Wtf is wrong with my ribs

**money** · Posted On: 7/20/2007 5:48pm

Here's a quick timeline :

July 9 BJJ - rolled with newbie spaz around my size. In an effort to get out of my guard he lifts and slams me back down on the right side of my back. I felt it, and figured it would hurt the next day. I was right, was a bit sore, got better after a few days.

July 14 BJJ - rolled with a few folks, then drilled some cross body escapes with a guy 1.5x my size. Side started to hurt again, but in a "could be hurt" way rather than sore. It hurt the rest of the weekend.

July 16 - Was still hurting so I was twisting around and stretching a bit to try and loosen it up. Started hurting a lot more, skipped class and went to the doctor. Doctor did an x-ray, not broken but he said it was bruised, told me to take a week off and prescribed Ben Gay, heating pad and Aleve.

July 20 (today) - hurts as much or more than it did at the begining of the week. Feels like there's a rock digging into my side/back most of the time.

Anybody have any idea wtf I've done? I'm thinking about going to another doctor for a second opinion, since this guy was more interested in my heart murmur than what I actually came there for.

Symptoms : no marks at all, tender in various spots all around the lower to mid ribcage on the right side of my body, both front and back. The pain seems to be in a different area from day to day. One day the front hurts, another it's the back, yesterday it was more towards my armpit.

I need this **** to go away, I hate sitting around not being able to do anything.

**ironlurker** · Posted On: 7/20/2007 9:14pm

Originally Posted by Money

I need this **** to go away, I hate sitting around not being able to do anything.

I'm not a doctor, and don't play one on TV, either, but it sounds to me that you might have something like a slipped rib, because a) it's not fractured and b) activity (especially as you mentioned twisting and streching) makes it worse. The side/back area you mentioned seems like a rib injury for sure.

Slipped Rib Syndrome
Slipped rib syndrome, sometimes known as rib subluxation, is a common cause of mid-back, chest, and/or abdominal pain. Its characteristic feature is sharp rib cage pain with deep or heavy breathing. Slipped rib syndrome is frequently confused with rib fracture or disorders of the esophagus, heart, or stomach.

How Common is Slipped Rib Syndrome?
The lack of awareness of this relatively benign disorder makes it difficult to determine how often it occurs. It is known, however, that this condition mimics several serious causes of chest and abdominal pain in addition to producing mid-back pain. Even though the diagnosis of slipped rib syndrome is readily made from the patient’s history of the complaint and physical examination, the lack of awareness of this disorder often leads to sending the patient out for extensive diagnostic tests and the prescription of unnecessary drugs. In some cases, the rib problem self-corrects coincidentally while the patient is taking the prescribed medicine—thus steering the doctor and the patient away from the correct diagnosis . . .

What Causes Slipped Rib Syndrome?
Slipped rib syndrome generally arises from a trauma to the rib cage or from heavy exertion involving the chest wall. Many patients recall a specific incident that initiated the condition, while others feel that it “just came out of nowhere” or after waking up from a nap.
Slipped rib syndrome results from ligamentous injury or trauma to the costal (rib) cartilage of (usually) the 8th, 9th, or 10th rib. When the ligaments are stretched or ruptured, they allow the cartilage tip of the rib to slip upward and impinge on the intercostal nerve.

http://www.healthyroads.com/mylibrar...ibsyndrome.asp

It could be that or something similar. The two main recommendations seem to be rest and ice, and rest and ice.

**money** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 10:20am

Yeah, that sounds exactly like what's going on. I've also seen recommendations to go to a physical therapist or chiropractor in order to fix it, so I might do that.

**elipson** · Posted On: 7/21/2007 11:59am

Ya to me it sounds like a dislocated Rib (slipped). I had that last year, same thing, just an ever present pain in the front and back. It hurt to sleep, hurt to breath. I waited two months before finally going to the doc. X-rays showed nothing, so he sent me to a physio therapist.

It hurts in the front and back because the way the rib is shaped. Its not just either/or that pops out, because of the U-shaped structure, both the front and back pop out. Go talk to a good physio therapist, or maybe a chiro, about it. They had me fixed with two or three visits.

Hahaha, he asked me, "Do you remember getting slammed or having any other jarring impact that might have caused this?" Hahaha!! I said only a few dozen times a night!!!

**jay c** · Posted On: 9/16/2007 12:38pm

I started judo this summer and have had three separate ribs come loose. There's nothing protruding, and each time it heals within a month or so. I thought it was a pinched nerve at first, because pressure anywhere on the one rib would cause pain right where the rib meets the spine. A chiropractor told me he'd fix me right up, but he just made it worse. I went to the doctor who took x-rays and said it looks like arthritis in my upper back. But then it happened twice more with different ribs on the opposite side in the front, each time accompanied by a distinct crack, so it seems to me that it has to be subluxations caused by momentary dislocations. The first two times it happened when someone executing a hold put a lot of pressure on my chest. The third time (a few days ago) happened when I was thrown hard and had my arms tied up so I couldn't slap the mat to break my fall. Each time it happens I spend a few weeks on the sidelines watching when I really want to be working out.

My question is, what can I do to prevent this? Better upper body strength? Rib guard? Glucosamine?

**ironlurker** · Posted On: 9/16/2007 1:22pm

Originally Posted by jay c

My question is, what can I do to prevent this? Better upper body strength? Rib guard? Glucosamine?

Taking the glucosamine chondrointin wouldn't be a bad idea. However, I'd really focus on building up your core strength- abs, lower back, obliques, etc. There should be some good threads around here on core strength work outs.

I would really emphasize the core strengthening because if you don't already have arthritis, you're going to have it soon from those slams you're taking and the resulting damage. If this keeps happening it might indicate you have anatomical issues that make you susceptible to the injury. Also, make sure you're not rushing to get back too fast. It's better to sit out a little longer and risk getting rusty then to come back too soon and have to go back out again.

**Tonuzaba** · Posted On: 9/16/2007 1:25pm

I am still pondering about a visit to my doctor - I've eaten two very nice turning kicks to the right side of my ribcage 2 weeks ago and feel it even today...
I can breath normally, it mostly hurts when I laugh, cough, sneeze or lay down and stretch. Used some analgetic cream, but doesn't seem to go away.
Then again, being a chunner and all, maybe I'm just a *****.

**Craigypooh** · Posted On: 9/16/2007 1:54pm

Took me about 4 weeks to recover fom the last turning side kick that I blocked with my ribs. Try alternating between an ice pack and a heat pack. I was taking both paracetamol and ibuprofen to dull the pain.

**Epicurus** · Posted On: 9/16/2007 3:46pm

I don't know, but I had an EXTREMELY similar injury myself, and it appears the only cure was rest. Everything aggravated and prolonged it.

**kwoww** · Posted On: 9/16/2007 4:27pm

So to summarize:

The cure: rest.

Future prevention: core strength/not getting slammed.

Some good info in this thread, I'll make sure to not dislocate any of my own ribs.