Question
Recently a chiropractor did a thoracic adjustment where I heard a cracking sound in the area of my sternum.  I mmediately I was short of breathe and had sharp pain radiating to the Right chest. I have now had a Medical assessment and proper X-ray which reveals a possible fracture at the right 7th rib. The reason the chiropractor gave me for doing this adjustment was that he was targeting my headaches. I am still in the process of healing the possible fracture and need to have more testing done to determine ifin fact the rib is fractured. It may be too soon to tell therefore a repeat will be done. MyQuestion is: Is this a normal adjustment used by chiropractors??? What is the incidense of sustaining a rib # when this is done. Should the adjustment have been discussed prior to doing so and should informed consent been given Thank-you for your anticipated response.

Answer
I am sure that there is even more to this story, but from what you are telling me in your question, it does not make much sense to me. Just so you know, it is most likely not fractured, and he probably caused a rib misalignment, that should be reset by a Chiropractor that does those sort of manipulations frequently.  Attempting to target headaches through a thoracic manipulation is not going according to full-spine protocol of the meric system.  He would do something at the C1 or C2 level to address your headaches.
The mere fact that he was attempting to manipulate a vertebra to treat something is out of the scope of chiropractic altogether.  A true doctor of chiropractic treats no symptoms whatsoever and corrects the cause of nervous system interference so that the brain and the body may communicate properly, long enough for healing to occur.
I apologize profusely on behalf of the chiropractic profession, and would like you to know that this is not how I was taught and it is not how I practice, nor is it the way that most chiropractors are supposed to practice.  Please do not judge our entire profession on the poor judgement of one lost soul.  Just remember that in every profession there are good and bad seeds, again I apologize for your bad experience.
If you find that I may be making some sense to you, I would like to offer the other side of the profession that is specific, scientific, results driven, and cautious and conservative.  What I am recommending to you is to seek out an upper cervical doctor of chiropractic whose main purpose is to locate and correct nervous system interference.  If you would like for me to find you a good doctor that will change your perception about our profession and help you to get well, then resend a question with your nearest town and big city and your state.  I will then respond to you with the name of at least one doctor in your area.
Yours in best health,
Dr Robert A. Arnone