Question
I am from an attorney's office and we have a client who was in an MVA. Through chiro treatment she was disagnosed with rib head dysfunction and subluxation of the thoracic spine at the T4-5 levels. In turn she experiences asthmatic symptoms and trouble breathing. I have researched this and found out that those levels are in the area of the primary brochi thus effecting her breathing. My question is whether or not a condition such as this is correctible or of a permanent nature. she is only 15 years old so i doubt any degeneration could be a cause.

Answer
Michelle,

It's almost certainly correctible.

First thing, they may call it "rib head dysfunction," but it's almost certainly not the rib heads that are dysfunctional, but the musculature that controls rib movement and position, and thus affects rib head position.

Subluxation is an effect, not a cause.  Ribs may be seen as long levers; pulls on the ribs transmit the force to the vertebrae where they attach -- hence, subluxations.

If she were my client, I'd do an assessment of breathing pattern, and if I found what I think I would find, I'd do a few sessions to free her breathing -- end of problem.

You may reference my article, Understanding and Improving Breathing, an Introduction, at somatics.com/breathng.htm.



with regard,
Lawrence Gold