Ribs

[natnat]

Hi again,

Just thought I would mention this: As I was looking through the first part of this thead someone mentioned memory foam matress toppers from argos at £70, I just looked on argos as I want to get one and they are on sale for less than half price at £23.99!!! quick grab a bargin

[Rosie]

Hi natnat

If you are thibnking of getting a memory foam matress topper to help with your ribs, my own experinece is that a 2.5cm topper is nowhere near enough. Mine is 3 inches (7.5 cm) thick and I find this helps, but I have tried thinner ones and they didn't really help at all. Try looking on ebay!
Back on topic to ribs now please, there is a thread on memoery foam here.

Rosier

[Superstottie]

Not sure if this is to do with HMS but when I look at my ribs from the front, my ribs on my left side are a good inch lower than those on my right side, and when I look down they also stick out further on the left side - does anyone else have this? I first noticed it when I was a teenager and went out wearing little tops that showed my belly, soon became self concious of it and covered up!! It does seem to be getting more noticable, but this may just be due to the fact that I have lost a lot of weight after a few years of not really being able to see my ribs so had forgotten what they looked like

[Rosie]

Hi supoerstottie

Have a read through the thread on scoliosis as this is one of the things that can cause wehat you asre describing. Having uneven hips. sometimes due to different length legs, can also cause the ribs to look uneven.

Rosie

[shen]

I got to see Prof Grahame last week, he doesnt quite know whats going on with my ribs but he is sending me for some chest x-rays to try and get a clearer picture. He measured my scoliosis and since its just 3 degrees he's pretty sure that its not the cause of my ribs. I also went to see one of his physios and she had some suggestions too. She thinks that either i dislocated my rib at some point and its got stuck and as the tissue and muscles have formed around them more its pushed it further out of place or possibly i dislocated it and broke them without realising and they have set at a weird angle. But it's only stuff they can find out from x-rays so, I hope that finaly i will have an idea soon!!

[Mogwai]

Hi, okay sorry for all the posting this morning, feeling a little delicate today!

Here we go, last night/this morning I woke up about 4ish, I must have been sleeping funny and was a bit sore, so I turned over, and kind of stretched half into the turn (you know, a big old cat stretch, shoulders back chest forward etc) and I felt the most horrific weird wrenching pain at the top of my abs under my breastbone. Oh my was it sore. I thought I'd ruptured something inside, so I get up slowly and it goes away mostly. I'm thinking, pulled an ab muscle maybe? But they are all fine. I lay there tensing muscles checking but they were fine. All my inside stuff (technical medical term there) was fine feeling too. So I'm wondering after doing some research on here, could it be rib related? It's not so bad now, provided I dont hunch over or use my arm on that side too much. I didnt think it was possible to move ribs. My thumbs, shoulder hip, knee cap and jaw sublax a lot but I've never felt this one before. But I had physio yesterday so maybe I've over done it?

Sorry for the big ramble, it freaked me out! I've had a good old poke at my ribs this morning and everything is where it should be, but very sensitive/tender on one particularly.

Any thoughts would be useful. I'm new to the forum and its amazing to beable to read stuff here and think I AM normal!
Mog
modnote: merged with main ribs thread

[nemonie]

Sounds like it might be ribs or the intercostal muscles (muscles between the ribs) or a bit of both. Ribs are mostly fixed in place but just with connective tissue, so have a tendency to wibble about for us bendies.

[cassie123]

I hope i'm writing in the right area,
hi i've been getting quite alot of chest pain since around november this year, I'm a trainee hairdresser and i lift my arms up quite alot cutting and colouring hair. I was lifting quite alot of heavy boxes around decemeber time trying to impress my bosses at work (it was only a christmas job, so i shouldn't of bothered, wish i hadn't now lol) anyway, since january the pain has got increasingly worse i get pain along my sternum and under my left breast on the breast bone and i have had a few sharp pains behind the breast,i had an eco cardiogram 2 years ago and an ecg in november so the doctors i assume aren't taking me very seriously as they don't think its a heart problem. But the pain seems to go and then for a few days i feel batter and brusied all down my ribcage, then i'll go back to college and the sharp pains come back again... not sure if anyone else feels like this? i also get alot of pain in the ribs under my boobs i've always mentioned to my mum that the ribs don't feel even on both side && i have always had quite alot of pain on the lower ribs. Any info would help thanks

[Sandy L]

The pain under the breast is most likely to be in the cartilage that runs for several inches between the end of the bony rib and the sternum. If you van push on the spot and elicit pain, it is in the chest wall, not the heart, lungs, or esophagus. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like naproxen, aspirin, or ibuprofen are usually the first line in that case, with paracetamol (acetaminophen) tagging along as a second choice.

[cassie123]

Thanks, we tried this a few weeks ago and i did get pain when i pressed on my chest, the pain just comes on through the day for about 5 minuets then it goes again then it'll come back on at night, its quite strange, but the feeling like ive been beaten up feeling is there all day. I will try ibuprofen though and see if that helps thanks alot

[lil_miffy]

Iv been having an problem for with one of my top right ribs cracking really loudly when I slightly stretch but just thought of it as a noise issue as I didnt get pain with it.

But about a month ago I noticed a large painful lump in my breast at the same place while doing my monthly breast exam. After the initial scare it took me quite some time to work out that the lump was around the rib, either the tissue around it (im not too clued up on the ribs and what should and shouldnt be there). The lump was very painful to touch and noticble when looking in the mirror. It was about an 1 1/2 inches in length and 1/2 inch thick. It took about a week for the lump to disapear but it was very painful.

I forgot all about it until 2 weeks ago my rib cracked loudly and the next day the lump was back, just as painful, just as big and just as noticible.
Its gone down again but not completely, there is still a noticlbe difference between the rib and its 'partner' rib on the left side. The general area around the rib is still a little sore and tender.

Iv been taking anti-inflammatories but they havent really helped.

Is it worth speaking to my dr about or is it just something I need to learn to put up with? Would it need checking out? Is there risk of permenant damage?

Don't like the idea of developping a permenant noticible lump.

[Sandy L]

It is most likely costochonditits, an inflammation where the bone turns to cartilage a few inches from the sternum. It is2 to 4 inches away at the level of the second rib, just below the inner end of the collar bone, and moves way out as you go down to the lower edge of the rib cage. apart from anti=inflammatory drugs around the clock, there isn't much you can do about it. The good news is, if it's part of the rib cage, it is not likely to be anything dangerous; it will just hurt like the devil.

[meow]

Hi im new to this forum! I have had many weird health problems over the past 10 years, and I believe I have Hypermobile syndrome as it explains all my symptoms! My left ribcage sticks out a bit funny and it causes me problems. I cant seem to wear bras that are my size as the elastic hurts my back and front of ribcage, I sometimes have a stabbing sensation if I have worn something too tight and it can feel bruised at the bottom of my ribcage. I also have this permanently tender bruised feeling in the middle of my ribcage on my chest. I also have issues with my stomach and sometimes feel my breathing is not quite right?!? but im wondering if this is related or not. My GP doesnt really think much of it. I also have minor scoliosis which is not noticible except for on X-ray. Here are some photos of my rib - the last ones a bit freaky I think I sucked my stomach in too much lol!!

[Retro]

The scoliosis may be at least partly to blame for the uneven sticky outness of your ribs

Lindsey

[Sandy L]

Retro is probably right on that one; the scoliosis can cause deformity of the rib cage. The prominence on your left side is probably the tip of the 11th or 12th rib; it doesn't go all the way to the front or connect to the cartilage that joins the breast bone.