Question:

I have a torn ligament in my right-side chest-wall between my chest-wall and my ribs,can you tell me how long this should take to heal,it has been 4 months and i still feel the burning sensation. Yours truly

Answer:

Although you’ve not mentioned how this relates to sports participation or injury, hopefully the following will be helpful.

The ribs are actually part of the “chest wall.” Chest wall pain would not be due to a “torn ligament”, but could be due to a muscle or fascial (myofascial) strain. A burning sensation could result from a myofascial strain, but could also result from nerve irritation or injury – in the area of symptoms, or referred to there from elsewhere (such as from inside the chest, the shoulder, or the neck). If you had any skin sores in that area around the time your symptoms first began, your symptoms could be due to “shingles” (post-herpetic neuralgia).

Since your symptoms have not subsided, you should be evaluated by your physician, which is necessary to determine a diagnosis, and then a prognosis and treatment plan.

For more information:

Go to the Sports Medicine health topic.