Question
Hi. I saw your answer to somebody about pleural adhesion but I couldn't find much more information online. I think this might happen to me too but in my chest and upper abdomen. Occasionally, when I wake up in the morning, it hurts a lot to take a deep breath. The pain dissipates through out the day. Could it be pleural adhesion? If not, do you have any other ideas? Thanks!

Answer
TCW,

Typically, pleural adhesion causes a sudden, sharp, catching jag of pain that alleviates immediately if you take a forceful deep breath.  There are other things that can be causing the pain you describe, everything from gastro-esophageal reflux (GERD), middle or lower thoracic spine arthritis, or simple postural muscle strain from the day prior with stiffening-up overnight as you lay still for sleeping. Your age and general health is a factor, so if you are an athletic 18 year old that would point to simple muscluloskeletal causes, such as adhesion, as opposed to if you are 70, a smoker, and have underlying lung cancer.  So, to give you the simple answer: yes, it could be pleural adhesion.  Take a big deep breath, inhaling past the pain, and see if the pain immediately goes away.  If so, then adhesion is more likely than cancer or arthritis.  If you cannot find a solution, then get checked out by your PCP to rule out internal disorders, and once ruled out see a chiropractor for musculoskeletal evaluation.

'Hope this helps.

Dr. G