Leg Press = Broken Rib?

[dmlonghorn]

This happened to me yesterday, and it still hurts. It aches, actually.

I was going heavy on the cybex leg press 6 plates each side and then I felt the ache pursuing me throughout my workout afterwards, its on the LEFT side by the way (why is everyones always on the left, from the posts I have read??)....it's really worrying me because I can feel it sort of protruding out my abdomen (not the rib, just some muscle I think) on the left side as to when compared to my right side.

It's on the lower rip cage part as well, does anyone know what to do?

Hey dude, I just rode mine out... took several weeks (6+), but it healed itself.

That's my personal experience... not a recommendation...

[odin673]

You probably hurt your spine and not your rib. It's possible the damage was near the rib/backbone connection which would make it seem like the rib is causing the pain. The only real way to break a rib is with a direct blow.

If it doesn't get better in a week or improve I'd go see a doctor.

[dmlonghorn]

You probably hurt your spine and not your rib. It's possible the damage was near the rib/backbone connection which would make it seem like the rib is causing the pain. The only real way to break a rib is with a direct blow.

If it doesn't get better in a week or improve I'd go see a doctor.

The only thing to take from this comment is "go see a doctor" The rest is crap!

I had the same injury as the previous post and it had nothing to do with my spine. It was a very localized injury where I could touch my rib and felt pain right where I heard the initial "pop".

All your comment does is add fear to people suffering the same injury.

[BeardedStud]

Hey dude, I just rode mine out... took several weeks (6+), but it healed itself.

That's my personal experience... not a recommendation...

The leg press is seriously such a load of crap

[clinn57]

Just got home from the gym because this just happened to me. I was doing a light leg press after doing some hardcore squats and felt a pop (not a sound but a feeling) in my lower left rib cage. There was no pain when it happened, only the pop feeling. I immediately ended my workout and left the gym pretty pissed off (and still am). This same thing happened to me in college twice, so I stayed off the leg press for a while. Now several years later it happened again. My experience included being sore as hell for 2-3 weeks. I didn't stop lifting, but had to modify my routine to work around the pain.

I love the way the leg press works my hamstrings and gluteus maximus but I'm so discouraged by this that I'll probably take them out of my routine and do something else instead.

[ThePhatness]

The only thing to take from this comment is "go see a doctor" The rest is crap!

I had the same injury as the previous post and it had nothing to do with my spine. It was a very localized injury where I could touch my rib and felt pain right where I heard the initial "pop".

All your comment does is add fear to people suffering the same injury.

Actually i had this happen to me a few months ago while doing leg press, my physiotherapist told me it indeed was my spine and the pinched nerve sends the pain around to your rib cage. My injury occured in my thoracic area which he told me was a very common problem. It was from a lack of flexibilty in my thoracic area because i predominantly use my lower back to flex, rotate etc. Gave me some simple stretches using a foam roller and light core excercises and felt better 2 weeks later. Having sustained the exact same "leg press, lower left rib cage click" injury again two days ago and reading all of the comments it would seem that most of you have the same thing i had. hope this helps

[theFGman]

Old thread, but relevant. This just happened to me doing leg presses. Got a pain on the lowest rib on my right side, but didn't hear any sound when it happened. When I touch it, I feel like I can push that rib in easier than the other side, even though that could well be my imagination making me paranoid and toying with me. Feelsbadman.

[extremepain]

Just had this happen today. I heard/felt that pop on my lower left side. I was doing heavy leg presses. It was rep 6 out of 8, I finished the set and the rest of the workout without much pain. I even did crunches on a medicince ball at the end of the workout without pain. It hurts now, hours later though. I had the same thing happen to me when I first started working out and I waited until it healed itself. I remember it being too painful to do overhead presses though. It sucks getting injured and having to half ass it through your workouts. I think I will look into alternatives to the leg press since its happened twice.

[malawala]

hi every body,

i had same problem last week on leg press machine and i got 11th rib right side,
as i am orthopedics surgeon, i would advice my self and you :
- you have to know there is no indication to operate sucj fracture except in very rare conditions (flail chest, rib fracture nonunion,chest wall deformit, movable rib fractures) , usually we treat such fracture conservatively ( pain killer, rest, avoid stress copression i mean during sleep, tight cloths, training )
- as in bone healing , smocking is prohibited to avoid non union complication
- better to avoid chest bandage ( some medical schools advice it but scientific studies not recommending and me also)

no need to be panic , almost always it heals within 4-6 weeks , but refracture or continue training during healing period would be a risk of non union !!

[was strong]

rib pain can indicate cartilage issues as with myself. A variety of things got me the pleasure of suffering for six months now. so if it hurts to pick something off the ground,bend your trunk,twist,or tha nast one gett out off bed or move after sitting still for a bit it could be considering costrchondritis, it took me 6 months to chase the name of that one down and get on the right path to start healing up. it kinda feels like a broken rib. here is a copy and past of the thread i responded to on this forum, not tons of info out there.
best of luck whatever it is!!


Originally Posted by UtahGetMe2
In before: See a Doctor.


Cliffs:
-Chest pain after w/o
-Brutal pain in and around the sternum
-Pain still there just not as strong
-Popping in Sternum & under ribs
-Haven't lifted in a month

About a month ago after a chest day, I had the most wicked burning pain in my sternum. At one point I thought I was going to have a heart attack the pain was so excruciating. This was a few hours after the workout. I felt no popping or anything during my time at the gym. As the days passed, the pain dulled but is still there. My chest/sternum started popping with deep breaths or certain movements. I can even feel popping under my ribs when I poke around. I went to the Dr. for a hernia and mentioned my symptoms. He said it's probably Costochondritis and that was about it. I haven't worked chest in a month and just last week went back and did some back work but they pain is coming back stronger. I am constantly using ice, heat, rubs, advil, etc. Basically anything I can get my hands on that may help but nothing seems to work. What do?

I will be making an official dr. appt. this afternoon but was wondering if the Misc dr.'s can relate or experienced anything similar.


Here is my comment and update:

i got this in June of 13 and it was "chest wall injury", turns out now almost 6 months later to be costrochondritis. Nasty stuff, Celebrex is a way of life and works wonders for me (luckily, some folks it doesnt touch the pain and they need cortisone shots in the chest.
First pt trip for me was a waste of time and it hurt, same with chiro and then they got me on clelebrex at month 4 of suffering or so. Took it real easy and ran out of celebrex and it was nasty, almost took a ride in ambulance and it throws the heart rate/breathing off.
So now at pt and its a new therapist that is working wonders on it with some weird pressing massage type thing on the spots around ribs, the crazy thing is I bruise up in the spots. She says its part of the healing precess and orders no upperbody stress at all, no biking, no squats, etc.
I hope yours passed and figured i would put this in here in case anyone searches and is suffering from this bear of a sidetrack to their training.
Not sure when "the abyss" to my training will resolve but healing vibes to all of us that suffer/suffered from this. Not a lot of great info on this on the web.

[rodeovoss]

Same thing here. Went deep on the leg press this morning and "pop"...lower left rib pain.

Feels like the last/bottom rib on the left side. Hurt like heck for just a minute when it initially happened then when away. It only hurts now if I press on it or lean over when sitting, like when putting on my shoes. Then I get a sharp pain. Otherwise the pain is very minimal at the moment.

From what it sounds like, the pain might increase during the first week or two due to the "fracture" and I assume inflammation and swelling? Just sat down at my desk job and I'm wondering if sitting all day is a good or bad thing? Good thing because in essence I'm "resting" but bad because I feel like sitting somewhat hunched for 8-10 hrs puts some pressure on my abdomen. Gotta wait and see.

[BrandonBB2014]

Might as well keep this thread going...

1 week 2 days ago during high rep light-medium weight leg presses. 3rd set I felt a slight 'whomp' or 'clunk' on my bottom right rib area. I did two more reps and called it a night as it was uncomfortable. Today the pain is the same as it was the next day. I haven't stopped lifting but I have had to stop exercises at 1 rep when I felt it was going to directly hit the problematic area. I remember having a deep breath and it was at the start of my push. I'm guessing I came down too low and caused too much compression in my body with my lungs full.

Symptoms:
Hurts to put mild pressure on the second from bottom rib.
Hurts to lay on the affected side.
The area of pain is very precise (if relaxing arms at side, its just in front of the bicep).
Hurts to take the deepest of breaths. Pain is immediately gone once exhaled.
Anything that involves a lot of core for balance hurts.
Laughing causes mild discomfort.
Flexing stomach hurts. Holding the flex the pain slowly leaves until the flex is released.

Against my better judgement I'm going to keep trying to work through it without pushing too many limits. People are saying approx 2 weeks it starts to subside. I'm hoping 3-4 until its gone.

It doesn't feel broken.

[BrandonBB2014]

Approx 2 weeks and it's nearly gone. The most irritating exercises have been incline dumbbell bench and anything involving abdominal twisting.

[PieWheatley]

You can develop an acute wry thorax, where the rib almost subluxes out of position. I think it's most likely this.

[harlockssx]

I had this happen to me last week, doing lying squats on a machine, with moderately heavy weight (280Kg) but not my max (340Kg)...I'm doing the Stronglifts 5X5, and used the lying squat machine to give better back support, and protect my knees, since I've had surgery twice on my left one. On my third set, fourth rep, felt/heard a pop, followed my intense burning pain in my lower left side. It really hurts to twist or bend over. I though initially it might be a torn muscle, or fatigued QL Quadratus Lumborum muscle...but the pain is still very intense in those positions. Massage & stretching haven't helped. So I'm on day 6 with no gym...I've been taking NSAIDs for the pain, and to help me sleep. Tried Mobic- ineffective, Extra Strength Tylenol- nope...Celebrex and high dosage Motrin seem to work, but only for a few hours. I want to give it one more day of rest, then try to lightly work out and stretch, to see if it's getting better. I pray I don't have to take 6 weeks off of deadlifts & squats! I am 42, 6'5", 300 pounds, and was using a good leather weight belt, tightly bound.

[dominion7]

I did the exact same thing this morning...I went from squats to leg press and now that it has been mentioned here, the seat-back was up high..and sure enough my "left" side popped and scared the crap out of me..now I'm sitting here at work sore...I will probably go to the doc just to make sure it is in line correctly and get some meds to sleep..
Thanks for reporting this..I thought it was just my fat gut putting pressure on my ribs..lol

[UNDFTD]

Funny I found this thread, I had the exact same thing happen to me over the weekend. Went from doing squats to leg press. Was on my 8th rep doing heavy weight on the press and felt a snap/pop on my lower left rib area. I immediately stopped and left the gym anticipating excruciating pain (which never came). In the next couple days I felt almost zero pain unless I pushed in the exact spot where I felt the pain.

Today is the 3rd day and there has been no chronic pain at all so I was pretty confident that it was NOT a fracture. However, I was sitting cross legged today on the floor and bent forward to grab something and clearly felt something move out of place in the area of the pain. Seemed like a rib moved for a split-second and was definitely not a sensation associated with a muscle pull. Going to get an x-ray tomorrow for peace of mind so I can determine how long until I can start lifting again.

Will update tomorrow..

[Nhguy1978]

This past week I cracked ribs on both sides. I was doing leg press lighter thsn previous week. I had just run the day before. Legs must have been weak. I couldn't get weight up to the safety bar. I lowered it again thinking there was a lower stop to rest the weight. Unfortunately, there is none and the weight came down on top of me and pushed legs into chest. That's when I heard the cracking sound. I had to yell for help.

[JRW21]

I started out doing dead lifts, and then made my way to the leg press. I was feeling good, so I loaded it up with more weight than usual. On my third set I felt a pop and assumed I just shot my guts out of my abdomen (I was just glad I didn't **** my pants). After looking in the mirror and not seeing anything portruding (thank God) I just went home and called it a day. This happened on my right side and it is only sore if I arch my back backwards and touch the spot where it popped. Hoping it's nothing serious, and from the responses above I'm assuming it's not.

[JRW21]

Really sore still so I went to the doctor. X-rays didn't show any broken ribs so he concluded that I tore a muscle. Pain meds and taking it easy is my option until I feel like I can lift again.

[JRW21]

This past week I cracked ribs on both sides. I was doing leg press lighter thsn previous week. I had just run the day before. Legs must have been weak. I couldn't get weight up to the safety bar. I lowered it again thinking there was a lower stop to rest the weight. Unfortunately, there is none and the weight came down on top of me and pushed legs into chest. That's when I heard the cracking sound. I had to yell for help.

That sucks! Get well soon man (we're not in our 20's anymore)

[DougInAlabama]

I don't know if it's a cracked rib. I hope not. I had just finished a couple of light weight, high rep squats. I was on my second set of leg presses with a moderate(for me) amount of weight when the pop and sudden pain on my left side. I was working in the 15-20 rep range, not going too fast. I have only been back lifting for a month after a year layoff, so I was focused on using light-moderate weights to minimize risk of injury. I also had a professional coach monitoring my form and weight usage at the time.

I had never heard of this happening before on leg press, and thought it was somehow a pulled intercostal muscle..? I just did not see how a leg press could cause this, and my form was good, butt down in the seat...except maybe I was going a little too low? I wonder if there is a particular leg press machine manufacturer or angle of the seat vs. the direction of the weight that might account for this? Maybe my overweight gut added to the force coming in? I was going pretty slow too, so it wasn't a sudden rush of force, just a steady increase like you would expect...

Anyway, that was on Wednesday morning and this is Monday morning. I was able to cut the grass Saturday on my relatively flat yard, and at that point was just thinking it was a pulled/strained muscle, but since then if I roll over in my sleep I wake up in severe pain. It hurts if I breathe in very deeply, not excruciating but enough to notice. The real reason I wondered if it might be a rib is that unlike any other muscle pain I've ever had, the pain seemed to "travel" if I rolled over, to the point where pressing in on my abdomen hurt.

I can still stand and do moderate weight dumbbell curls without issue, but lat/back work is out. I've been just taking over the counter pain meds and using menthol rub and it's enough to get me through the day if I'm careful. If it gets any worse at all I'm getting the X-ray but otherwise I'm just going to take it slow and train around it. I hate set-backs but I don't want to risk making it any worse.

[anant_]

Found this thread when searching for this injury (2 days ago while doing leg press). Mine is almost the same as user 'BrandonBB2014'. I guess at least 2 weeks before I can even use my core! Month-end review of New Years Resolution coming and this happens! Sucks big time!

[fawsr]

I did heavy squats this morning followed by leg presses. On the last rep of the 2nd set I felt a “pop” at the bottom of my ridcage lower left side. It startled me but didn’t really hurt. On the 1st rep of my 3rd set it Really popped ... and hurt. I racked the weight. I then did 50 hanging knee raises with no pain and 2 miles on the treadmill with no pain. Two hours later it is tender and hurts when I bend or twist. After reading all these posts I will make this observation - my foot placement was good but my knees were maybe not spread out far enough. On the 1st set I hit the stop a few times so I lowered the stop for the other sets. It (pop) was probably caused by a combination of too narrow knee placement and going too deep? Anyway, very glad I found this thread. The popping sound was probably cartilage and the soreness is to be expected. I’ll keep working but be more careful and attuned to any pain. If anything significant develops from this I will update this list.

[SaffaDurban]

Happened to me today... I was on my second (fairly heavy) set of leg presses when I felt a pop in my lower left rib cage.
I tried another rep but couldnt because of the pain.
I did some crunches after that which was ok.
Now it hurts if I touch it, put any kind of pressure on it, cough, sneeze...
Never heard of someone “popping a rib” doing leg presses.. thanks to this thread I know Im not alone! ;-)

[ClippersFTW]

Found this tread after google search...
Same thing happened to me a couple days ago.. was doing squats... went to leg press (as I've done before) on my 4th rep going down (pop)... not so much pain be a lot of discomfort... pushed it back up.. tried to do another but the discomfort wouldn't let me. I thought I tore something.. but 2 days later pain in front right rib. Pain with pressure, pain with running, pain with laughing and sneezing.. no pain otherwise for the most part. Due to personal goals Im still working out but im avoiding core at all costs.. if I feel any discomfort with a workout I will not do it. At first I thought I pulled something but now I know its my lower right rib. Going to the doctor on Thursday to confirm what I already know

[ClippersFTW]

Found this tread after google search...
Same thing happened to me a couple days ago.. was doing squats... went to leg press (as I've done before) on my 4th rep going down (pop)... not so much pain be a lot of discomfort... pushed it back up.. tried to do another but the discomfort wouldn't let me. I thought I tore something.. but 2 days later pain in front right rib. Pain with pressure, pain with running, pain with laughing and sneezing.. no pain otherwise for the most part. Due to personal goals Im still working out but im avoiding core at all costs.. if I feel any discomfort with a workout I will not do it. At first I thought I pulled something but now I know its my lower right rib. Going to the doctor on Thursday to confirm what I already know

lol why does it say im 50? im 35? lol