Dislocated/Seperated rib anyone?

[sflinux]

A good Chiropractor can fix it, pm me if you need a referral to a fantastic one in the east bay. I dislocated a rib from laying down a motorcycle and a chiropractor was able to reseat it. The bad news is, you are going to take it easy for many months, as all the soft tissue that holds the rib in place is now loose, so it is easier for the rib to pop back out. I took a rest of 30 days, but took a fall skateboarding and my rib popped back out. After another visit to the chiropractor, I took it easy for 6 months and all was well (with a waist harness).

[kenjidnb]

Sorry To hear Kyle. Hope you'll be back in shape very soon.

My brother cracked a rib, while wearing an impact vest (separated from harness). So after hearing your story, I'm definitely not convinced that impact vests bring any sort of rib protection. I actually believe that the vest could actually push your ribs in an awkward position, thus making you more prone to injury.
Now I'm not saying not to wear an impact vest, but if you choose to wear one, make sure it is worn comfortably and especially not too tight...

[friggin old guy]

Hey.....careful about going to a chiropractor for ribs.......whenever I had rib problems it was more about leaving them alone than manipulating them. I've got a good sports doc in the east bay if you're interested, pm me. He'd probably be telling you more what not to do rather than what to do, ribs usually just need time to mend.

Common problem with ribs is folks don't breath due to discomfort......then they get colds or other complications. So the comment about sneezing....not unusual to have sneezing fits which are just incredibly painful......you know it's coming.......oh no....no......ACH-OW....so bad......

Sounds like you should lose that impact vest.....you won't be doing anything too rad when you get back into the water at first anyway........

[Kyle]

Hey everyone, thanks for your experience, advice, and well-wishes. I met with another doctor today who confirmed that I damaged the cartilage at the bottom of my ribcage. I really had no idea how much cartilage is in your ribcage, thought it was all bone. She worked the area for a while and wasn't able to completely eliminate the bump, but it did go down a little and she says that over the next 6-8 weeks it should flatten out as the body repairs itself. It will continue to be painful for some time, and more susceptible to damage, so I just need lots of rest and some occasional body work to loosen the tissue and promote healing. Looks like I probably won't be kiting for at least another month, and probably more.

I think impact vests do help prevent the type of rib injuries that occur from high speed impact with water, so I'm not going to ditch them just yet. But the particular impact vest I was wearing was likely responsible for this injury due to the location of the spreader bar and inability to pivot about my torso. It must have just pinched the cartilage between the ribs and muscles. So my plan is to get a waist harness with a sliding spreader bar, and wear it over a new impact vest.

Thanks again and enjoy the season! Kyle

Ribcage.jpg (163.98KiB)Viewed 2029 times