I went back to a BJJ class tonight for the first time in years. I was working on defending a kimura from the bottom. Basically, I was turning my hips one way, while my upper body was being turned another way…
…and then I felt a “pop” on the left side of ribs, about an inch below my sternum. I stopped wrestling and took a break, and I felt it “pop” again, like it popped back into place. As I stretched, it popped again. Now, when I twist, it pops, and then back again. It hurts a bit when it pops - but it’s really more startling than anything else. When I’m just sitting still, but it doesn’t really hurt. It’s a little sore when I breath deep, and a little sore to the touch. But not bad at all. But I’m fucking scared to move, since it feels like it will keep popping.
I’ll go to a doctor to tomorrow, but for now I thought I’d see if any of you had this injury before. What the fuck did I do to my ribs? I’ve had other rib injuries where the pain was much sharper. This is weirder. A very slight dull pain, but the constant threat of popping. The popping is freaking me out. I have no idea how I’m going to sleep like this. I guess I’m too fucking out of shape for BJJ.
A lot of times a rib will “pop” out of the cartilage track it sits in, then quickly --or not quickly-- pop back. It creates a lot of inflammation and can be pretty painful.
Whether you fracture a rib or “pop” a rib it all feels about the same and the only thing to do is REST the rib for WEEKS.
Been there several times. I have had a rib “pop” back into place as I was drifting off to sleep, but never had it be so hypermobile like yours. As long as it’s not broken and poking into anything, your doctor will probably tell you to rest it for 6 or 8 weeks.
The rib doesn’t really hurt today, maybe a little sore to the touch. But I felt some little pops this morning, and then one big pop when I tried to sit up from my chair. Again, not very painful, but really startling.
After some reading online, I’m not sure I’ll even bother going to the doctor. I’m basically certain it’s not fractured or anything, since I’d be in much more pain. It looks like it’s very clearly a slipping rib, due to cartilage damage from twisting. I guess it’s Aleve and rest for the next month or so.
After coming back from Covid (year plus), I got injured on the second day back. Hurt my wrist, out for 4-6 weeks, and had to tape it for months after that.
It healed up and been back on the mats regularly since. Totally worth it, just be careful and ease your way back in.
I have don’t think I have ever encountered anyone in BJJ who had this injury who didn’t re-injure it.
No mater what anyone says, people simply cannot lay off long enough to fully let it heal. Also, it tends to be more vulnerable at that spot. It feels a lot better, you roll and mess it up.
IME, there is like a 100% chance you’re going to roll too soon and re-injure it. Everyone does. It is one of the maxims of BJJ: everyone who rolleth, doth re-injure thine rib.
No. I’m not a pussy. I pop ribs, not get mine popped.
I usually celebrate this with a strut around the mat only stopping to flex and growl at the amateurs (which is nearly everyone but those who earned black belts before I got the only belt that matters).
I had a similar injury in 2004/2005 but it was the back side of the rib, below the scapula. The pain was intense and I had permanent nerve damage, but I think what happened was what Shen described above.
It has been a problem since then. Sometimes knee ride or cross side pressure will make it bad enough that I have to take it easy for a while, but it never feels 100%.
I think you have to train as smart as you can, and as was mentioned above, few of us actually do that…so you’ll probably continue to have problems :). But they won’t be insurmountable
Update: This fucking sucks. My rib doesn’t hurt at all in general… but if I move wrong, it “pops” and I’m in excruciating pain until it pops back into place. Trying to get in and out of bed is a ridiculous ordeal. I’m fucking afraid to sit on the couch, because if I slouch at all my rib pops. I have to sit on the edge of a chair with my back straight, to make sure I don’t slouch. I can’t come close to putting on my own socks and shoes. I’m a goddamn invalid.
I’m going to a sports medicine doctor tomorrow - but I’m not sure what can be done. I feel like I’m going to have to basically stand still for a month so that this heals.
Injury is intercostal muscle. The muscles between the ribs. Have had it many times in judo. Exactly the way you describe it. A bulge and hurts when you twist/turn with force. Heals but then is suceptible to reinjury. You can still train with it but discomfort in certain moves.
I’ve had a few of these over the years of various levels of severity. They suck as there is literally nothing you can do for a rib injury other than rest and take time off from the mat. The recovery period is such if you come back at anything less than 100%, you run the risk of re-injuring yourself and going back to square zero (trust me, from experience). Probably a matter of weeks.
I pride myself on being pretty tough and now how to work around a bunch of things, but ribs I always advise time completely off of the mat unfortunately. Rib injuries absolutely suck.
My younger son popped a couple of ribs away from his sternum in a sledding accident over Christmas his 9th grade year. One of his friends was towing him behind a four wheeler. He hit a bump, flew into the air and landed directly on his left side. He tore the intercostal muscles as mentioned earlier. Sports medicine Doc said if he could take the pain it would eventually heal. He definitely should have taken care of it, rested it, etc. (sometimes a brace similar to a back brace is used until it heals) - but being his old man’s son and a stubborn kid, … he finished his wrestling season all the way through the state tournament. Placed but did not do as well as he perhaps could have sans injury. After the season, the trainer recommended rest, a rib protector similar to football (short term) and some stretching exercises. He wrestled the next three seasons and they popped out a couple of times each year but not as frequently as you present. They eventually went back in to place and stayed but he still has a noticeable lump there next to his sternum to this day. He’s in his 40’s now and they have never come back out since or given him any trouble. I suggest seeing a sports Doc just to ascertain the extent of the damage and get some advice on dealing with it.
Be careful reaching. That’s usually the cause. Overextension or getting crushed while extended. Elbows in and short arms will protect your ribs. Also, upper body mobility is important as well.
It was kinda a weird thing. Those kind of injuries usually involve high impact accidents. Mine I think was a slow build up. My chest was killing me for weeks but I didn’t want to sit out. I was not safe about it.
Then I was rolling with a dude, I was in his guard and he puts a knee on my chest and I think he was trying to do a scissor sweep, or something. Usually your leg goes across the stomach for the sweep, but his knee was really high on my chest. I didn’t know what he was going for (still don’t really know) so I just decide to apply pressure and stop whatever he was trying to do.
So with the combination of my chest already injured, me pulling, him pushing, there was a POP and I just knew something was broken.
