# Floating Ribs - they annoy me - normal?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933 "2004-03-12T17:47:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/1 "2004-03-12T17:47:58Z")
My floating ribs are really annoying. Sleeping on my side has never been very comfortable because of these stupid bottom ribs - for some reason I feel pinched by them. my hip bones & these strange bones that aren’t attached to anything try to pinch my internal organs unless I fit pillows in the exact correct way between my knees and elbows and lay down in the perfect fetal position. The pillows also keep my knees and elbow from touching because when my bones touch it feels yucky - since I was about 12 I haven’t been able to sleep comfortably without the pillows. I’ve always been a thin person - so it isn’t that a huge waist is getting constricted between two bones or anything even though I am a bit older and a bit heavier than I was at 20 years old - I am definitely on the thin side still. Maybe my bones just are more sensitive and I can fell them more - or maybe I am weird for hating the way bones feel. Both of my parents are arthritic - my mom has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was young. I have minor joint pain from time to time - and although I never intentionally crack anything -stuff cracks & pops all the time. Anyways - here is my general question - is this strange? Could there be some weird medical reason for this? Are there other people who have issues with bones - or floating ribs? I already know I am strange on a mental level - but aren’t we all. ---
**Author:** ![jujuju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jujuju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jujuju)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/2 "2004-03-12T20:41:10Z")
i also don’t like the feeling of my floating ribs. and i have to sleep with pillows between my knees so the bones don’t touch too, because it’s yucky. one time recently, my kid and i were playing in the floor and i got hitin the floating rib. this is when i noticed they don’t seem to be symmetrical, either in size or position. one seems to be fatter and stick out more, on my right side. have no idea why though. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/3 "2004-03-12T20:50:46Z")
Heck! I thought this was going to be a question about Raquel Welch and Cher! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/4 "2004-03-12T21:50:42Z")
what the heck are “floating ribs”? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/5 "2004-03-12T21:57:12Z")
First of all, “floating” is not truely accurate. They are attached to your spine, they aren’t attached to your sternum. I empathize with your discomfort, but have no suggestions. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![gluteus\_maximus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f17d59/32.png) [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/6 "2004-03-12T22:03:28Z")
[Ribs.](http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/R/rib.html) Sorry, no pictures. Raquel and Cher don’t have 'em anymore. Ducks and waits to be hit with Snopes. ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/7 "2004-03-13T01:25:36Z")
jujuju - one of my hips does appear to be minutely higher - it is funny that someone else has the bones touching is yucky thing - everyone I’ve ever told about this thinks I am weird. ---
**Author:** ![netscape\_6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8c91f0/32.png) [@netscape\_6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/netscape_6)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/8 "2004-03-13T03:49:45Z")
> [@gluteus maximus](#): > > Raquel and Cher don’t have 'em anymore. What happened to them? ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-ribs-they-annoy-me-normal/233933/9 "2004-03-13T15:42:36Z")
The urban legend is that some hollywwod people get them removed so that their waists look thinner. Even though my ribs are annoying that seems like very radical surgery.