Intercostal pain

A quiet pain, but a persistent one

“It hurts between my ribs. It’s like a tightness. Sometimes a burning. It’s nothing serious, but it’s there. And I can’t get rid of it.”

Intercostal pain is often played down: people talk about a “muscle spasm”, a “blockage”, a “bit of neuralgia”.

But at Inné, we know that nothing in the body persists without a reason. And that much more than simple muscle tension can lodge between two ribs.

Intercostal pain: what exactly are we talking about?

Intercostal pain is pain located between two ribs, often:

• to the right or left of the sternum,

• along the sides (the flanks),

• or in the back, between the shoulder blades.

It can be:

• sharp (a sudden jolt when breathing),

• dull (a persistent discomfort),

• or radiating (towards the arm, the shoulder, the chest).

Standard tests (X-ray, MRI) are often normal. But the pain remains. Because it comes from somewhere else.

Common causes of intercostal pain

What if this pain came from what you are holding back?

“Why do I have intercostal pain with no apparent cause?”

“Why won’t this tension in my chest go away, despite stretching?”

“Pain between the ribs: emotion or inflammation?”

This pain often appears when something stays caught in the breath.

At Inné, we regularly see this kind of pain in people who are:

• constantly over-adapting,

• breathing without ever truly letting go,

• keeping their emotions to themselves,

• or living with constant inner tension (stress, grief, things left unsaid, self-control).

The chest becomes invisible armour. And the body ends up crying out where the breath freezes.

What science observes

1. Chronic stress alters chest posture and breathing

“Effects of chronic stress on posture and respiratory pattern” Meuret et al., Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 2010

Prolonged stress reduces breathing amplitude, increases muscle tension in the chest and encourages persistent intercostal pain.

2. A frozen diaphragm disrupts visceral and musculoskeletal function

“The role of the diaphragm in posture and movement” Bordoni & Zanier, Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies, 2013

A restricted diaphragm affects all the fascial chains of the chest, altering posture, breathing… and the pain that is felt.

3. Undigested emotions are often expressed in the rib cage

“The body keeps the score” Bessel van der Kolk, 2014

Trauma, fears or emotional tensions are stored in the body’s tissues. The chest area is particularly involved in “emotional freezing”.

What we see at Inné

In people suffering from chronic intercostal pain, we often find:

What we offer at Inné

Our sessions aim to release the pain without pushing it away, by tracing it back to its source.

We combine:

Body

• Releasing the diaphragm and chest (deep breathing work, tissue adjustment)

• Decompressing the intercostal nerve if involved

• Targeted myofascial work on the rib cage and spine

Emotion

• Identifying and releasing the emotional charge associated with the pain

• Therapeutic breathing sessions to release held tension

• Reconnecting with the space of the heart, often unconsciously locked

Integration

• Advice on posture, anti-inflammatory eating and pacing

• Support in person or remotely

Book an appointment

We support:

• chronic or recurring intercostal pain,

• chest pain following physical or emotional trauma,

• tension in the rib cage linked to breathing or stress,

• pregnant or postpartum women with rib restrictions,

• athletes and professionals under high pressure.

Contact us

WhatsApp: 06 99 20 06 70

Intercostal pain is not just an irritated nerve or a displaced rib.

It is sometimes the deep signal of a held breath, of unexpressed sorrow, of energy locked in the chest.

What if, rather than fighting it, we finally gave it some space?

At Inné, we do not “treat” pain.

We listen to what it wants to release and help the body find its way back to

suppleness, breath and space.