At total lung capacity the outward expansion of the lower thorax during a cough is limited. The lower ribs are pulled down by the cough and may be "pushing" the diaphragm upwards. How is is feeling now?

Thank you so much for your reply yogahoneybunny ~ I appreciate your information and the fact that you took time to share it. Thank you.

It's been 4 weeks now since this pain started. The dr put me on Lortab (which I don't like), but I don't take as much as she prescribed because it makes me feel like crap and I can't function well. However, I didn't take it Monday because I was unsure if it was even working since I still had the pain. By Tuesday it was hurting again and I realized that the Lortab was dulling the pain more than I thought, so I went back on it.

I just saw the dr this morning and she said it could take a couple months for this to get better. She said she did the same thing to herself in January and she's just now starting to feel better, but she's not taking any pain medicine for it. She said that there are tiny muscles between the ribs and that she even tore a couple of them and that they take time to heal.

So, I'm still hurting a bit when I cough and sneeze, but I THINK it's getting better. I'm not sure because the Lortab is dulling the pain. The dr suggested that I stop taking the Lortab and start taking Ibuprofen or Alieve now.

I appreciate you replying yogahoneybunny to my post. I searched online before I ever made this post, and I couldn't find much information at all in my searches. Searching the "diaphragm" brings up ALOT of birth control websites. *LOL* So again, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. If you have more knowledge to share with me on this issue, I'm a sponge willing to hear it.

Hope you have a great day!

I've also read that colitis can cause the transverse colon to drop, thus pulling on the rib cage and diaphragm and causing pain. Any problems with the colon that you know of? Also, if the pain is related to exercise (do you run, for example?)...you might want to try the following ways to treat the pain:

* Having food in your stomach during a workout can increase cramping by creating more force on the ligaments (avoid eating one to two hours before a workout)
* Stretching may prevent or relieve a cramp. Raise your right arm straight up and lean toward the left. Hold for 30 seconds, release, then stretch the other side.
* Slow down the pace of exercise until pain lessens.
* Breathe deep to stretch the diaphragm.
* Drink before exercise; dehydration can increase muscle cramps.
* Massage or press on the area with pain. Bend forward to stretch the diaphragm and ease the pain.

Take care and update us!

My husband just recently experienced this horrible pain, but it went all the way across the diaphragm area. It was very difficult to breath. It took about an hour to pass. I gave him tums which seemed to aleviate some of the pressure. This came on out of nowhere-he was sitting watching a basketball game on TV and suddenly had this excrucuating pain. He was on the verge of going to the hospital.