The Last Straw!!!

DOC! I think I broke my rib! Agh!

How did you manage to do that?

Ow-ow-ow! Don’t touch it! I think I broke it when I sneezed… I put heat on it right after it happened to try to ease the pain, but it just keeps getting worse!

(chuckles and shakes his head) Mr. Smith, you must have lungs like Hercules to break a rib by sneezing… We just took x-rays on you last week, and there was not even the slightest indication of a fracture. Are you SURE that there is nothing else that might have caused this pain? And remind me to talk to you about ice vs. heat later…

Stop poking me! You’re the devil, you know that? I am sure there is nothing else… I’m telling ya… I just sneezed… and POP! There it went!

If you don’t relax, Mr. Smith, it is going to make this even more uncomfortable. Stop squirming. Have you ever… say… fallen? Oooor, been in a car accident?

I’ll relax when you get yer thumb outta my back! YEOW! Well… I fell off of a loadin’ dock about 5 months ago… and got drug by a horse when I was 27… and was in a car accident about 3 ½ years ago… BUT THAT WASN’T my fault! He was in MY lane and I-

Mr. Smith… I think I know what we are dealing with here. Take a deep breath in- this is gonna sting a little- breathe all the way out… I’m gonna give a little push-

OWWW! FOR THE LOVE OF JAMISON AND ALL THINGS HOLY!!! I don’t like you very much right now doc! I… OW! You ARE the devil!

Does a sneeze cause a "slipped disc" or a “broken rib”?

A “slipped disk” in the low back and a jammed rib is almost always the result of several things. Just like in most chiropractic cases, the problem starts with a simple fall or imbalance that seems harmless enough, and then it continues to build until it becomes symptomatic. We have all heard the proverbial saying about the “straw that broke the camel’s back”… but I think it is a VERY fitting illustration.

Just like the patient above, a simple sneeze can make someone experience sudden back pain that then proceeds to leg pain or pain in the ribs that can mimic a broken bone; in some cases, it can even mimic a heart attack. However, it wasn’t the sneeze that caused the disc to "slip" or the rib to jam, but it does represent the final "straw" in a much more involved process. Some factors that contribute to the pain and symptoms of back injury include dehydration, unusual stress on the spine, and too much weight bearing on a concentrated area of the spine.

The spine works together as a whole, so if there is a mechanical problem in one part of the spine, even as far away from the low back as the neck, it can cause problems in another area of the spine. Imbalances and problems in the pelvis, sacroiliac joints, and low back, as well as restriction in joint motion in the mid-back and neck, can contribute to the process of disc degeneration and eventual injury in the entire body.

A "slipped disc" or jammed rib usually happens when a lot of these and other factors work together and cause disc injury. For example: A middle-aged blue collar worker who stands for long periods of time, suffers from dehydration, has poor posture from weak abdominals, and lack of range of motion from years of repetitive movement, then lifts a heavy piece of equipment and experiences sudden acute low back or rib pain. Or perhaps many months after lifting the piece of furniture, he experiences no pain at all until he sneezes. Bingo. “The last straw”.

SO! Can a sneeze break a bone? TECHNICALLY… yes. BUT! That is only in severe cases of osteoporosis or rare bone disease. By in large… 99.9% of the time, no. A sneeze cannot cause a bone to break.