Many people get aches and pains or a feeling of fullness in the lower rib cage. Often they have no obvious organic cause and Western Medicine does not treat them. Even more often the symptoms are so vague that people don’t bother to tell their doctors about it.
Traditional Chinese Medicine recognizes several conditions that could produce those symptoms. In fact they are often early warning signs which, if treated, can save a person from developing a more severe condition. If you have an intense pain that is localized on one side of the rib cage, you should see a doctor about it. If you have more vague pain on both sides of the rib cage, then try the tips at the end of this post or see your acupuncturist.
In Chinese Medicine, when we talk about the internal organs we are talking about more than the anatomical/ physiological organs as Western Medicine understands them. We are talking about their energetic functions along the entire course of the meridian they are associated with. Each organ is also associated with an emotion or complex of emotions, a body tissue, and a sense organ. The liver is associated with the lower rib cage. It is also associated with anger, frustration, stress, and suppression of emotions. It has to do with the free flowing quality in everything in our lives. Vague pain in the lower rib cage usually is a result of the liver energy becoming stagnant. This frequently leads to indigestion and gassiness as well.
I have three favorite ways of returning the liver to its natural free flowing state:
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The Inner Smile I have described this one in an earlier post, here.
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The Seven Shakes This is a good one to do in groups. If you are in a meeting or teaching a class and everyone is losing focus and looking sleepy get them up and do the seven shakes. Stand up and shake your right arm seven times, counting out loud. Then shake your left arm, right leg, and left leg seven times each. Then shake them 6 times, 5 times, etc., down to one time. Finish by jumping into a karate stance, or any stance you like and shout Ha!
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Qi Gong: Liver Healing Sound Stand with your feet about shoulder width and parallel. As you inhale raise your hands into the air as if you were embracing th sky. Holding your breath, bring your arms down until the elbows are pressing your ribs cage and your palms are facing your face. Close your hands into fists and lean over as if you were skiing and exhale with the sound shhh. Repeat three to seven times.
Doing each of these exercises every day will certainly lower your stress and increase your energy. If your rib cage pain is due to simple liver energy congestion, it should relieve that as well. Have fun and keep moving.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I have pain in my lower rib cage on my left side. it sounds to me that when you speak of cures your talking about just pain coming and going, mine just seems to stay do you think that I just pulled a muscle or is it bigger than that? please help! I don’t want to look stupid if I go to the docter and I’m perfectly fine. Signed, Help!
Continuous pain of any sort needs to be checked out. If it is intense I would have it checked immediately.
Do certain movements make the pain worse. If stretching your left arm over your head makes it worse, it could just be a muscular problem. If it feels better after trying the techniques I mentioned, you probably don’t need to worry about it.
If you think it might be a muscular problem go see a massage therapist or acupuncturist, first. They can tell you if you need to see a doctor. If it does not go away at all after two weeks, I would see a doctor.
thank you very much for helping me. The pain went away. It asted for a whole day. I don’t know what it was but it’s gone now. Should I still get it checked or let it go?
Thankyou
If you had pain for one day and it is gone, I would not worry about it. If it comes back it may be a good idea to get it checked out. As I mentioned in the last comment, it is helpful to know what made the pain feel worse.
ok will do thank you for the advice it really helped!
I am experiencing pain randomly about every month or two, in my lower left rib cage. I can pinpoint the pain. It occurs when I am walking in a retail, or grocery store. The pain feels like my rib cage is being strecthed apart, or clamped extremely hard. I have been ignoring this pain for a year now, because it comes and goes. It only lasts for about 3 hours…until I get home and lay down, then it is gone. About another month, it comes back. There are times when it is really hard to breath, the pain is so intense. I am 36 male with type 2 diabetes. I am one who handles pain extremely well, but this is getting to be a concern for me. I feel that it is just a muscle pain, but do the ribs have muscles?
Sam
Sam,
I would have your doctor check it out. The intensity of the pain and the fact that you are diabetic makes me want to err on the side of caution. If the doctor does not find anything significant, try my suggestions or see an acupuncturist.
I think i just have a sensation of pointing or very mild pain
at lower right and left of my rib cage, some times i feel it can be pointed some time i feel like my ribs are touching my skin, some times it is on one side and some times i feel on both but again it is not pain it is just a sensation, i dont have any medical history
Any idea what it could be.
Thanks,
Nik
Hi Nik,
What you are describing sounds like it fits in the category of qi stagnation, which is what I am talking about in this post. Try my recommendations and let me know how it goes.
Ed
Thanks Ed!
I will try these, one more question i have is that can this slight sensation of pain be any where in lower rib or abdomen and also it is not loaclized, sometimes on left some times on right . I hope this is not something serious.
Thanks
Ed, also forgot to mention sometimes in centre abdomen i feel like something is contracting. Is it all same and inter-related to what you said above.
Hi Nik,
If the pain is vague and it comes and goes, that is a good sign. If it is anywhere in the lower rib cage or abdomen, it fits within what I am describing in this post. If after a week or two of following my suggestions, there is no improvement, I suggest you seek out an acupuncturist, or perhaps a doctor.
Thanks Ed,
I will try the three steps which described above for next couple of weeks, also on precautionary note I have taken an appointment after 2 weeks .
Is there is some thing to do with the diet, i generally eat one meal outside (which i cant avoid, but generall soup, salad and many time cola drink), is i have to be controlling anything, any suggestion.
Thanks
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