Question
I woke up yesterday with an intense, sharp pain in my side, just under the rib cage.  It hurts to move and to expand the chest with breathing.  The pain eminates from the right side, but extends along the back, just under the rib cage.  I went to the emergency room, where they took a chest x-ray and a urine sample.  They said there was no evidence of infection and they sent me home with a pain killer.  It especially hurts to get up, get down, or roll over.  Do you think a chiropractor would help?

Answer
Robert,

Thanks a lot for your question.  I hope that I can provide an answer which I believe I can.  This is a very common story I hear in my office.  Often times, patients describe that they feel they were having a heart attack.

Rest assured that this is not the case.  What you are having is termed a subluxed rib.  The pain may be at the rib attachment to the spine and wrap around or through the trunk to the chest.  It will usually be a knife like sharp pain that increases on breathing, because the ribs expand and cause irritation to the thoracic spinal nerves that exit at the spine and wrap to the chest.

It is usually easily eliminated with chiropractic manipulation.  Depending on how severe, it normally takes 1-5 treatments to resolve.  Call and make an appointment with your chiropractor today.  X-rays are not always needed for this, a good exam will detect it.  In the meantime, place a cold pack, no heat, on the areas that hurt to take the inflammation from the area.  Usually with the manipulation you will get almost immediate relief.  Then it just needs to be determined how many treatments will resolve the problem without it returning.

Good luck and God Bless,

Dr. Boss