Rib Pain Relief During Pregnancy
As women, our bodies change throughout our lives — but never more so than during pregnancy. As your organs, ligaments, and hormones shift rapidly to accommodate your baby, you’re left with a few less-than-pleasant effects.
I built my business on the belief that women should feel strong, confident, and capable in their pregnancy journey. But that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of the aches and pains that accompany each trimester! In fact, I’m in the middle of my second trimester now, and I’m already remembering some of those annoying symptoms I’d put to the back of my mind after my first pregnancy.
Everyone expects their pelvic floor to experience added tension as your baby grows — but what should you do about those “random” pains you never thought to expect? Do you just need to suffer through them? Absolutely not! I’m here to help you prevent pregnancy pains of all kinds and find relief when you do experience them. Today, let’s talk about rib pain.
What is rib pain?
If you’re pregnant and you’re experiencing rib pain, don’t panic. This is a fairly common pregnancy symptom. Depending on the position and size of your baby as it grows, you might experience this a little bit, a lot, or even none at all! Rib pain is most common during the third trimester, but you can experience it any time during pregnancy.
In fact, rib pain affects more than just pregnant women. Lots of people experience this unpleasant sensation at some point in their lives! Rib pain can show up as sharp shooting pains or dull aches, and it can happen on one or both sides of your rib cage. In general, rib pain can be attributed to a wide variety of causes, including:
- A pulled muscle
- Bruised ribs
- Rib fracture or break
- Muscle spasms
- Decreased upper back mobility
- Inflammation
- Musculoskeletal diseases, like osteoporosis
- Heart attacks, when accompanied by chest pain
If you’re experiencing rib pain after a workout, a pulled muscle is the likely culprit. If you’ve been involved in an accident or had a fall, bruising or breaks could be causing your pain. An acute or chronic condition, including those mentioned above, might be causing your discomfort. But if you’re reading this blog, it’s probably none of those things: it’s simply the fact that you’re pregnant!
What causes rib pain during pregnancy?
As I’ve mentioned already, hormonal changes allow your ligaments and tendons to relax to make more space for your baby. This loose-ness can cause pain, and your ribs are not immune! As your baby grows, your ribs will stretch to accommodate — and this is often accompanied by shortness of breath. You might also experience cartilage inflammation that contributes to this. As you move through your third trimester, you might experience a sharper rib pain that comes from your baby’s kicks or movements.
You might also experience rib pain with certain movements, like bending over to pick something up from the floor. There are a couple of reasons for this: first, you’re carrying a lot more weight than you used to in your belly, and bending over can strain those muscles. Secondly, your range of motion is limited, especially in your third trimester, and certain movements might become uncomfortable due to your bump!
Sometimes, rib pain is even heartburn, gallstones, or liver dysfunction in disguise. If you’re experiencing rib pain after meals, your gallbladder might be to blame. If you’re only experiencing pain under your right ribs, talk to your doctor about possible liver conditions. Rib pain caused by medical complications is less common, but if you’re concerned about your rib pain, I always recommend speaking to your OB or another trusted medical provider.
How can I reduce rib pain during pregnancy?
The good news: you probably won’t experience rib pain during your entire pregnancy. In your first trimester, your baby hasn’t grown enough to cause additional rib strain in most cases. And in the final weeks before delivery, your baby should drop lower in your pelvis, alleviating some of the pressure on your rib cage. However, those second and third trimesters may have you looking for relief. Here’s what to try:
Avoid tight clothing.
Your body is already experiencing pressure from the inside — no need to add pressure from the outside, too! This may mean going up a size in sports bras or other everyday wear, but trust me, it’s worth it. If you haven’t already dropped the underwire bras for now, here’s your sign to go for it! Instead, try this Effortless bra from Bodily or my favorite bralette from Bao Bei (use code drmaehughes for 15% off).
Change positions.
As you progress throughout your pregnancy, you’ll find that some of your favorite ways to sit or lie down are just no longer comfortable. Find a new position that works for you and reduces your discomfort as much as possible. Not sure where to start? Try sitting upright with some supportive pillows behind your back to avoid an overly slouched position. This will allow more room for your ribs to expand as you take big, diaphragmatic breaths.
Try a belly band.
Additional support at your abdominals can help relieve some of the strain on your rib cage. I loved this one from BaoBei (use code drmaehughes for 15% off) during my first pregnancy, and I’m sure I’ll reach for it again!
Take a warm bath.
Stay below water temps of 98 degrees for baby’s safety, but enjoying a warm bath is one of the most relaxing things you can do for those aches and pains. If you don’t have a bathtub, try a heating pad on low!
Can I reduce rib pain through exercise?
The short answer to this: yes! Your workouts may not look like they used to before you got pregnant, but there are tons of benefits to keeping a movement practice throughout your pregnancy. You can modify exercise for each trimester, staying active while keeping your movements safe for you and your baby!
You’ll probably find that gentle, active mobility is your best friend when it comes to rib pain followed up by some deep core stability work.
Gentle Mobility Exercises
- Side-Lying Rib Expansion – Drape yourself over an exercise ball on your side to really elongate your rib cage while supporting your body at the same time. Focus on taking big, deep, diaphragmatic breaths to expand your ribcage on the side that is elongated to create space and mobility.
- Quadruped Thoracic Rotation – Start in an all 4s position with one hand behind your head. Leading with your elbow rotate up toward the ceiling and then rotate back down to the ground bringing your bent elbow to meet your stationary elbow.
Deep Core Stability Exercises
- March Ball Press – Start on your back with your knees bent and engage your deep core wrapping your abdominals. Gently squeeze a pilates ball between your hands as you maintain an engaged core and alternate marching one leg up and then the other.
- Half Kneeling Chop – In a half kneeling position pull your band down and across your body to your opposite hip. Exhale as you chop and rotate engaging your deep core and obliques to help improve stability in your abdominal region.
Need a better visual? All of these mobility and stability exercises can be found in this Instagram post below.
You can also perform hip circles on an exercise ball to help your baby move those kicking feet away from your ribs!
Walking, stretching, prenatal yoga, and strength training will all provide you with pain-relieving benefits. Strength training might seem counterintuitive when you’re experiencing pain, but building strength during your pregnancy is important for two reasons. First, you’re preparing your body well for labor, delivery, postpartum, and motherhood — which are all things you’ll want to be strong for! Secondly, stronger muscles help to offset the increased elasticity of your ligaments and tendons during pregnancy, which leads to less overall pain.
Your guide to moving through pregnancy
Want a week-by-week guide to getting stronger safely? Join Movement Through Pregnancy! This program was designed by me during my first pregnancy to help mamas-to-be feel confident and strong during every trimester.
Each week, your workouts will include exercises that address all of the areas that are associated with rib pain, like thoracic mobility, diaphragmatic breathing, upper back strength, and core strength. These are built right into your programming, so you can prevent rib pain before it starts or find much-needed relief when it shows up!
Movement Through Pregnancy is so much more than just a workout program, though. In it, you’ll find educational modules designed to help you enter each trimester knowledgeable about your body and how to treat it well during pregnancy. You’ll even find specific pain relief yoga flows to try, including one on rib pain!
No matter which trimester you’re in today, you can join Movement Through Pregnancy. Just hop in on the corresponding trimester and week, and you’ll be ready for safe at-home workouts to empower you for pregnancy and motherhood. I hope this program is an incredible resource for you as you prepare to welcome your little one!
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