Slamming into the batter's ribs, the ball knocks the wind out of him. He slumps to the ground. In sports, we often think of injuries involving the extremities, neck or back, but rarely the thorax. Anatomically, the thorax is bound by the ribs, thoracic spine and muscular components, such as intercostals, serratus anterior, external obliques. Within this protective musculoskeletal shell lies the heart and lungs.
Injuries usually occur with blunt force trauma.
But thoracic injuries also may occur in sports involving twisting, throwing, swinging or repetitive muscular activity, such as rowing. With so many possibilities, it's imperative to understand the mechanism of the injury. These questions will help you determine the nature of the injury and the treatment course to pursue. Contusions and strains to soft tissue and bone . Breathing difficulties will quickly resolve, but pain with deep inspiration may persist.