Rib Misalignment Disguised as a Shoulder Pain
Tuesday Feb 16, 2010 Filed in:
Rolfing | Conditions
Lately,
I have been working with a lot of people with shoulder pain.
Usually, symptoms include pain under the shoulder blade and
tightness of the nape and neck. Some variations include also the
shoulder joint itself but that is most often someone who has had a
specific injury to the shoulder. I find that women, more than men,
seem to “carry the world on their shoulders.”
Because of our structure, the ribcage is the largest entity of the body. It’s made of many bones but all the bones are embedded in soft tissue. The soft tissue determines where and how each rib relates to other ribs and vertebrae. If one rib is changed, the rest of the ribcage is also affected. The soft tissue is what stabilizes the ribs in position. Go and have some ribs at Rudy’s in Albuquerque (my favorite!). You’ll see the huge amount of meat that comes between them!
Most common issues with the ribs are reinforced by our posture. When we “slouch,” some ribs are shifted. If we stay in that position for hours, those ribs have a limited movement with each breath. They either feel like they are submerged under another rib (usually under the breast), or they feel flared out (usually the few lowest ribs in the abdominal area). Because of the entrapment in the front, these patterns create a strained effect on the back of the ribcage.
When an injury happens, let’s say in a car accident with a seat belt on, the ribcage is changed dramatically. The trauma and the pain causes the system to protect itself. People are often very sensitive to touch for the first couple of months after the accident while scar tissue forms. After that and in the following years, the body establishes a new homeostasis and a way to keep things “together.” This results in more tightness around the injured ribs.
With each client, I find the ribs that are involved. Those usually feel tight and sore and there is less space between them. I find those places and help them open. I also work with the relationship of the rib to its corresponding vertebra. It seems almost magical: when some of the involved ribs separate, the tightness in the shoulders resolves. It’s pretty cool.
Because of my own struggle with posture, I look for rib misalignment with everyone who reports his or her shoulders coming forward and who has tightness in the nape and shoulders. Sadly to say, it is most of us. I included.
Because of our structure, the ribcage is the largest entity of the body. It’s made of many bones but all the bones are embedded in soft tissue. The soft tissue determines where and how each rib relates to other ribs and vertebrae. If one rib is changed, the rest of the ribcage is also affected. The soft tissue is what stabilizes the ribs in position. Go and have some ribs at Rudy’s in Albuquerque (my favorite!). You’ll see the huge amount of meat that comes between them!
Most common issues with the ribs are reinforced by our posture. When we “slouch,” some ribs are shifted. If we stay in that position for hours, those ribs have a limited movement with each breath. They either feel like they are submerged under another rib (usually under the breast), or they feel flared out (usually the few lowest ribs in the abdominal area). Because of the entrapment in the front, these patterns create a strained effect on the back of the ribcage.
When an injury happens, let’s say in a car accident with a seat belt on, the ribcage is changed dramatically. The trauma and the pain causes the system to protect itself. People are often very sensitive to touch for the first couple of months after the accident while scar tissue forms. After that and in the following years, the body establishes a new homeostasis and a way to keep things “together.” This results in more tightness around the injured ribs.
With each client, I find the ribs that are involved. Those usually feel tight and sore and there is less space between them. I find those places and help them open. I also work with the relationship of the rib to its corresponding vertebra. It seems almost magical: when some of the involved ribs separate, the tightness in the shoulders resolves. It’s pretty cool.
Because of my own struggle with posture, I look for rib misalignment with everyone who reports his or her shoulders coming forward and who has tightness in the nape and shoulders. Sadly to say, it is most of us. I included.