What does it mean when the chiropractor says you have a rib out?!
Question:
What does it mean when the chiropractor says you have a rib out?
My chiropractor and massage therapist have told me that. I can feel it when it's that way, but I don't understand what that means since ribs don't have joints.
Please don't answer if you don't know. Thank you!
Answers:
If you look at joints as places where two bones come together and connect, then indeed ribs DO have joints. They insert into cartilage along the sternum in your front (ventrally), and they insert into cartilage along the thoracic vertebra in your back (dorsally). What is meant by "You have a rib out." is that the rib is no longer correctly inserting either into the sternum or the vertebrae in your back. It's a misalignment of sorts and it can be an out and out complete dislocation. It's a fairly common occurrence in athletic injuries, falls and believe it not, childbirth (and believe me, you would never forget it if it happened to you while birthing a baby...) Since BOTH your chiro and CMT are telling you the same thing, I would certainly believe them. In order to help you see what is going on, and to what degree, you would certainly be within your rights to request an x-ray and ask to be shown it when it's developed. Some people are more in need of visual aids than others, and you sound like one who would be helped by this.