Hiya I've just started on a pulmonary rehabilitation course and my physio said its when your breathing to hard and over working the muscles that surround the lungs. She recommends sitting on a chair leaning forward slow the breathing sit up count three then lean forward again repeat this until cramping as subsided hope this helps love T xxxxx

The majority of COPD sufferers,suffer from some form of cramps. When I queried the rip cramp was told it was down to inflation of the lungs as its usually the bottom of the lung that is damaged and therefor the top of the lungs expands against the rib gage xx

Yes I do bad cramp under rib cage also my chest wakes me up with noises had X-ray waiting to see consultant my dr said you have scarred lungs and maybe fibrosis I'm on patches at moment as scared stiff waiting for results I've smoked 60 years hope you are in good health

I believe the cramping is from weak intercostal ('between the ribs') muscles, the muscles between each rib. When the body needs extra oxygen, as during exercise, the external intercostal muscles contract, increasing the circumference of the chest and pushing the sternum forward. We breath out by relaxing these muscles. When expiration is forced the internal intercostal muscles contract, pushing the ribs downward and reducing the chest volume. I get cramps in my intercostals also. I read somewhere that upper body strengthening with weights to tolerance can strengthen these intercostal muscles, thereby reducing the cramping. Worth a try.
More exercise surely helps, I've found

@A MyCOPDTeam Member,Hi Tracy yes I get rib cramps and the way it was explained to me was. because of the lung damage when I breath the oxygen goes to the upper part of my lungs there for putting pressure on my rib cage so iam led to believe that yes it is caused by COPD. it causes cramps at times all over my body which my doctor called muscle cramps a direct result of COPD. I hope this will be of some help. Breathe easy my friend xx

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