Q:

For the past 5 months I have been experiencing chronic pain in my rib cage area on one side. It is sharp at times but mostly just irritating. I have trouble inhaling deeply. I have seen my physician, a chiropractor and I even went to the ER after having trouble breathing. No one has been able to diagnose my condition clearly, first it was "pleurisy" and then a pinched nerve or a pulled muscle. Would any of these injuries sustain for this long or do I have more serious damage in my chest?

 

A:

It sounds as if you need a fuller evaluation as it does matter which side this is on, whether you've had xrays done of the area and blood work looking for inflammatory changes. Chest wall pain (musculoskeletal rather than organ origin) can be persistent but 5 months is prolonged especially if you have no history of injury.

~The Doc