The ghost of rib fractures past

[Mrs. Funk]

About seven years ago, I was in a car accident that could have killed me. I had six rib fractures. Ouch.

Lately, my old rib breaks have been giving me a lot of pain. I can tell that one of my ribs will shift and cause sharp pains when I breathe until it pops back into place. Sometimes if I twist my torso too quickly or hard, the ribs ache.

Has anybody had similar residual pain? If it just a normal however sucky byproduct of many broken ribs, I will continue dealing with it.

[happyone]

When I was ten, I sliced the bottom of my foot quite badly, 8 stiches to close, plus 3 inside the cut. Even now sometime I'll feel pulling in the scar if I pivot to fast. I think it just scar tissue pulling.

[ERCougar]

I don't really buy the idea that ribs "pop out of place". This is sort of controversial, and one of the differences MDs have with DOs. Of course, DOs make money off fixing "subluxed" ribs (they call them subluxed because they can't observe any true dislocation on a CT or X-ray), so I think that drives their theory a little. The thoracic spine and ribs is an incredibly stable structure and when you push them on exactly which joint is subluxing, they have a harder time describing things. I've seen plenty of really significant chest trauma and have NEVER seen a dislocated rib. As you know, they break first. (Same story with sacroiliac joints--another DO pet peeve of mine--but that's for another post).

Anyway...
I think an old rib fracture could make you prone to strain your intercostal muscles (the muscles between your ribs). I would even buy that perhaps different strands of muscle will slide out of place and then realign as you move around, giving the sensation of dislocation and popping.

So yeah--sticky byproduct of prior injury. Sorry--I know it can be really painful.