Blog article

If you have been trying to resolve your chronic pain, whether in your neck, shoulders or back, by improving your stress levels and it is not resolving maybe your ribs are an important link. 

We all think of our rib cage as a rigid, protective cage for our heart and lungs. However, it is not rigid but a moving structure that enables us to breathe better, reduce stress and pain and tension. 

The ribs are connected to your spine and so interact with the spine, diaphragm,rib muscles and the shoulders. It expands and contracts with every breath and movement we make. 

But for many of us the rib cage has become stiff due to reduced movement, poor posture, shallow breathing, stress, overwhelm and pain conditions.  

So, when the rib cage does not move properly it can cause the muscles of the neck and shoulders to become tight  and restricted and even cause pain. 

 Signs that your rib cage may be stiff or not functioing properly are:

• Shallow chest breathing - Do you  breathe into your upper chest rather than lower down into your belly.
• Tension in the neck, shoulders or upper back, which has nothing to do with over exercising or lifting heavy weights
• A hunched, rounded upper back
• A straight spine with no natural curves
• Side bending, or rotating your upper back is restricted or painful
• Feelings of anxiety or irritabity especially when standing still.

When your breath is restricted or your posture is changed everything else is affected due to altered tensions in the body. If we are stressed, anxious or depressed this will affect your breathing. This affects your rib cage and thus the shoulders, neck, upper back and pelvis producing pain long term. 

So how do we improve our rib cage mobility? 

1. Breath work - Lie down and put one hand on your chest and the other on the belly. Breathe slowly through your nose and feel where the breath goes. Is it high in the chest or does it move into your ribs? Move your hands to the sides of your chest. Can you feel any rib movement at the sides or back of your rib cage?  You need to  visualise your rib cage expanding from below in all directions, front, sides and back.
2. Movement - Use gentle side bending, twisting and extending either seated or standing to determine if you are restricted or in pain in any of the movements. Then increase these movements slowly as you become more flexible.
3. Awareness - Be aware of how deeply you breathe, how you move your body. Pay attention to any shallow breathing, any stiffness or restrictions in your rib cage. ' Where your attention goes your energy flows'. Very important with breathing.

So maybe you need some massage work on your rib area to loosen up the intercostal muscles between each rib.

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