Subluxated Ribs and How to Make it Better

Popping a rib out of place can result in a lot of pain in your chest when breathing deeply or coughing. When a rib is out of place, you can feel sharp stabbing-like pains in the front of the chest or between the shoulder blades. The misaligned rib causing pain in your chest may intensify when you move your upper body or be worse in the morning when you wake up.

Your rib cage doesn’t just protect vital organs in your upper abdomen but also assists in breathing. Your ribs constantly move when you breathe and if a rib pops out of place, the pain can be unbearable. This is why a rib out of place can cause persistent upper abdominal agonizing pains under your ribs. Of course, there are other serious causes of intense, pressing chest pains that are related to your heart.

Some of the reasons why a rib can come out of alignment include injury to one or more of your ribs, excessive sneezing, forcefully throwing an object, or lifting heavy items. In most cases, you should, first of all, see a doctor for any kind of intense chest pain that causes discomfort. If the reason for pain in your chest or upper back is due to a popped rib, physical therapy can often help to relieve the pain and put the rib back into place.

Your rib cage has 2 pairs of 12 ribs that are attached to the middle part of your spine (thoracic spine). Ten of your ribs on each side of your chest attach to the front of your breastbone (sternum). The other 2 ribs on each side of your spine are called floating ribs because they don’t attach to your sternum. In total, you have 24 ribs in your ribcage.

Doctors from PubMed Health say that your rib cage also comprises of intercostal muscles located between your ribs, as well as nerves and ligaments. The muscles and ligaments in your rib cage support your torso and also contract and expand when you breathe.

A rib out of place describes a condition when one or more of your ribs gets partially separated from its normal position. This can happen either where the rib joins the thoracic spine at the back or where it joins the sternum at the front of your chest. This can cause pain that affects your ribs or middle back.

Doctors also refer to rib subluxation as a partial dislocation of a joint. This can cause tremendous pain especially if the rib presses on a nerve or if any muscle tissue is inflamed or damaged near the end of the rib.

An out of place rib is sometimes referred to as a rib misalignment, jamming a rib, popping a rib, or subluxated rib. Sometimes, you may hear doctors talking about a slipped rib or dislocated rib when a person has agonizing rib pain. What is the difference between a rib out of place and a dislocated rib?

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic say that a dislocation (luxation) is when the bone is forced apart from the joint. This means that the rib becomes completely displaced from its joint. This results in intense pain in the affected area, and the pain may radiate to other areas of the body.³

On the other hand, a rib out of place, or subluxation, is only a partial dislocation. A rib head subluxation will also cause intense and even debilitating pain, but it is not as serious as a complete rib dislocation.

The main symptom if a rib is out of alignment or becomes partially dislocated is pain that will take a few weeks to heal. However, depending on the severity of the subluxation, you may have some other symptoms.

The journal Gut described many symptoms of various painful rib syndromes. Doctors say that there are 3 main symptoms of popping a rib out of place. These are:

• Varying degrees of pain in the upper abdomen or lower chest
• Tenderness on the lower part of the rib cage
• Pain when pressing on the affected area of the rib cage

Other symptoms of a rib out of place can include:

• A clicking noise when moving the upper body
• Inflammation and possible swelling in the affected joint
• Muscle spasms in the rib cage
• Difficulty breathing
• Increased chest pains when breathing deeply or sneezing

Sometimes patients with mild to severe chest pain caused by a displaced rib can mistake the pain for digestive problems or even a cardiac-related pain. You should never ignore any kind of chest pain. So, even if you assume that the sharp pains under one side of your ribs are due to a popped rib, you should still see your doctor.

Rib subluxation or a rib out of place is common among sports people and athletes. For example, sports that involve racquets or bats, swimming, or throwing items can put tremendous strain on the ribs, forcing one to become displaced or partially dislocated.

A study published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that rib subluxations are a common sports injury. For example, one swimmer experienced persistent pain in the left lower rib cage. Because rib subluxations are often undiagnosed, the pain lasted for many months. However, doctors discovered that the swimmer had suffered a subluxation in the rib cage.

Also, the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports says that trauma to the rib attachments in the rib cage can cause the rib head to pop out of place. Because 20 of your 24 ribs in the rib cage are attached to the sternum, a rib out of place can cause chest pain that radiates to the back.

Some other symptoms of a rib out of place can include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Increased intensity of pain when bending forward or crouching down
• Tenderness at the place where the rib is out of place

If you are experiencing the symptoms of a rib out of place, then there are some ways to help reduce the agonizing discomfort in your chest or middle back. Of course, because there is a risk of further injury, you shouldn’t try to put a rib back into place yourself.

• Get plenty of rest to prevent further injuries to ligaments, muscles, or nerves in your rib cage
• Try to breathe normally to prevent a buildup of mucus in your chest and chest infections
• Hold a pillow against your chest to reduce pain if you need to sneeze or cough
• Clear your lungs by taking 10 slow deep breaths every hour
• Ice the area affected.
• Some yoga poses can help to carry out a self-adjustment on a rib out of place if the misalignment is only minimal.

Next make an appointment with us where we will perform various manipulation techniques to help loosen the muscles and ligaments around the out of place rib. This will allow the us to gently pop the dislodged rib back into place. Most patients report that this type of procedure only causes a minimal amount of pain.