I am looking for advice on how I can recover as quickly as possible. Friday was my second experience with this type of injury.

The intercostal muscles connect the ribs and allow you to breathe in and out as well as rotate your torso. I was taking a golf lesson, really demonstrating to the pro that I had absorbed his advice on how not to reverse pivot, hitting five and seven irons really well. Had a little twinge just below the rear right ribcage, but thought maybe I was a little stiff and could loosen up as I swung more.

"Ok, you got it! What do you want to work on next?"

I said "Driver."

One driver swing later I am on my knees, employing every swear word I know. I knew immediately what I had done to myself. I imagine this is the pain one experiences when one is pierced by a javelin or Roman gladius from behind and without warning.

I saw stars, couldn't draw breath without crushing, piercing pain... the pro was leaning over me, he must have thought I was having a heart attack or had been shot.

I've been icing the spot, alternating laying on a heating pad and thought I was making progress... until I sneezed late last night. More stars, more fear of breathing... I think that set me back quite a bit.

The interwebs say not much can be done other than complete rest... does anyone have any advice or, God forbid, personal experience with intercostal muscle strain?

The saddest part is, I was planning on playing Monday at a golf charity event at West Point. All I can do is putt the ball...

Pulled my intercostal muscle when I awkwardly tripped over the corner of a wood pallet years ago.

Muscle relaxers, bed rest, taking it easy, and chiropractic care cured it, but it was a nearly a couple weeks.

Intercostal muscle joins the rib cage to the spine, so when I’d get the spasms, it was jerking spine out of alignment. Thus, chiropractic.

Muscle relaxers helped lessen the frequency and severity of the spasms.

It’s basically like getting a cracked rib.

I used to have flare ups, started happening to me after a bicycle wreck. on and off for 10 years or so I think, used to lean back to stretch and it would sort of pop.

Every once in a while after some strenuous activity, like helping someone move, it would be sore for a few days

one time had a really bad one , felt like a screw driver being pushed into me.
Went to the ER made sure it wasn't a heart attack, confirmed it wasnt and went home and did max ibuprophen and ice.

eventually they just stopped happening.

hope it gets better for you.

Bad news and worse news for you. First it's going to take 3 weeks to get to the point where you don't get cold sweats when you are about to sneeze. After that it will hurt for another three weeks. Now for the best part, you'll reinjure it again, once you tear the muscle it's not as strong.

Yeah, I get reoccurring injury in the same place from when some jamook grabbed my gun....had a lot to torn muscles and three fractured ribs for my troubles.

So it’s gonna hurt again.....

I use flexeril and try to not sneeze for a few weeks....

I messed mine up years ago, 'bout blew outmy bellows chasing a guy too far, too long im a metropark (no roads). Couldn't breathe, it hurt so much. Was given some nasty cough stuff, took away what breath I had. Shugart would know what it was. Anyway, I recovered in two weeks, but was under thirty YO then.
Never re-occurred

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Bad news and worse news for you. First it's going to take 3 weeks to get to the point where you don't get cold sweats when you are about to sneeze. After that it will hurt for another three weeks.

This was my experience. Hope you feel better soon.

Yup. Took an odd fall. Funny thing was, I didn't feel a thing until I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Felt like I was being stabbed.

I was better in about a week. Hang in there. Try not to stress about it. Take care of yourself with plenty of rest.

Maybe 6 months

Yep, had a similar injury. In a mere 6 months, it was (mostly) better. My sympathies, OP, it does suck.

Went through that in 8th grade as the result of playing basketball. Doc gave a 'script for percocet and said to take it easy until I felt better. Sitting in class was no fun but the percs made things ok. Oddly there wasn't pain when I played basketball against doc's orders. I don't remember how long it took to heal up but it was probably around a month.