Intercostal Neuralgia

A persistent painful area noted in and around the rib cage region can often be difficult and can affect your activities of daily living.

Motions of twisting, turning, or bending are commonly the first symptoms. It can also affect people in the way that they breathe because of the pain. This type of pain may be diagnosed as intercostal neuralgia. It is caused by irritation, inflammation, or compression on the intercostal nerves just below the ribs. Common injuries for this include prior surgeries, trauma, previous diagnosis of shingles, or even post-infection.

Recently Advanced Spine and Pain (ASAP) had seen a patient in the clinic for a similar problem of left rib cage pain. She reported having these symptoms for 2+ years after having an apparent previous broken rib. She noted difficulty with twisting turning or bending and stated she had previously tried multiple remedies of ice, heat, massage therapy as well as a trial of physical therapy, but with only temporary relief. Our patient denied any additional surgeries believing her only help was to use a pain medication daily to relieve her discomfort. We discussed injection therapy and the patient reports since that injection her pain has not returned and has been so pleased with her ability to function much more comfortably and participate in activities with her family again.