Painful Rib Syndrome

Abstract

isability and workers' compensation costs are increasing at a rate that exceeds health care costs in general. The largest unrecognized cause of disability is a condition referred to as non-specific musculoskeletal pain, or more recently myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Although this diagnosis is considered controversial, vague, and confusing by many practitioners, it is clinically useful in providing a framework for recognizing and treating employees with acute pain. To achieve the goal of early return to work, it is imperative that occupational health nurses become actively involved in the management of pain conditions. Professional literature recently has begun defining criteria for pain conditions with a common feature of trigger points. One trigger point pain syndrome receiving attention in the British literature, but relatively unknown in United States nursing literature, is a condition known as painful rib syndrome (PRS). The purpose of this article is to provide occupational health clinicians with the knowledge to assess, identify, and participate in treating clients with PRS. The discussion compares PRS and MPS and suggests that PRS may be a variant or type of MPS. Although accurate diagnosing and immediate interventions may not prevent acute conditions from becoming chronic, it may prevent chronic pain conditions from becoming permanent disabilities.

Dor torácica

“…A postura revela a projeção somática de um estado psíquico interior, traduz a forma de expressão de um indivíduo ao desempenhar seu papel na vida; a dor faz parte deste comportamento. A percepção do corpo, o reestabelecimento da segurança no posicionamento, na distribuição da aplicação da carga do segmento do corpo em sofrimento, a relação com o padrão postural determinante da dor, o aumento do limiar de tolerância à dor e o aprendizado sobre o relaxamento muscular são os principais objetivos do trabalho cinesioterápico assistido em "escolas de dor" e das técnicas baseadas em retroalimentação dos estímulos sensoriais como o EMG biofeedback 1,18,27,28,30 . A readaptação dos padrões de postura ou de movimento possibilita prevenir recorrências e cronificação do quadro doloroso miofascial.…”

“…As SDMs torácicas freqüentemente acompanham outras entidades álgicas como: ombro doloroso, síndrome do desfiladeiro torácico, osteoartrose da coluna vertebral e processos degenerativos da caixa torácica 27 .…”

Painful Rib Syndrome a Series of 89 Cases

“…It constituted around 5% of the total referral to the gastroenterology departments in the UK 3 . It is often associated with hypermobility of the eighth, ninth, and tenth ribs making them susceptible to trauma and micro-trauma sometimes without the awareness of patients [4][5][6] . Its diagnosis is almost clinical.…”