UKC

I seem to have done one of the above while moving heavy boxes around on Sunday. The pain is very localised and made much worse by anything resembling a cough. hiccup, laugh or sneeze. I haven't been to A&E, but it feels just like it did when I went there four years ago after I had fallen down some steep stairs. Yesterday I tried to go for a run but couldn't pull my socks on.

I've got an ultra (the CQ) coming up in two months, and there is a trail marathon that I'd like to do in 4 week's time. I've done loads of running (>50 mpw, every week) in the last six months.

How much of the benefit of that am I likely to lose if I back off for a week or two, and how much damage to this rib cage thing am I likely to do by going out now?

In reply to mbh:
My first question is more - are you sure it is the same? You don't mention any blow to the ribs, which makes it sound more like tissue damage. You can't bruise/crack/break bones by lifting boxes!

In reply to mav:

Well that was my thought. But it feels and responds just like the pain I had once before, when A&E said it was a crack or a break. I was taking the boxes up some really steep stairs, more like a ladder, and had then propped up against my chest as I went. If it was tissue damage, what then?

In reply to mbh:

tbh I'm not sure. but it sounds more like you have damaged tissue, or possibly pushed something out of joint, than a break, so the way in which your body recovers, and the time it takes, will be different from a cracked rib. When I broke ribs, I didn't get it x-rayed as it seemed little more than a counting exercise. But as you don't seem to have doen anything to cause the break, it may be best to get it checked.

(I did definitely break ribs, despite the lack of x-ray. I spoke to my doctor sister-in-law, describing what happened (tripped over cat, landed on stairgate), the pain and so on. She asked me a couple of questions and said 'yep, you've broken them. Not much you can do, other than wait.)

In reply to mbh:

I've cracked ribs & torn intercostal muscles on separate occasions and the symptoms were remarkably similar - highly unfunny for several weeks to be precise.

In reply to mbh:

A&E is indeed a bit of a waste of time as even if theyre bust they cant do much. I speak from experience. They xray and confirm. The only advantage is they can also check you for other damage - punctured lungs/damaged muscle / tissue. I'd nip to the doc and see them to confirm all ok. then just ease yourself into things, gently ramp back up. Mine took a good few weeks before I did much as the pain was fine at stand still but as soon as i breathed deep it was sore. Good luck.

In reply to mbh:

Thanks all. I don't suppose A&E can do much. I am guessing that whatever has happened is likely less severe than last time, when I took a spectacular fall onto the landing, and will heal in time. I will try a pootle outdoors and see how it goes.

In reply to mbh:

Hi, first of all -> I am not a doctor However another possibility might be a nerve is being pinched somewhere. Ribs are pretty common place where that happens since it is "near" the spine and connected with the spine. I experienced it once (went to Xray to exclude a rib fracture) -> it went away as it came -> without any specific exercise. Lasted apprx. a month. Sometimes the pain was moving along my ribs throughout the days/weeks. I know that if it gets really bad a neurologist might give you an injection which should relax the muscles around and hopefully fix it. But this is obviously individual.

...hopefully you get better soon.

adam

In reply to mbh:

I've broken ribs and pulled the muscles between them. They felt the same.

I'm an A&E doc, I deal with this virtually every day.

The chances of you breaking them lifting something is infinitesimally small.

So you have pulled the muscles etc. You should not underestimate muscle pain, it is not a medical fob off.

If you have punctured your lung you would not be sitting typing on UKC!

Tissue damage is not just confined to when you did it. To a certain estent damage will continue as you move/breathe/twist.

The way ahead is to let your body heal; avoid particularly painful manoeuvres, support yourself by taking painkillers to promote healing (ibuprofen etc) and make your life less miserable.

Clearly don't take anything you are allergic to.

I regularly give people this advice and their response is often that they don't want painkillers. There isn't a magic wand here, painkillers will help with the pain. Not taking painkillers will make it unnecessarily unpleasant. Take the pain or take painkillers to help with the pain, there aren't other options.

Good luck mate, I know how painful this is!

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:

Thanks for that. So it seems I have probably pulled the muscles. I tried a run just now and it really hurt straight away,so I gave up. I am on ibuprofen already!

Cheers!

In reply to mbh:

Been there done that, went to the docs complaining of 'chest pain' Doc sighed and prescribed paracetamol and ibruprofen. Just rest it and keep popping the pills.

I think I did mine camping on a damp weekend in November without a proper sleeping mat!

In reply to nickinscottishmountains:
Would ibuprofen actually promote healing?

(And if it does so through reducing inflammation, does reducing inflammation promote healing in this situation?)


I ask because I frequently don't need the pain relief, but if something leads to a better outcome that's a good thing.

In reply to mbh:

Pain in ribs on coughing/sneezing/breathing deeply can be referred pain due to a back injury.

A physio once cleared up a very similar sounding problem on me by treating my upper back between the base of the shoulder blades. I had gone to him thiking I had damaged the intercostal muscles somehow because it hurt to breathe deeply. I had no pain in my back at all but had had a tiny twinge in it when climbing in the week or two prior.

In reply to mbh:

Just seen this. Hope you start feeling better soon.

I'm sure you'll get back on the training with no bother but clearly can't advise...

In reply to flopsicle:

Thanks flops (if I may get all familiar). It still hurts, despite pain killers, and I feel strangely feverish, but it will pass and then I'll be back on it, I hope. It's weird, I did 26 consecutive weeks of >50 miles, and 46 of them in the last 52, all without any perceived injury, and now this, and it comes as kind of a relief, an escape from guilt. I have an excuse, at last! Well, kind of. I went to the works gym after work, intending to do intervals on the cycling machine, the one with the laid-back sitting position, but they wanted £4 from me. Well that's way too much, I thought, even if it was way less than I was about to spend in the supermarket. Just a get-out, really. Tomorrow calls!

In reply to all:

Thanks all for your helpful comments.

In reply to needvert:


it might do so if it allowed you to sleep, but in itself I would reckon - no. Inflammation is a natural reaction which has it's place to promote healing. Use of Ibuprofen is pain avoidance plus impatience to see things normal again.

In reply to mbh:

I cracked or bruised a rib on New Year's day when I tripped and fell whilst walking in the peak. It was pretty painful and massively hindered climbing. At first I took painkillers and they helped a lot. But it didn't seem to be helping. After that I climbed without painkillers using the pain as guide of what to do and what not to do. I could climb but at a very much reduced standard.

Gradually it got better and better and each climbing day I could do a little bit more. One kind of lock off took while before I could do it normally again and I think it was completely better in under 4 weeks. Other times I've done similar and it's taken longer. Every injury is different of course.

There is some evidence that suggest that pain killers and even icing, although beneficial in the short term, may be counterproductive in the long term.