Cracked rib?

Question

I woke up this morning with a sharp pain around my heart. I figured it was my ribs because everytime I laughed, moved quickly or took a deap breath it hurt.

Does this sound like a cracked rib, broken rib, bruised rib or nothing to worry about?

(I have no heart problems)

When I say heart I only mean in that area.

Answer 1

This sort of sharp pain every time you breathe is called a pleuritic pain. There are a number of things that can cause this - a cracked rib could cause this. From the outside to the inside:

Skin
o Shingles - herpes zoster can cause a blistering rash on the skin and it can hurt if you move/laugh/breathe. - You can usually notice the rash. Sometimes the pain precedes the rash.

Chest Wall
o Cracked rib can cause this sort of pain. You'd have to ask yourself if you've done anything that might crack a rib (usually trauma - being struck in the chest)
o Strained Rib Muscle - the muscles between the ribs (intercostal muscles) can be strained if you are moving the chest wall excessively - exercise, particularly forceful vomiting or laughter, etc.
o Costochondritis - viral infections or other inflammatory conditions can cause inflammation of the cartilages where the rib joins the breastbone (sternum). Tietze's syndrome, it's called in medical terminology.
- Usually all of these pains are sore if you press on the spot that is affected. They are self limiting (ie. the body heals itself) but painful and you should take pain relief.

Lung
Here is where the nasty stuff can be happening.
o Pneumonia - infection in the lung substance can cause this sort of pain. Classically you would feel unwell, short of breath, have a moist cough and fever. Clinical examination, chest X-ray and blood tests can reveal the pneumonia and you would need antibiotics usually. Severe pneumonias are potentially life threatening, even today with modern antibiotics.
o Pneumothorax - air between the lung and the chest wall. This can happen spontaneously in young people (often tall, thin), and comes on all of a sudden. This is diagnosed on chest x-ray. If it is small, it can go away by itself, but big pneumothoraces need drainage with a chest tube. Most pneumothoraces are not life threatening, but there are a few types that can be bad - the one particularly nasty type is called a "tension pneumothorax" where there is a flap-valve effect leaking air into the chest cavity and compressing the lung... then eventually compressing the heart and interfering with circulation.
o Pleurisy - viruses or other inflammatory conditions can cause part of the lining of the lung to be inflamed and cause pain on breathing. This condition usually is associated with a clear chest x-ray and will settle by itself with some pain relief.
o Pulmonary Embolism - clot in the lung. Usually this arises in the legs, particularly of someone who has had immobility. If you have been on an airflight or through surgery - anything that keeps your legs still, or if you have had a clot in your legs (Deep Vein Thrombosis DVT) or clot in your lungs (pulmonary embolus PE) before, if you have pregnancy, an active cancer or other conditions that make your blood prone to clotting, you could be at risk of this condition. The clot from the veins (usually legs) can break off and return with de-oxygenated blood to the heart where it is pumped to the lungs to get oxygen. Unfortunately the clot would stick in the blood vessels of the lungs and block off the circulation. If this was to irritate the lining of the lung (pleura) by means of blocking the blood supply there, you could get this pleuritic type of chest pain. Pulmonary embolism is potentially life threatening.

Heart
o Pericarditis is an inflammation of the lining of the heart. Somewhat similar to pleurisy (above) but it can occasionally be severe and complicated requiring further treatment.

The pain you describe would be VERY atypical for heart pains such as angina or heart attack. It would also be atypical for reflux pains. (This doesn't mean it ISN'T that stuff, just that it is less likely)

You should see your doctor and they should check you over, given that the conditions I have listed range from benign to quite nasty life threatening conditions. If you were to be very unwell, very short of breath for instance, you should probably go to an emergency room in the first instance. If you were deathly unwell, call an ambulance of course!

I would prefer you to go to a doctor prior to seeing a chiropractor. I don't think it would be good for a chiropractor to treat a pneumothorax, for instance.

Answer 2

It sounds like a gas pain to me. You would probably know if you broke a rib as it would hurt with every breath you took. A gas pain can linger and hurt every now and then for an hour or however long it takes to move down. Because it is near your heart and I dont know your medical history I'd say see a doctor if it doesn't go away in the next while.

Answer 3

Ouch! It takes about 6-8 weeks for ribs to heal enough for you to start to work out comfortably. Tai Chi is an excellent form of exercise, and as it is a gentle movement of the body, you should be able to continue this with out much pain. Be cautious about any jumping or pulling exercises, if it hurts stop. Also be mindful of heavy lifting for at lest 3 months. My husband broke 3 ribs, and cracked the sternum it took him many months of cautious movements before he could do any sort of exercise and heavy lifting. Wishing you a speedy recovery

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Answer 5

I get that sometimes too. If you are really uncomfortable, go visit a chiropractor. You could have popped a rib out. It doesn't hurt to have someone look at it and if you do go to a chiropractor it doesn't hurt to have it put back into place.

Answer 6

Just to be on the safe side, I would go to the doctors to get your heart checked out.

Otherwise, it may be something else.