It’s Not A Heart Attack, It’s Slipped Rib Syndrome

Until recently, I’d never heard of a “slipped rib.” I was speaking at an event recently and during a break, patrons were given the opportunity to spend ten minutes with a massage therapist who focuses on alignment and soft tissue. During that ten minutes, I learned that two of my ribs on the right side were disjointed. My first reaction was shock, “ribs have joints?”

Slipping Rib Syndrome http://t.co/ByhXYkO5hQ http://pic.twitter.com/ETdQXNEdCP

— Jonathan Aarons MD (@paindocfortlaud) June 21, 2015

The therapist spent some time with me, then pulled a strange stretching maneuver that created an epic pop under my right shoulder blade. It felt amazing. The shoulder pain I’d had for weeks went away almost instantly. The therapist warned me that it would happen again if I didn’t address the root cause of the problem, and I heard him, I did. But I didn’t do anything about that pesky root and about a week later I was working in the yard when I felt something stab my heart. Well, nothing actually stabbed my heart, but it seemed like it. I thought, “could I be having a heart attack at 35?” The pain was sharp, sudden and only happened once. It went away quickly, and I calmed down, but within the hour, I felt that tell-tale shoulder pain and I knew immediately what had happened.

Being the research addict that I am, I turned to Google. I was vindicated to find that I’m not the first person to think they were having a heart attack during this episode. Some poor folks feel that same feeling over and again, as their ribs slip in and out. I read lots of articles, including a case study in the Journal of Athletic Training about a college swimmer who suffered from slipping rib syndrome.

According to the study, just to feel better this swimmer “underwent 4 months of conservative treatment (eg, activity modification, ice, ultrasound, hot packs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) after the injury, independently sought chiropractic intervention (12 treatments) 4 to 6 months postinjury, was referred to physical therapy (10 visits) by a nonsurgical sports medicine physician 6 to 8 months postinjury, and finally underwent surgical intervention 9 months after the onset of the initial symptoms.”

The crazy thing about slipped rib syndrome is the fact that so many people have never heard of it. I’d been to the doctor over my shoulder more than once and was diagnosed with muscle strain. No one checked my ribs at all, until that one massage therapist changed my world.

I liked a @YouTube video https://t.co/TpIBNl1pXy How To Fix (most) Costochondritis and Tietze's Syndrome Chest Pain – Part (1)

— Laura Holliday (@falalaholliday) May 4, 2016

According to the aforementioned case study, slipped rib syndrome, also called teitze sydrome and Chostochondritis, was first recognized as an issue in the year 1919. That’s almost 100 years ago. To me, it’s shocking that many of us, myself included, had never heard of it before.

The study went on to highlight that most physicians are relatively unfamiliar with the problem and that people are often misdiagnosed, or suffer with slipped ribs for months and even years before finding relief.

In fact, the conclusion for the study was, “It is important for clinicians and team physicians to familiarize themselves with and consider the diagnosis of slipping rib syndrome when assessing and managing individuals with persistent abdominal and/or thoracic pain.”

Now that I know the issue exists, I know how to address it. And something tells me I’m not alone. Maybe you’ve been suffering with weird chest or shoulder pain. Maybe you’ve experienced that heart-attack fear. If so, it might be worth your time to mention slipped rib syndrome to your doctor.

[Photo by REB Images/Getty Images]

It’s Not A Heart Attack, It’s Slipped Rib Syndrome is an article from: The Inquisitr News