Rib Out – Chiropractic Care for Dull to Stabbing Back Pain.

Rib Out? You may need Chiropractic Care for Costal-Transverse Joint Subluxation. Ever felt a sharp, stabbing pain in your upper back, especially after a cough, sneeze, or awkward twist? You might be dealing with a costal-transverse joint subluxation, a misalignment of the joint where your ribs connect to your spine in the back. This is often referred to by people as “having as a rib out”. While not life-threatening, it can be quite uncomfortable and limit your breathing and movement. While essentially a rib “sprain”, the complaint is often referred to as an “ice pick” or “wooden stake” stuck in your back, up near the upper inner margin of your shoulder blade, at the base of the neck.

What is the Costal-Transverse Rib Joint?

Your ribs aren’t rigidly attached to your spine. Instead, they connect via small joints called costovertebral (between rib head and vertebra) and costotransverse (between rib tubercle and transverse process). These joints allow for slight movement of the ribs during breathing and twisting, almost the way a “bucket handle” moves.

A subluxation thus occurs when this joint gets misaligned, causing irritation and pain in the surrounding muscles and ligaments. With the wrong combination of forces, this joint can “disengage” slightly in the back, and become dysfunctional – sort of like a key not inserted fully into a lock. This may feel worse when you take a deep breath, and you may not be able to tip your head or turn it to that side.

Causes of Costal-Transverse Joint Subluxation:

Trauma: Injuries from falls, accidents, seat belts or sports impacts can force the joint out of alignment.
Repetitive Strain: Poor posture, heavy lifting, or activities like coughing can irritate the joint.
Sudden Movements: Twisting awkwardly or reaching for something overhead can cause a subluxation.

Symptoms of Costal-Transverse Joint Subluxation:

Sharp, localized pain in the chest wall, often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing.
Reduced range of motion in the torso, especially twisting or side bending.
Tenderness or point pain when pressing on the affected joint.
Difficulty taking a deep breath due to pain.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help and what to expect:

Chiropractors are trained in spinal and joint manipulation techniques. For a costal-transverse joint subluxation, a chiropractor may use:

Specific adjustments: Gentle, targeted maneuvers to realign the joint and improve mobility.
Soft tissue mobilization: Techniques like massage to relax surrounding muscles and reduce pain.
Therapeutic exercises: Exercises to strengthen the core and improve posture, preventing future subluxations (Jull et al., 2015).
Recent studies (Grom et al., 2020) have shown that chiropractic care can be an effective treatment for costal-transverse joint subluxation, offering pain relief and improved function.

Seeking Relief?

Since this is painful, this is something you want to handle sooner rather than later. Correcting this properly will help minimize the chances of it happening again. The chiropractic correction for this injury may be the most direct and efficient way of correcting this immediately. so the tissues around the rib joint can heal  If you suspect a costal-transverse joint subluxation, consult a qualified chiropractor. At Blue Heron Chiropractic, having treated thousands of cases with chiropractic orthopedics, I am ready to assist.  We have an advanced game plan to help even repetitive rib injuries.  Early diagnosis and treatment can lead to faster recovery and less pain.

Want some more chiropractic reading? Try our prior blog on Radial ESWT Shock Wave therapy or the earlier one on Heel Lifts for Leg Length Inequality.