Rib Pain and Pain With Breathing: Lateral Thoracic Decompression
This module teaches the release of the Lateral Thoracic Region, focusing on muscles that control rib expansion. Spasm in this area can compress the long thoracic nerve and restrict breathing mechanics.
Modality 09 · Releases: Rib pain · Pain with breathing · Difficulty taking a full breath · Side-of-body tightness · Limited overhead movement · Long thoracic nerve compression
Step 1
Understanding the Problem
The side of the rib cage is held between two large muscles pulling from opposite directions: the serratus anterior wrapping forward around the ribs and the latissimus dorsi pulling back and down. When both fatigue into spasm they compress the rib cage from either side, the glide between the layers is lost, and the long thoracic nerve that runs between them is squeezed. The result is pain along the side of the ribs, pain on taking a full breath, a restriction along the side of the body, and difficulty lifting the arm overhead. Releasology decompresses the lateral thoracic region by releasing both muscles, so the ribs can move, the breath can widen and the nerve is freed.
What this release relieves
- Rib pain along the side of the rib cage. The ache along the side of the ribs is the serratus anterior and latissimus in spasm compressing them; it eases as they release.
- Pain with breathing and difficulty taking a full breath. A rib cage clamped from both sides cannot expand. Clients feel the breath widen into the sides as the muscles release.
- Restriction and tightness along the side of the body. The lost glide between the serratus and the latissimus feels like a fixed seam down the side. Releasing them restores it.
- Limited overhead movement. Both muscles move the shoulder blade and arm; in spasm they block reaching overhead.
- Long thoracic nerve compression. The nerve runs between the two muscles. Compressed, it weakens the serratus and the shoulder blade wings; freed, the shoulder blade sits and moves normally.
In this video, we learn about the lateral thoracic nerve and the lateral thoracic seam it passes through. The lateral thoracic region is along the side of the rib cage, from the axilla to the iliac crest.
This area is defined by a functional seam between:
• the serratus anterior
• the latissimus dorsi
formed over the lateral thoracic nerve - the large nerve that passes through this seam.
These muscles must glide over each other to allow:
• full breathing
• scapular movement
• arm elevation
When they enter spasm, this seam becomes locked.
Clients often experience:
• restriction along the side of the ribs
• difficulty taking a full breath
• limited overhead movement
• a sense of tightness or pulling along the lateral body
Along this seam is where the ribs need the most mobility to allow for a full breath
This is not a deep or hidden pattern.
It is a mechanical restriction at a key junction.
Go ahead and watch this video in its entirety. Then, to later to practice these techniques watch it again several times and practice while you watch. After watching this video a few times, and while practicing for a few of those times, go ahead and move on to the next step. Click "continue," when you are ready.
Frequently asked questions
I had a chest X-ray and my ribs are fine. Why do they still hurt?
Because the pain is coming from the muscles compressing the ribs, not the bones. Releasing the serratus anterior and latissimus takes the compression off and the rib pain settles.
Why does it hurt to take a deep breath?
A deep breath expands the ribs sideways, against two muscles in spasm holding them in. The pain is the muscles resisting. Released, the breath widens without pain.
Is this related to the diaphragm or sternum releases?
They are neighbours. The diaphragm (Modality 10) works from below and affects reflux and the organs; the sternum (Modality 08) is the front of the chest; this modality is the side of the rib cage. Breathing restriction often needs more than one of them.
Step 2
The Clinical Problem
Clinically, this pattern presents clearly.
A key visual indicator:
👉 when the client is lying supine, the scapula does not fully rest on the table
Instead:
• the medial or inferior border remains elevated
• the scapula appears “stuck” to the ribs
• the back does not fully settle
Palpation reveals:
• dense tissue along the lateral rib cage
• reduced glide between muscle layers
• resistance at the seam between latissimus and serratus
Movement findings include:
• restricted overhead motion
• limited rib expansion
• reduced scapular mobility
The system is not moving freely.
It is bound along a seam.
Release these muscles to breath freely and eliminate lateral rib pain.
Step 3
Why This Happens
The serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi both attach along the lateral rib cage, but they pull in different directions.
• serratus anterior pulls the scapula forward and stabilizes it to the ribs
• latissimus dorsi pulls the arm and influences the posterior chain
When both muscles enter spasm:
• they compress the rib cage from opposite directions
• movement between layers is lost
• the seam becomes fixed
Breathing contributes to this pattern.
With shallow or restricted breathing:
• the ribs lose their ability to expand
• the serratus becomes overactive
• the latissimus compensates
Over time:
👉 the seam becomes a point of constant tension
From a Releasology perspective:
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this creates a disruption in lateral conduction.
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Instead of movement and expansion, the system becomes bound at the side.
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Prana cannot move freely through this region.