Question
Dear DR
5days Ago,i turned in my seat in the car and my ribs touched the back support and it felt likr my rib moved over something and it really hurt, about the 5th rib on the right side under arm, The pain became nearly unbearable and radiated to the front of ribs over liver, it is so sore to touch and hurts to move,it feels like my ribs are pulled up,the whole rib cage feels sore and pinched somehowThe worst thing is i looked the injury up on the net and it said you can have these injuries if you have cancer and that made me really scared,how can i treat this injury and would a chiropractor be able to help?thank you"

Answer
Dear Helen,

I found your question in the "pool" of questions. I know that you probably didn't ask this to me directly, but I hope that you don't mind if I take a shot at answering your question.

First of all, if you are concerned about the diagnosis, as I think that you should be, you should consult with a medical doctor. Have him/her evaluate, perform labs, etc to determine that you are medically "sound", or in other words, that you do not have any internal illnesses. Having peace of mind is priceless! The odds against cancer are always in your favor, so go and have yourself checked out!

Second, straining of ribs and rib cartilage is very likely what you have done. It is also possible that you have simply strained muscle tissues in the mid back region or between the ribs. This type of injury can be helped through chiropractic adjustments and therapy. Rib dysfunction is typically associated with joint function issues in the mid back area as well, so that should be checked out. (I actually did something like this to myself several years ago.)

I hope that this has given you some thought Helen. Good luck, and I hope that you feel better soon!

Keith Biggs, DC
http://www.eastmesachiropractor.com
http://www.biggschiropractic.blogspot.com