Question
Dr Newhart, I am absolutely desperate for help.  I was diagnosed with Sherman抯 disease at 15, and have managed to live with pain since then, it becomes part of your life. At 21 I fell down approximately 6 stairs sustaining a whiplash injury and over-extension of left arm/shoulder.  This healed well with NSAIDS in a few days but 4 weeks later, a bee sting sensation to the left of the spine around T5-T6 come on rapidly while at the computer, rendering me immobile for 2 days.  Many, many episodes exactly the same as this over the past 10 years, each one more painful than the last with subsequent muscle wastage of scapular muscles. I spent one year of treatment with a manual therapist from august 2007 to august 2008, but all the while I felt the problem getting worse not better. In fact after 2 months with her I developed a new problem at rib 10.  I felt it move one day while sitting down and since then I have had relentless pain, that was in the October 2007. I persisted for another 9 months with her, but she never did correct the rib problem. All the time telling me that she felt that I was getting better.  The rib most certainly looks deformed to me and my colleagues (I am a nurse), but none of the medical profession that I have been to can see this deformity.  It doesn't show on x-ray.  It feels like I am lying on a plank of wood when I lie on my left side (side of deformity) and distinctly affects my breathing on lying on the right.  I am in huge amounts of pain.  I am unable to laugh, cough or sneeze and can no longer open a door. This same practioner has also given me a problem with my right knee after manipulating it (I have never had a problem with it before).  I have begged a cardiothoracic surgeon to remove the rib because of pain but they are refusing, I simply cannot continue with this amount of pain and disability.  Prior to seeing this practioner, in-between episodes of this spasm I was travelling and able to carry a backpack.   Since this deformity of rib 10, I spend most of the day lying down as it takes the pressure off the rib and spine, sitting is almost unbearable and consequently have even more muscle wastage to the point when on forward bending my left shoulder is now briefly subluxing and is painful in it抯 own existence.  I am desperate to regain this muscle, but it is impossible until the pain in the rib goes away.  I am also experiencing sympathetic symptoms, such as palpitations, sweating on movement, particularly from sitting to standing and so on which I feel is linked to this problem.

So, my question is.  Can a rib be dislocated (I am getting mixed reports, and when I tell them it is rib 10 they say no)? And can it be put back in place?  How and by whom?  Would it show on x-ray?  Would a 3D image be of any help in this?

This has now become more of a problem than that of the original problem I had.

I thank you in advance for your time.

Yours sincerely

Claire


Answer
First, I would like to apologize for the lateness of my reply.  I had no notifications of questions from allexperts.  Yes, most assuredly you can have a misalignment at rib 10. It can and will affect your breathing, and can give you pain.  Removal will be a mistake, and can lead to more problems.  I would suggest you find a good chiropractor to asses it.  They can best treat the misalignment, and help you with any soft tissue issues that may be associated with it.