Rib cage tightness: Not sure what it might be

There are a few

Prehab Guys
E3Rehab

I am sorry to say that no, I have learned nothing new, but then, I have not pursued it like I should. I already have several medical problems and it seems that going to doctors does not really help with any of them! I just keep discovering more health issues, the further I pursue them. Lots of diagnostics, but no real treatments! So, I'm just dealing with this condition as best as I can, for the time being anyway.

I do think, though, that my pulmonary doctor may be on to something as he believes it to be what is called "referred" pain from a bulge in one of the T vertebrae that seems to correspond in area to where I feel this encircling tightness. Some kind of nerve entrapment, I guess! I also have upper back and shoulder pain! I have some disc degeneration in that area!

I have read of a few others who have this problem, and to make this even more of a puzzle, and difficult to know what direction to go in, is that several also had a hiatal hernia. Mine, apparently, has not been visible on X-rays, as of late, so I don't know what's going on there! I have some rib case spasms, from time to time. Not sure, of course, if it's related to this specific condition or not!

I wear a soft, elasticized 4-5 inch width hiatal hernia band , or actually , I have found an umbilical hernia band to be better, around my lower rib cage area. It has a Velcro closing and I wear it loosely, during the day. Oddly enough, this kind of has the effect of feeling as if the tightness comes from the band and not my midriff, though, of course, it is not really worn very tight at all. It's not helping as much as it used to, and I cannot say whether it would help your or not. I live with this tightness round the clock. When I'm laying down, I feel at my best. Eating does not help it any and sometimes does seem to even increase it a bit!

I will keep you in mind, as a fellow-sufferer of this "mystery ailment" and if I ever do get to the bottom of it, I will let you know. I hope you will do the same and also, while my comments might seem a bit negative, I really believe that it's necessary to keep one's spirits up as much as possible! Who knows, unless we keep trying?

I have lower rib cage tightness which just gets worse throughout the day. I had Mals surgery 4 years ago and naively thought it was caused by that because it was in the same area. I’ve tried all kinds of pain killers and muscle relaxers but nothing really helps. I had a trigger point injection and it only lasted for 2 weeks. No one has been able to figure what’s going on. Maybe abdominal adhesions?

I am six months post Left Lower Lobectomy and have been plagued with rib and diaphragm pain and tightness. I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis and few weeks ago I had a flare and was prescribed low
Dose prednisone (20 mg) with a step down and off over 16 days . Amazingly it completely eliminated my rib pain but as the dosage was stepped down and then stopped, the rib pain returned.
Yesterday my rheumatologist put me on lowest dose of Colchicine. It’s primary a drug for gout but is documented as effective for thoracic pain. I’m only on day 2 of 1.2mg per day, but I think it’s helping!!

You make an interesting observation and that is the possibility of abdominal adhesions. I do have, what can only be, an adhesion from an old resection of my colon, where 6 in. of my colon was removed due to an abscess. I have over the years had this sensation of an "indrawing", spasm-like feeling in that area. It's not been frequent enough, or of such a nature that it is a real concern, and while I've mentioned it to doctors, they don't even blink an eye!

I don't think, however, that it is too likely, in my case anyway, to be related to this weird tightness! The difficulty with all this, in my opinion, is that the body is so complex and yet, so many ailments seem to have very similar symptoms which hamper getting an accurate diagnosis!

Actually, I have had the same experience with prednisone when I, about a six months, ago took a 5-day supply to fend off a lung problem. I felt great, and wished that I could keep taking it except for all the eventual harm it does! I will look into the Colchicine. Thank you, as it's definitely worth looking into!

Agree. Talk to your doc. The drug comes with warnings and a list of drug interaction - I had to Stop my statin, which took me a Nanosecond to say ‘fine’. I’m finding it’s more like a pain reliever right now in that I take it around 8am, a couple of hours later I get peak relief and then around 5-6 it starts to diminish. I take the second dose 8:30-9pm.
I do think though that reducing inflammation is the goal. It’s not intended to be a long term script

Well day 3 and I have to admit it ramps and ebbs like an NSAID. And at the end of the day it doesn’t approach the stunning relief I got with prednisone. It’s a bit better than nothing and while I might expect some cumulative benefit but the risks of this drug means the benefit needs to be top notch - and it’s not. Not to mention it’s dreadfully expensive. I only had them fill a partial Prescription.

Well, I guess that eliminates me from wanting to try it. I have enough health problems as it is, and to risk more complications and side effects, etc. for minimal relief, not to mention the expense, is not worth it to me either!

As you say, the relief that prednisone provides is really stunning, and while I only took it for 5 days because of my COPD, it really gave the only relief I've had since getting this awful tightness. It wasn't completely gone, but very close to it, and I felt like a new person, as it also helped my lung condition enormously at the same time. I actually felt good! I almost went into mourning when I realized that after a week of bliss, thinking I was finally free of this, I was back in the same condition after the treatment ended!

My pulmonary doctor was going to refer me to a Neurologist, as he believes it could possibly be due to a trapped nerve in the thoracic area of my rib cage, but it never happened, and I went into a slump and started having second thoughts about prednisone use, even if a doctor would prescribe it for me. I never received the referral, probably due to an oversight of some kind, and as I started to think that even with the relief, prednisone might just be too harmful in the long run! It's very tempting though!

I’m also dealing with this. I also have a hiatal hernia but have degenerative disk disease along with disk herniations in my neck and thoracic. I believe it’s a mixture of anxiety and thoracic disk issues which have damaged the nerves and causing the tense diaphragm around rib cage. I also had the MALS surgery which did not help and don’t want to do hiatal hernia since I’ve heard people say it doesn’t fix issues like these. I am doing myofacial release but on my thoracic and not on ribs or diaphragm because it seems like it begins from my back and causes diaphragm to get tight or achy. And yes it is horrible to live with it. I’m at 6 years with it but diet, rest and try therapies have help some.