Question
3 1/2 months ago, I had surgery on my lower ribs. I had "bilateral slipping rib syndrome": On my right side, my 10th rib tip was slipping up underneath my 9th rib, and my 11th rib tip was slipping up underneath my 10th rib. On my left side, my 11th rib tip was slipping up underneath my 10th rib. I was in pain for almost one year before the surgery. During surgery, the surgeon went through my abdomen on my right side and shaved off a few cetimeters of both of the slipping rib tips and removed some broken off cartilage. He then went through the left side and removed a few centimeters of the one slipping rib tip and took out the broken off cartilage.  I have two 3.5 inch cuts on both sides of my abdomen. It is very slowly getting better, but I experience back pain on my right side, along the right side of my spine. (Before my surgery, I was in the most pain on my right side. My left side didn't bother me nearly as much as my right.) I'm right handed, so I do more with my right side, which may contribute to the pain. But, whenever I increase my activity, like doing housework, laundry, cooking, etc, the muscles on my right side of my back really get sore and ache. And then when I sit for a bit to calm it down, it just throbs. Here is my question: Could it be that considering my operation, perhaps my ribs moved a little bit and have settled and my muscles are just getting used to that? I ask this because whenever I've gone to a chiropractor in the past, I would get adjusted and my muscles in my back would spasm for weeks! It's like my body just didn't agree with it or something. I realize that the ribs are connected to the spine, so is this why my back hurts? I am wondering what is going on inside my body to make it act this way, I would appreciate hearing your ideas. Also, 3 1/2 months seems like a long time to heal, sometimes I feel as though the pain will never go away. But, other people have assured me that ribs take a very long time to heal. Is this correct? Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you.

Answer
Dear Kris,

It's not about ribs taking a long time to heal, nor is it about muscles getting used to rib position.  Your muscles are in spasm for this reason:

There is a universal response to injuries or wounding (and surgery involves wounding):  we contract.  Muscles tighten.  It's an activity controlled by the brain.  Those contractions can continue indefinitely unless corrected not by manipulation, but by movement training.

In my view, it's probable that the reason your ribs changed position was not that they "slipped"; why would they just "slip"?  but that they were pulled out of position by tight muscles.

For your comfort to return, those muscles must again relax.

You can speed this process by means of clinical somatic education, a few sessions, at most for resolution of the situation.

Read more at somatics.com/page4.htm, the article on Completing Your Recovery from an Injury.  You can also locate a clinical somatic education on that page by clicking "Practitioners."  If no practitioner exists near you, self-help programs are available.

Let me know how well you do.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold