Expert: Dr. Paul Newhart - 5/20/2010

Question
Hello.  A few days ago, my brother squeezed me very hard and we heard 2 pops.  I thought it was my ribs but my stomach muscle has swollen up and it is very painful.  When i take deep breaths, sneeze, or cough it hurts.  I am referring to the muscle directly under my breasts.

Please help and thank you.

Answer
It is possible that he caused ribs to misalign.  This would give pain when breathing.  I would suggest you have a chiropractor assess this.  If there is misalignment, they would be best suited to fix it.  Secondly, if there is a muscle issue, therapies could be done to help heal it.  If it is something beyond what a chiropractor could fix, they should be able to refer you to the proper treatment