Women who have had breast operations where one breast has been removed can experience pain in the ribs afterwards. It is a constant source of work for osteopaths to free all the muscle drag that occurs from the weight imbalance.
My recommendation after years of experience with postoperative care for mastectomy cases is that you should have therapy once a month till it settles down. The muscles are freed around the ribs and the dorsal spine may need to be manipulated gently.
Sandra’s story-Sandra suffered acute rib pain, spreading around to her back. She fell on her side at work two years previously. After some conventional therapy of massage and heat treatments, the trouble settled down.
As time passed, pain radiated to her ribs. The X-rays indicated there was no problem, except for a slight scoliosis!
If the X-ray had been taken with her standing, it would have emphasised the rotation in her upper lumbar spine and made the diagnosis clearer. The curves had to be reversed. It took time, patience, effort and understanding.
Rib pain can also be related to referred pain. Ulcers in the stomach will shoot pain into the back, as can heart trouble, hiatus hernia, cancers and a lot of other problems.
Our work looks at the whole person first. A correct diagnosis is always important in any profession. But it’s no good guessing and putting a person on anti-inflammatory drugs because arthritis might be a possibility. Keep on with these drugs and you may soon get a real ulcer with referred back pain. Then it can be said, ‘I told you so.’ It doesn’t take much time to have the spine and ribs assessed professionally once and know there is no structural fault.
One interview won’t delay important investigation. It may not be as bad as you think. We X-ray too to prove the point. Referrals are very quickly given if there is any suspicion of a serious condition. Rib fractures are easily picked up with compression tests and palpation.
Margaret’s story-It happened when I got out of my car to open the gate. My dog jumped in and knocked the hand brake off. The car rolled and pinned me against the fence breaking my leg. But that’s not what gave me the greatest pain. After the leg was out of plaster, I was still having trouble. When I breathed in, I could feel a sharp pain in my right ribs. I went to the doctor again and he told me I just had a posture problem. That didn’t help the pain though.
I then went to see my chiropractor, and after a physical examination, I was told that I had badly sprained a rib. It was fixed there and then and I felt great after one adjustment.
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