For some kinds of back pains, the causes are absolutely mysterious. Maybe a butterfly flapped its wings in Japan and somehow that minute shift in the planet’s gravity field gave you back pain. But with upper back pain, there are often physical causes and treatments available. Some people go to a doctor or chiropractor for their pain to discover the diagnosis as a misaligned rib. Can a misaligned rib cause upper back pain? Certainly.

It Will Not Go Away On It’s Own

Can a misaligned rib cause upper back pain that makes it hard to breathe? Especially yes. You can get a misaligned rib from many causes. I popped one of my floating ribs out from a coughing fit during laryngitis. (The doctor actually used the words, “Popped out.” Now I know it’s called “misaligned rib”). Your ribs are attached to your spine – only in one place with the case of floating ribs, two in the thoracic. That’s a lot of places on your spine that can potentially go wrong.

If you think, “Can a misaligned rib causing upper back pain just stop doing so one day without me having to go to a doctor?” think again. You ideally need to go to a chiropractor, which can usually push everything back into place, but that is up to your doctor. Some GPs know some chiropractic moves and can work on you in the office (which happened to me). Although chiropractic adjustment is considered alternative medicine, it is more and more being covered by health insurance. You also need any prescriptions for painkillers that they offer.

Will It Ever Come Back?

Can a misaligned rib causing upper back pain continue to do so throughout your life? This is definitely possible, but not a definite yes. Any rib that pops out once will be prone to do so for the rest of your life, but might never do so. Try not to worry about your rib popping out again until you absolutely have to. Did my rib ever pop out again? Yes, many times, but I only needed to go to the doctor the first time. I happened to learn how to push the rib back on my own. I do not recommend that for anyone else, since my rib is not your rib!

Can a misaligned rib causing upper back pain make your life a living hell? Actually, there are lots worse pains in life, which hopefully you will never find out. At least the pain with a misaligned rib tends to go away after a medical visit, and there is treatment. For a floating rib, there’s not much you can do but take lots of painkillers, rest, moan and try to enjoy the time off of work.