Hello all! Back on Sept. 19th, I was involved in a car accident…head-on collision at 50 kph. My airbags did not deploy, so I took the steering wheel to the chest & face. I also had my seatbelt on. They took me to Emergency and gave me an EKG and also chest X-Rays…nothing broken, altho sternum hurt like hell. Went to physio for neck strain (not whiplash) and soft tissue injury to rotator cuff right shoulder. About 3 weeks later, (mid-Oct.) started to develop mid-back pain right hand side and it has progressed to the point where it hurts when I take a deep breath. It got even worst when I went into a sneezing fit & the pain was unbearable and it has been worse ever since. The pain is in the mid-back under the right shoulder blade & lower and sometimes works it way around to the side of the rib cage and/or front of rib cage under my breast (it feels like a really bad stitch). Also, in the last couple of days have developed extreme pain if I bend down or twist a certain way or make a sudden move, but it doesn’t always happen consistently i.e, it hurt like a bugger when I cranked the steering wheel to make a left hand turn, but if I make the same motion again, it doesn’t always hurt. It doesn’t hurt when I sleep or sit still, altho it feels warm and achy a bit so I know it there, but when I try & roll over in bed or get up…ouchie! Along with physio I have also been going to my chiro for the last 3 weeks, but it doesn’t seem to be improving all that much. I have had this about 8 years ago & went to the chiro & was better in about 3 weeks, but this seems to be hanging on. He says it is a weak spot because of prior history of this happening 8 years earlier plus I am also a trainman at the railway and use the right side lots for throwing switches, doing up air hoses (really hard when frozen solid) and putting on handbrakes, so a big strain on the back. I have been going to the gym 5 days a week still and doing 30 min. on elliptical and/or treadmill and 45 minutes step aerobics & some body sculpt classes plus walking my dogs at least an hour a day altho all the exercise is hampered a bit by my breathing….it feels like I am short of breath because it hurts to breath. The physio said I should ease off on the exercise, while the chiro says to keep doing light exercise. I have been trying Naproxin and it helps somewhat but the pain is still there altho not as bad. I am 49 y.o female; try to eat right & exercise regularly plus quit smoking 6 years ago. I know this is a long post…..but does anyone think this is intercostal pain, torn muscles/strain or slipped rib???? Or could it be worse like lung cancer or spinal tumours (anything that hurts like this when I breathe always freaks me out as it feels like lung pain and I think the worst). Anybody else had this experience and how long to heal? The physio and chiro all say it is intercostal nerves as I exhibit no red flags for "C", but then they are not doctors. I go for spinal/mid-back x-rays tommorrow but will have to wait for results next week…in the meantime I am worrying myself into an early grave! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks all!
Your pains seems very similar to mine when I was in a car accident years ago. Finally they seen that I was hit so hard, that the chest muscles where literally pulled away from my bones in my chest. It took along, long tie to heal from this.
Go back to dr.
April 9th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Your pains seems very similar to mine when I was in a car accident years ago. Finally they seen that I was hit so hard, that the chest muscles where literally pulled away from my bones in my chest. It took along, long tie to heal from this.
Go back to dr.
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