper respiratory infection. I had annoying coughing and congestion in my chest. This went on for several days, and it was not getting better. It felt like I had a mucous plug stuck in my chest that woul… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/a-b-riverwoods
The best physical therapist I’ve ever experienced is Denise Schwartz in Wheeling at the Manual Touch. I have seen Denise twice for over 6 months to treat 2 bouts of frozen shoulder that occurred 8 years apart. In addition to my shoulder, she has also… Read more
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/b-h-elmhurst-il
As a young elite athlete I was involved in numerous accidents resulting in scar tissue causing loss of flexibility and restrictions as an adult. After each treatment I feel so much less restriction and experience greater range of motion.
https://themanualtouch.com/wp/testimonial/s-northbrook-il
Last winter our daughter Maddie had had several eye and ear infections, and all required topical and oral antibiotics.  These were instigated by a plugged tear duct.  A pediatric ophthalmologist said there was little chance the duct would open up o… Read more
The physical therapy I received at The Manual Touch PT helped reduce my sciatica pain to a manageable level in just a few sessions.  The exercises I was given strengthened and trained my muscles to prevent further back problems allowing me to return… Read more
Just a note to thank you for the time you spent with me Saturday in evaluating my running technique and body alignment.  Your suggestions are already making sense and having an early impact.  After our meeting, I went out for a 5K run and found you… Read more
I have been receiving PT therapy for pain and autoimmune disorders for over 18 months at The Manual Touch.  This also affects my kidneys and my lungs and other organs as I swell with fluid that my lymph system doesn’t seem to handle well.  I depe… Read more
Excellent, professional assessment and treatment for an older woman who’s had lots of failed therapy. Kind and compassionate and caring! Thanks.
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
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The information provided on The Manual Touch Physical Therapy website is for personal and noncommercial use only. The resources and content provided should be used for educational purposes only and not as a substitute for appropriate medical care. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort please seek medical attention.