3 doctors agreed: Muscle spasm: This could be a muscle spasm. I have heard this description many times before. Hernias do not occur in the upper abdomen by the rib cage. They do occur in the middle. The muscle spasm can cause severe pain, and ball up, mimicking a hernia.
Generally, working part time is considered working anything less than what your employer considers full time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines part-time status as working on average between one and 34 hours per week. In the end, it is up to the employer to decide how many hours is part time and how many would make the job a full-time position. The Department of Labor does not differentiate between the two statuses.
However, many employers consider employees as working part time based on a different schedule i.e. under 30 hours or 35 hours a week, for example. A part time job is a position that requires employees to work a lower number of hours than would be considered full-time by their employer. An employee is considered part-time if he or she works less than 35 hours per week, for example, or works below the number of hours that the employer considers to be full-time.