Question
I am a healthy 30 year old female.  I have never smoked, rarely
drink alcohol, and eat a very nutrient-rich all organic balanced
diet.  I have a job where I am driving for 4- 8 hours per day.  I
carry boxes daily and carry a bag on my right shoulder while out
of my car (approx. 1 hour/day).  I am very thin and have
extremely small bones.  I have never met anyone that wears a
ring size smaller than mine (size 2 wedding ring).  I am 5'9" and
weigh 115 lbs.  I have never been able to develop any significant
muscle tone.  (Dated a personal trainer when 23 years old and
had me on a intense weight lifting regimine for over a year.)  
Before my injury my only exercise was an hour walk with my
husband every other day.  My body can not handle much more
than that - feet and ankles swell and turn red if I try to walk
longer.  I had a seizure in the past and was sent to multiple
specialists - no cause was ever found. No problems with my
brain, thyroid, metabolism, hormones, kidneys, heart, leg veins,
etc.  I have had every medical test in the book.  Only thing ever
found was low potassium levels the morning of the seizure and I
always have low blood pressure which went even lower with the
seizure.

I currently have a fracture of my 10th rib where it is supposed to
attach to my spine.  I have already had a bone scan and am
waiting on a Dexa scan and a CT scan of the area.  I started
feeling pain in the area of the fracture while working but can not
determine the exact moment it happened.  It was minor pain at
first so dismissed it as a strain.  I continued to work and it now
has become very severe pain.  I am on Lidocane patches,
tramadol, & hydrocodone.  I am so small that there are no rib
belts made to fit me (28" chest diameter), so I have taken an
extra small abdominal binder and cut it up to make my own
compression brace that somewhat covers the correct area.  Even
with the meds I am in a lot of pain.

I think the fracture was caused by my heavy bag being on my
shoulder and how I have to jump and throw my weight into the
back of my SUV to shut the door about (15-30 times/day).  My
orthopedic doctor does not believe I could break a rib by
carrying a bag and repetitive motions of driving, etc (I have done
this work for 6 years).  I have known other small females with
my company that have pain in the same spot and helped it by
getting a rolling bag and lumbar support while driving and
therapy.

I also have other orthopedic problems that I know are from my
job.  Can not drive using my right hand due to a ganglian cyst in
my wrist.  Nerve pain shooting up the back of my driving leg
into my rear end.  My doctor also said I have scoliosis which was
never discovered during school checks as a child.  I also have a
strange bone that sticks out at the base of my neck that make
what I call "a hump".

My questions:
How long will it take before this horrible pain goes away?

Do you think my job functions can cause a fracture?

How do I prevent this from happening again?

Should I get a second opinion from another physician?

Is there therapy I can do?

Answer
Katie:

Thanks for writing!

To answer your second from last question first: Yes, you should get a second opinion from a good natural health practitioner. A chiropractor who does nutritional counseling would be  good choice, as would a naturopath or an accupuncturist.

Ques. # 1--A rib pain is a terrible pain and in your present condition, it will take a long time to heal.

Ques #2--You job functions would not fracture a rib if those job functions were being performed by a health person. But, you are wasting away and any exertion is likely to cause injury.

Ques#3--The way to prevent this from happening again is to get healthy.

Ques #5--The things you can do for yourself are take your vitamins, as recomended, drink your water and get plenty of rest with some light exercise.

Please try some magnesium citrate for the pain. Natural Calm is a good brand, it is widely available at health food stores. It should be a water soluble magnesium citrate. It is not a drug but a nutritient.

Go to www.sorsi.com, www.soto-usa.com and www.icak.com and look for a good chiropractor near you. They can guide you thru the health restoration process.

Does this answer your question?

Dr. Rozeboom