Hurry Hard for Broken Ribs

An injury that happens once in a while with rowers is rib stress fractures. I have seen a dozen or more cases in my clinic but rarely outside the realm of rowers or weight-lifters. The natural history of this condition is excess force repetitively applied through key muscles of the pelvis and low back. Certain muscles attach from the pelvis to the lower ribs (Quadratus lumborum, internal/external obliques, and erector spinae group) and with excessive force stress fractures will show up with increasing the activity level too quickly before the bones are able to adapt.

There are two guys that I train with currently that are dealing with this exact condition. This injury shows up either as an instantaneous pin-point tenderness and gets worse with rowing. The other way is slow progression over a few weeks with localized pain that goes away with rest but gets worse with rowing. The therapy involves decreasing muscle tension around the injury site and physical therapy modalities to increase blood flow to the area to influence healing. Healing times can vary from less that a week all the way up to two+ months all depending on size and location of the injury.

On Monday morning I showed up to the morning practice at Elk Lake ready for a heavy erg session of 2x40min at low rates (16,18, 20, 22) changing every ten minutes. I have to say, even in the warm-up I felt really uncomfortable and my right low-back is very tight and tender. As the first 40 minute session started - I immediately felt the pain move up my back to almost inbetween my shoulder blades. I pushed through for a few more minutes thinking it was just my lazy Sunday off that causes lethargic feelings every Monday morning. After a few more minutes it felt as if the pain is also migrating around the right side of my body and into my abdomen, which can be seen as an referral pattern of more serious internal or structural injuries. With all this discomfort and pain I decide it would be best for me to sit out this practice and have a look at this "injury" more seriously - I had self-diagnosed this as a probable traumatic rib-fracture and my rowing career was going to be put on hold of for a few weeks to months.

I went to work later that same day and chatted with a few fellow therapists to get their opinion of what could be causing this pain and referral pattern. As I discussed the history of the "condition" I realized, like a light-bulb when on, that I attended the PISE staff Christmas party on Saturday Night. It was at the curling rink... and I'm so competitive that during the hard sweeping that goes along with curling I had sustained the feeling of a "probable rib fracture" - which turns out was only sore muscles! I had thought my career as a rower was over... because I was sore from curling. I will never make a joke about curlers being out-of-shape again - it is a different kind of sport-specific muscles utilized.

Check out Norway's new pants. Looks like it is taking on a style resemblance of golf.