Question
Dear Sir,
Three weeks ago I think I separated my rib on the right side maybe the 4th rib on side of breast under the armpit was mucking around on bed and turned myself around too quickly hitting the bed hard ,there was a pop then it was so very sore when I moved or breathed using my ribs
anyway it only took about 10 days to feel so much better, then I decided that it was healed so I did some deep massage on my son and when I finished I noticed I was sore and it hurt when I straightened up but not in the same area it had seemed to move more to the front of the rib, Now I am sore at the front of my rib and if I lean forward it hurts and pulls when I straighten
Why would the pain and pulled feeling move to the front under breast? How long will this take to heal, it seems to get worse as the day moves on
Any suggestions would be appreciated, I do suffer from anxiety and I hold my self really tight and have done for many years, could this be affecting my ribs. Thank you so much for your time

Answer
Dear Helen,

Sorry to hear about the ribs.  Ouch, I've been there myself.

Ribs take about 6 weeks to heal.  Probably 8 weeks before you don't notice them at all.  The pain will move around bit sometimes because all those intercostal muscles (rib muscles) are tightening to protect the injury.  Depending on how you sleep and move, they may do different things that will make it feel a bit different.

Feel free to visit my website Do-It-Yourself-Joint-Pain-Relief.com  where I have videos for every single joint in the body.  
http://www.do-it-yourself-joint-pain-relief.com/
If you go to my Techniques Page
http://www.do-it-yourself-joint-pain-relief.com/joint-pain-relief-techniques.htm
I show you specifically how to release some the tight tissue in that ribcage, but it will often need regular work as your ribs are still healing.

I don't have a specific page for "ribs", but basically you just find soft-tissue that is sore when you press on it and work that area.  It sounds like you do some massage already, so this shouldn't be a problem for you.

Sorry to say, you've got about 3 more weeks of "isn't this healed yet?" to go through.

I do hope this was helpful.

All the best,
Gary Crowley