If you can find a chiropractor that does Laser therapy that can help with the pain a significant amount.
Rib injuries can take months to heal. When I broke/separated mine in 2014, I thought they would be fine after 6 months of healing in the winter and 2 laps into the new season they were killing me again.
Ice/heat, rest, stretching and exercise to help break down the scar tissue and build up the muscle will help but that will take time. If it was enough pain to take you out the seat, it wonāt be healed by the weekend.
I tried to race through the separated ribs all of 2014, but it was absolutely the worst. Just to actually race I needed a DeepSeat, specific padding, lots of painkillers (wouldnāt recommend going to heavy on those during race dayā¦) and I still was in excruciating pain every session. Trying to race through that for the season resulted in permanently damaged intercostal muscles. I get rib pain any time I do any twisting motion with my torso now.
If you have bad pain and canāt race, deal with it now in a serious way rather than trying to tough it out. Go see a sports doctor and get some x-rays.
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Iāve been having the same issues. I race kz2 and depending on the track I will always get bruised ribs which hurt a ton and set me back 2-4 weeks after each day racing/testing.
Idk what the issue is Iāve got a P1, Tillett t11 ms which fits well, flush seat bolts and padding. Iām fit to. Itās like my ribs area weak! Very frustrating thatās for sure and painful.
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You may have to go to a seat like the ribtect or deepseat. Iām currently having a fiberglass guy build molds for a similar style seat, but hopefully better fit and finish. Also clear fiberglass like is standard in sprint karting. Not sure when Iāll have the prototypes, and only am planning on two sizes to start. Shooting for the flex of a t11t with better rib support.
Yeah I donāt think I would ever run a seat like that. There is a reason you never see them at top level karting events.
I ran up front at USPKS and Pro Tour in X30 on a DeepSeat when I was hurt.
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You sure your seat fits? I came to the same conclusion, ran only a Deepseat for a long time, but found that a softer standard seat, fitted by a pro, along with a different rib protector solved my issue.
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Letās be real, thereās a lot in karting that is simply monkey see, monkey do or is seen as bad because itās different.
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Yeah tried two different sizes the manetti and ms in t11t.
Idk why itās a continuous problem. It occurs on both sides depending on the track and what loads the ribs more. Itās like they are weak and the muscle around them gets hurt easily.
Have they been fitted by a pro? Have you tried a softer seat? Different combinations of rib protectors?
What do you mean fitted? Seats are in factory positions and Iāve tried two different sizes. Plus also a t9.5 still same issue.
Also tried 3 different rib protectors. Bengio, greyhound and Tillett.
Guys one question re seat sizes the Tillett manetti and ms are quite similar seats. Manetti slightly tighter in hips but not as tall in rear.
Would a seat being taller or shorter potentially hurt ribs?
Both seats fit me fine
Also the pain is high above where the seat hits ribs I think it may be the rib vest. I run a p1 vest. Feels like the vest is digging into my top ribs just under my left peck
No idea if this would help, but here my story and solution.
In 2023 I was running KA and X30 Masters a lot. Iām 52 yrs old.
I started having rib problems in late 2022 but didnāt think too much about it as it was late in the year. Anyway, 2023 started off and my ribs immediately began to bother me. By May I was really struggling.
I tried multiple rib vests, stretching, exercise, and even physical therapy.
My ribs would start to feel better, but after a session of two they flare up.
Finally in October I shut it down.
After a few weeks they felt fine, but I was determined to let them heal, so I didnāt return to the kart until February of 2024.
I made a full day but I could tell they were still going to bother me.
At that point I just started trying different things. Different seats adding foam to the seat in different places etc. Through that experimenting I determined that the Tillet T11 medium small that I was using was too tight in the middle of the seat (by middle I mean the narrowest part sort half way down the back). This narrow part was squeezing my rib protector in around my lower two or three ribs, also know as the āfloatingā ribs, so they were taking the brunt of the force.
I decided to try a medium large seat and use foam in the hip area to area to stabilize myself. With out the foam by butt and hips slid around. I also added some foam on the top sides of the seat (the area just under my armpits) so that my upper rib cage would absorb more of the force. This left my lower rib cage with more room and also kept the load on it lighter.
Low and behold my rib problems completely disappeared and havenāt returned. I realize you have the opposite issue with where itās hurting but I wonder if you try to pad the seat in a way to relieve stress in the injured area if it would help?
tl;dr - larger seat, pad it in the hips and upper rib area just under the arms and get tension off the lower rib area is what helped me.
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I just mean has a pro from a shop looked at you sitting in the seat to make sure it is actually the right size and shape for you?
Ty for the response mate. Yeah so Iāve padded up the MS seat and still had the same issue as the manetti. So both seats cause the same issue. So I really think itās the rib vest digging in to my top lhs ribs and causing severe pain.
Re seat fitting over the years Iāve tried many seats and at 6ft and 79kg I find the deeper the seat the better and the Tillett always had the best shaped and deepest feeling. Iāve tried jecko, imaf, Tillett, otk, and a few others.
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You say the deeper the seat the better, have a Look at this new (somewhat new now) T15.
A bit deeper than the T11, meant for ādeep chestedā drivers, the sides are about an inch deeper.
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Technically a deep āt11ā already existed in the T9, but iāve never actually seen one.
If it happens to anybody else Iām quite sure my intercostal muscles are damaged so have taken 5 weeks off. Iāve done two test days since and so far it still Hurts but manageable. I also tried the bengio ab7 protector and found it much better than my p1. Itās thicker and provides more cushion compared to the Tillett. Itās heavier and just a beefier rib best.
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I ruined my intercostals on my left side in 2014. Took 6 months off and it returned after 2 laps when I got back into the kart. Make sure you let it heal using and then start doing some rehab with some core work and foam rolling to break down the scar tissue a bit. Hopefully the Bengio helps. Itās what got me racing again.
I slightly tweaked my ribs on the weekend at Oakleigh, I feel like after seeing physio a few times, his theory was that scarred intercostal muscles dont allow the ribs to sort of flex and float how they are meant to. Ie, when they are tight, some ribs move excessively (tearing muscles) and some are locked solid and donāt afford any impact management. Iām going to keep working on this train of thought to get the whole ribcage to be flexible enough to handle what we do.
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