If you are still in pain after slipped rib surgery, if the pain has come back, or if plates, screws or mesh now seem to be the problem, an independent reassessment is worthwhile. The right answer is not always more surgery — sometimes it is a clearer diagnosis, nerve-directed treatment, or removing troublesome metalwork rather than adding to it. Dr Lawrence Okiror reviews your previous scans and operation notes personally and gives a clear, honest view of what is realistic. London Bridge Hospital and Lister Hospital Chelsea. Slipped rib syndrome page →
Last reviewed: June 2026 · Dr Lawrence Okiror FRCS(CTh) FRCSEd(CTh) · GMC 6150382
Pain that persists or returns after rib surgery, new burning or electrical pain, or discomfort that seems to come from plates, screws or mesh
Personal review of your scans and operation notes, a gentle examination, dynamic ultrasound, and where helpful a local-anaesthetic test — before any decision
A clear diagnosis, and — where appropriate — revision repair, reconstruction of the rib margin, removal of problematic metalwork, or non-surgical relief
Surgery for slipped rib syndrome helps many people. But not everyone gets the result they hoped for — the pain can persist, settle and then return, or change in character. This is more common than patients are often led to expect, and it is worth understanding rather than simply enduring.
An operation that hasn't worked is not a question of blame. Slipped rib syndrome is genuinely difficult: there is no single agreed operation, the condition often involves more than one rib or level, and hypermobility can make any repair harder to hold. The useful question is not what went wrong, but what is driving the pain now — and what, realistically, can be done about it.
Dr Okiror sees patients for exactly this: an independent, unhurried look at pain that has continued after rib surgery, including operations done elsewhere. He reviews your imaging and operation notes personally, examines you gently, and gives a clear, honest account of what is realistic — including, where it is the right answer, that further surgery is not advisable.
Pain after surgery is disheartening, and it is easy to assume nothing more can be done. Often that is not the case — but the honest answer depends entirely on working out the cause first.
Request a Second Opinion →Pain that burns, shoots or feels electrical usually means a nerve is involved — neuropathic pain. The nerves beneath the lower ribs can be irritated by the original problem, by scar tissue, or sometimes by the surgery itself. It responds poorly to ordinary painkillers, which is part of what makes it so wearing. Identifying the nerve as the source changes the plan: the aim becomes protecting and relieving that nerve, not simply operating again.
Metalwork placed to stabilise a rib can occasionally become a source of pain itself — through movement against it, prominence under the skin, or local nerve irritation. Where that is the case, the better step may be to remove or revise the metalwork rather than add further surgery. Sometimes that is best done by the surgeon who placed it, and Dr Okiror will say so plainly. The first task is to establish clearly whether the metalwork, the original problem, or a nerve is responsible.
Pain that continues after a rib or rib tip has been removed is one of the harder situations, because the original anatomy cannot be restored. It is not necessarily the end of the road: in selected cases the lower rib margin can be reconstructed to give the area stability and take pressure off the nerve. In others, the most useful step is an accurate diagnosis and nerve-directed treatment rather than another operation — and being told that honestly is itself worthwhile.
A second opinion is an assessment, not a recommendation to operate. In slipped rib syndrome the right answer is often not more surgery, and after a previous operation the bar is higher still. Where an operation is genuinely likely to help, Dr Okiror explains why and what it would involve. Where it is not, he says so, and sets out the alternatives. The aim is that you leave with a clear, honest picture — whatever it turns out to be.
Dr Okiror reviews all your imaging and operation notes personally, examines you gently to locate the source of the pain, and uses a moving (dynamic) ultrasound scan to assess how the ribs are moving now. Where it helps, a small injection of plain local anaesthetic (levobupivacaine) can be used as a test — if it settles the pain, it points clearly to what is responsible and to whether a repair would help. Only then is any decision made.
A second opinion is just as valuable before surgery. If you have been offered an operation — particularly one that removes a rib, or relies on plates or mesh — and you are unsure, an independent view of whether it is the right step, and whether a nerve-preserving repair is more appropriate, is worth having first. Bring what you have and Dr Okiror will give you a straight answer. Read about how slipped rib syndrome is diagnosed and treated →
Common questions from people whose slipped rib surgery has not given the result they hoped for. See also the slipped rib syndrome page →
Request a Second Opinion →Or call Jo Mitchelson:
020 7952 2882
Rapid access — appointments within 2–3 days. Self-referrals welcome. Bring your previous scans and operation notes; Dr Okiror reviews them personally. Virtual consultations available.
Jo Mitchelson, PA · 020 7952 2882 · pa@lungsurgeon.co.uk
St Thomas' Hospital #1 UK · Guy's Hospital #2 UK · London Bridge Hospital #10 UK · Newsweek World’s Best Hospitals 2026
How slipped rib syndrome is diagnosed and treated — repair rather than removal
Unexplained Chest PainStarting from a symptom rather than a diagnosis? Thoracic causes of chest pain explained
Second OpinionsHow an independent second opinion works across thoracic and chest-wall conditions