Prolotherapy A Great Alternative Treatment For People With Rib Pain
Most people don't realize that a person has cartilage in their sternal (breast bone). This cartilage is where the ribs connect to the sternum. For people with chronic musculoskeletal chest pain that is reproducible by pressing on the painful spot, most of the time this spot is where the ribs connect to the sternum. This area is called the costosternal junction. This joint is supported by ligaments. Common symptoms are chest pain or rib pain especially with coughing or doing the valsalva manuever (holding ones breath and pushing down like having a bowel movement).

Sometimes there is pain in the area when using the arm on that side. Prolotherapy to the area of pain and tenderness typically gives fast relief. Often three to six visits are needed for complete relief. The condition of sternal costal pain is often called Tzeitze Syndrome or Costochondritis. Whatever you call it the pain is coming form a weak connection and that connection needs to be strengthened. The treatment to do that is Prolotherapy.

The ribs connect on the backside to the vertebrae. This connection is called the costovertebral junction. This connection is held together by ligaments. When this connection is loose or weakened a person gets a subluxation where the rib moves from its normal alignment. This is also called slipping rib syndrome. Common symptoms are upper back pain which can radiate to the front and pain upon deep breathing or coughing. Prolotherapy to the weakened costovertebral junction is the treatment of choice. Prolotherapy will stimulate those areas to heal. Again typically three to six visits are needed for complete healing.

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Thoracic Outlet Symptoms
JoAnn came to Caring Medical and Rehabilitation Services (Caring Medical) with a big stack of medical records. The most common diagnosis she carried from all of the doctors she saw was Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. JoAnn exhibited some of the classic symptoms including pain in the arm, neck, and shoulder. She had a tired feeling in her arm, especially doing overhead work. She experienced some numbness in the ring and little finger that would come and go. One of her doctors presented her with the surgery option. She was looking for an alternative!

Slipping Rib Syndrome
In many cases a rib slips out of place because the ligaments that hold the ribs to the sternum, the sternocostal ligaments, have been weakened. Without muscles to hold the ribs in place, weakened ligaments allow slipping of the rib. This in turn causes further stretching of the ligament, producing severe pain.

Thoracic Outlet Syndome
The symptoms of TOS include: pain in the neck, shoulder, and arm; coldness in the hand; and numbness in the arm and hand. However, in severe cases of compression of the subclavian vessels, Raynaud’s phenomenon, claudication, thrombosis, and edema can occur in the involved extremity.

Snapping scapula syndrome
Snapping scapula syndrome, also known as scapulocostal syndrome or scapulothoracic syndrome, is characterized by a grating, grinding, popping or snapping sensation of the scapula onto the back side of the ribs or thoracic area of the spine. The condition can be quite painful and is extremely irritating. The normal treatments of NSAIDS, cortisone, trigger point injections, physiotherapy, chiropractic care, and surgery often lead to suboptimal results. In my experience, Prolotherapy is the best chance a person has for a cure of this condition.