Mid-back & Ribs

Put your hands alongside your chest and sides and you can easily
feel your boney ribs. In the front they attach to your breastbone or sternum and in the back they attach to your spinal bones or vertebrae. Ancient anatomists thought your ribs looked like the bars of a cage so they called them, with their attachments, your "rib cage."

What is in that cage? Some very important organs are protected
there: your heart, lungs, major blood vessels, diaphragm and other structures. It's important to keep this "cage" in alignment and balanced. A misaligned rib cage can put unnatural pressure on its vital inhabitants affecting their proper functioning.

Thoracic Subluxations

Thoradc subluxations can affect the heart, lungs and other organs in your chest cavity, preventing the proper draining of lymphatic fluids from your head, brain, throat, chest, abdomen and legs. Subluxations can also restrict your breathing, and can also affect your sympathetic nerves which influence the function of your internal organs, senses and brain itself. Two types of thoradc subluxations have a special name: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and T4 Syndrome.

Thoradc Outlet Syndrome (TGS) affects your brachial plexus, a collection of nerves that go from your spine to your arms, hands and shoulders. TGS is characterized by pain in the head, neck or upper extremities, paresthesia (strange nerve pains) and other symptoms.

Symptoms of T4 Syndrome, caused by a vertebral subluxation of the 4th thoracic, may include heaviness and swelling in one or both upper extremities; "creepy crawly" feelings of the shoulders. arms or hands; feelings of a tight band around the upper arm and feelings of heat or cold in one or both hands. Because the sympathetic system can be involved, patients with these syndromes may feel heart-like pain in the chest and left upper extremity and think they are having a heart attack. These conditions can also be confused with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Are You Subluxated?

The ribs may get subluxated from trauma-sports, accidents, injuries and even birth stress. However, the thoracic spine moves differently from the neck (cervical) and lower back (lumbar) areas since it is attached to the ribs.

Special spinal adjustment techniques have been developed for this area. When a thoracic vertebra becomes subluxated, the ribs and the sternum (breastbone) are affected. Some chiropractors adjust the ribs and sternum directly while others adjust the vertebrae so the connecting structures will then realign. Why not ask your chiropractor how he/she addresses this?

When your chiropractor releases subluxations or spinal nerve pressure in this area the benefits can be both physically and psychologically profound. Everyone should see a chiropractor for a checkup to ensure their mid-back, ribs and the rest of their body are in proper alignment and balance.