How can you release a rib blockage yourself?

In the case of a rib blockage, it is important for those affected to remain calm and create optimal conditions. This means that they should withdraw to a place where they can sit down undisturbed. Since experience shows that pain also dominates the acute clinical picture, before every attempt to release the blockage on your own, pain-relieving measures such as the application of heat or painkillers should be taken.

If the affected persons then feel able to move again with less pain, they can perform this simple exercise: This movement stretches the back muscles and widens the intervertebral spaces to the maximum. In the best case, this is sufficient to achieve a spontaneous settling of the affected rib at the corresponding vertebra. If this maneuver does not work, affected persons can perform the following exercise: The purpose of this exercise is to mobilize the spinal column in the lateral plane together with the ribs.

If this exercise does not work either, it is necessary to have patience, move as normally as possible and repeat the exercises if necessary. However, if the blockage persists, a therapist must be consulted.

Sit down on a chair,
Place your stomach on your thighs (similar to bending forward to tie your shoes)
Sit down on a chair,
Try to move left and right in a sitting position (similar to picking up a fallen object from the floor)

What effect do exercises have?

When talking about exercises in the context of a rib blockage, it is important to differentiate between preventive movement measures and active applications to release an acute blockage. Exercises are particularly useful for preventing a new rib blockade, since their goal is to strengthen the back muscles and correct malpositions of the spine and thus also of the ribs as well as possible through conscious posture patterns. If the physiological position of the skeleton is regained through exercise, the risk of a new malposition is rather low.

In acute cases, exercises can lead to rapid pain relief. However, every affected person should be aware that only the bony problem has been solved by means of an exercise and a spontaneous setting-in, and that the surrounding musculature, for example, can still be tense. If a muscular balance is not restored, there is a risk that the bones will be malaligned again. Exercises to release a rib blockage are therefore important for rapid correction, but should always be followed by long-term exercise sessions to eliminate the underlying cause.