The "Knife in the back" pain

What is that "Knife in the back"/Between the shoulder blades/hurts to breathe pain?  It happens to most people after coughing, sneezing, lifting something light or when you are simply getting off the couch. 

This is the costovertebral/costotransverse joint.  It was found a while back that these joints can be pain generators.  Some of the descriptions that people use include; feeling like you have been shot with an arrow, sharp/stabbing pain with deep breaths in (or out), a constant dull achy pain with rest and sharp pain with sudden movement. 


The "rib" joint(s) have two attachments; transverse processes of the throacic spine vertebrae, and the vertebral body.  These joints can become painful when they pinch on themselves (kind of like a "dogs ear" on a book when you close a book and pages get pinched in between.) 

Treatment for costovertebral/costotransverse joint pain is simple and quite effective assuming you rule out the red flags.  Heart and lung conditions as well as other visceral conditions can mimic CV/CT joint pain.  If these conditions have been ruled out, adjustments to these joints can be quite effective for pain relief and restoring normal function.