Expert: Gerald Anzalone, D.C. - 8/7/2009

Question
I am 15 years old. Recently I have been experiencing really big pains in my back when laughing, coughing and breathing. Depending on my position though sometimes my ribs hurt. I cant lift, push or throw things with my right arm. When I try to do any of those things with my arm I feel a lot of pain near my shoulder blade and spine. 2-3 days ago I was running at night with full speed probably about 19 kmph and I ran into a pole with the right side of my rib cage. The hit knocked my air out for about 30 seconds or more when I got up I was fine and continued running but the day after I started experiencing these immense pains mainly in in my back and sometimes in my ribs depending on my position and movement. What should I do?

Answer
I cannot provide you with a diagnosis over the Internet, but back pain that worsens with or is caused by laughing, coughing, or breathing is often associated with muscle dysfunction or spasms. I recommend consulting your medical physician to rule out an underlying medical problem and to see if a prescription for anti-inflammatory medication and/or pain killers would be helpful if the problem is deemed to be primarily muscular in nature. Additionally, if your problem is primarily  muscular in nature, you might benefit from seeing a practitioner of manual therapy, such as a physiotherapist or a doctor of chiropractic.