Question
I have now been in pain for about two years with a true rib dislocated from the vertebra in the past few months it would appear that another has done the same on the opposite side which is now causing a clicking on my sternum which is quite painfull and anoying!im only 31 is surgery an option? or can any one help as my gp and cosultants have not been very helpful! many thanks.

Answer
Dear Brian,

Chiropractic care can be effective in treating these types of problems.  The limiting factor is if the rib has a genuine "dislocation" vs a biomechanical derangement of the joint kinematics (movements).  Ribs can become fixated on one side which can cause an excessive mobility on the other side (front to back/sternum to vertebra or vice versa).  When this happens a few simple adjustments can provide amazing results in the reduction of pain and the optimization of the joint mechanics.  Often the adjustment is actually performed at the rib/sternum interface rather than the rib/vertebra interface.

Now, if there is a true dislocation, if the joint has been deranged (cartilage damage), an adjustment may help to normalize the position of the rib, but until the joint is stabilized, the problem will most likely occur again.  You may need to brace the area with an ace bandage type of wrap to compress the rib from dislocating over an over again.  Also think about movements that you perform daily, are you causing the problem to re-occur?  

If you are unable to get the joint to stabilize, you may need to have surgery, attaching hardware to stabilze the rib to the sternum or vertebra.  I have seen a football and baseball player who have had this surgery so that they could continue in their sport.  realize any activity/sport with contact or alot of upper body movement will be affected by these rib problems, and the condition may be made worse by the activity/sport itself.  You can see it is important to evaluate your daily activities (work/sport/school/home duties) to help reduce the overall problem.

I would advise you to have the area examined by a chiropractic physician to properly diagnose the area of complaint.  Have you had x-rays of the area or a CT scan to document the dislocation?  This should/may be part of the evaluation. If it is something that may need surgery, the chiropractor sould be able to refer you to an orthopedic surgeon for further evaluation.  It would be advisable to look for a chiropractor who has additional sport injury trainning, because rib injuries are frequently seen in sports.

You may also want to look for local physicians (chiropractic and medical)who use low level lasers for healing.  They are still a relatively newer technology, but they get great results, and are known to speed recovery time.

Good Luck Brian, yell if you need any further info!
Respectfully, Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman