I have had upper back pain for about 4 months. Started with a kink in the left neck, didn’t go away for a few weeks, then gradually included both shoulder blade areas. Was worse in the AM upon awakening, and then maybe 2 months in, it got really bad, could’nt cough/take deep breathe/sit up without excruciating pain. X-rays were fine, then finally got a ct-scan and showed a small fracture on 3rd rib. By the time I got the CT i was feeling much better already. CT also confirmed healing properly. However, my right side still has similar symptoms, to a lesser degree but very similar with pain upon deep breathe. Don’t know if they missed anything while reviewing or just purely focused on the left side which was the main complaint, but I suspect there’s got to be a similar injury there.
The question is how? The only thing I was doing during that time was a lot of chin-ups and push ups and badminton twice weekly (not a new sport to me, have competed in it all my life). No falls or trauma, can’t remember if I maybe dove for a shot playing badminton, but nothing painful enough for me to make note of.
Anyone have any suggestions or similar injury history as me?
a friend of mine had a stress fracture from swimming with paddles. i guess it’s not that unlikely
I haven’t. But I know that mountaineers often break ribs simply from excess coughing caused by the dry air.
If a cough can crack a rib, then a jerky motion during a chinup could possibly do it too.
2 cents.
I know a guy who broke a rib sneezing. (I did the films on him, too.)
He’s a cop, and the ironic thing is that this happened only a few days after I personally saw him chase down and apprehend a car thief, and emerge from that event unscathed.
Maybe you should take-up croquet or cooking?
Yes, from coughing associated with pnemonia
.
Maybe you should take-up croquet or cooking?
mmmm, cooking!
i may have posted that I already do those things in the other “what would you do if you couldn’t do triathlons” post! j/k but really, no kidding, with my hip and my ribs I probably should!
I had several friends who fractured ribs rowing. No impact, just overuse.
I know someone who enjoyed being on top, and who cracked a rib as a result of being supported by the person underneath. Does that count as trauma?
Yes, I broke a rib a few summers ago, low impact. I had been sick so was coughing a lot which probably weakened the muscles around the bones? I was horsing around in the ocean, a friend of my flipped me in the air and I landed odd (but in water). The pain didn’t start immediately, it came on later that night when I was BBQ’ing. It felt like I had broken a rib but I couldn’t pin point what I had done. Pain persisted for months until I finally got an x-ray.
Thanks for all the responses. I was wondering if any of you could share the symptoms you’ve experienced. Aside from the pain upon deep breath, were other muscles involved? I am experiencing alot of tightness in the neck/scalenes/sternocleidomastoid muscle only on that side. Also, the area feels very stiff and hurts when doing any reaching or shoulder rolls. Last thing, has anyone heard of fractures having a lag time before diagnostics (CTscan) pick them up?
thanks
I broke a rib leaning into a tall garbage can to retrieve something. I felt it and heard it break. It didn’t hurt until the next day. Weird.
I had several friends who fractured ribs rowing. No impact, just overuse.
yep, its fairly common in higher level and elite female rowers, and not uncommon in elite level guys.