Good Health & Fitness

When most people experience pain under the ribs, they immediately think it’s coming from a rib injury. Such isn’t necessarily the case, however. Rib pain can also result from a variety of conditions, which may make a quick diagnosis difficult. The goal of this article is to describe the most common causes of pain under the ribs, including some that are overlooked by the general public.

We’ll start with pain under the ribs resulting from damage due to injuries. Many people are familiar with the most common types.

Fractured (Broken) or Cracked Ribs – Very often, you don’t even need an x-ray to diagnose a cracked or broken rib (your doctor will undoubtedly order one nonetheless). The pain from this type of rib injury can be intense and very severe. Some people who have had broken or cracked ribs say it was the worst pain they’ve ever felt. Rib fractures occur most often because of athletic competition, a fall or an auto accident. Painful breathing is a typical symptom. The area around the injury will be sore and sensitive to pressure, and any movement of the torso is likely to produce discomfort.

Cartilage Injury – You probably know what cartilage is. It’s the connective tissue between your ribs and your sternum or breastbone. Cartilage makes it easier for your chest to expand during breathing, and it also gives your ribcage the ability to absorb the shock of a blow. When cartilage is damaged, the resulting pain feels like a cracked rib. It will be especially noticeable when you laugh, cough, or take a deep breath.

Soft Tissue Damage – Your chest and back include dozens of soft tissue formations that circumvent your ribcage: your ligaments, tendons and muscles. Such soft tissues can be damaged by stretching or straining: for instance, you may try to push, pull or lift something that’s beyond your capability. Executing the same motion repeatedly for a long period of time can also injure this type of tissue (this is generally known as a “repetitive motion” injury). This can cause discomfort that may be easily mistaken as rib pain or a rib injury.

Conditions, disorders and diseases of the bones and joints may also contribute to pain under the ribs. Some of the more common include the following.

Joint inflammation – As individuals pass through middle age, joint inflammation and irritation become more and more common. When joints near the ribs become inflamed, the pain can feel like it’s happening in your ribcage. Many people are prone to two conditions in particular.

Osteoarthritis – There are many places in the body that can be affected by osteoarthritis, including the area where the ribs connect to the breastbone and the backbone.

Rheumatoid Arthritis – This is a disorder in which your immune system attacks itself, causing pain in the joints. Since there are a lot of bones and joints around your ribcage, it’s not unusual for rheumatoid arthritis to strike there.

Some relatively common diseases and illnesses are also characterized by rib pain. Among them are the following.

Pleurisy – Breathing can become extremely painful when you have pleurisy, which occurs when the lining between the ribs and the lungs becomes inflamed. This lining is called the “pleura.”

Pneumonia – Chest discomfort and pain in the ribcage area is one of the characteristic indicators of pneumonia. Breathing can be difficult, and laughing, sneezing or coughing can be downright painful.

Tuberculosis – Painful ribs is one of the many symptoms of tuberculosis, along with coughing, fever and fatigue.

A variety of cancers can produce discomfort and pain in the ribcage area (both in the front and back). Lung cancer and multiple myeloma are at the top of this list. Approximately 80 percent of myeloma patients report ribcage pain as one of their symptoms.

Patients suffering from mesothelioma or asbestosis are likely to complain of pain in the ribs, as is anyone who has a lung illness related to smoking or long term exposure to environmental pollutants.

A variety of other disorders also cause pain under the ribs. Here’s a quick list.

* A gallbladder attack or gallstones.

* Spinal or other nerve-related injuries and disorders. Shingles is ia disease which often starts with acute pain in the ribcage area before erupting into an extremely uncomfortable rash.

* Chronic pain under the ribs is relatively common among those who abuse steroids for a long time.

* Anxiety and stress sometimes lead to rib pain. Individuals who are tense take a lot of deep breaths, which can stretch muscles and tendonssoft tissue in the torso beyond their capacity..

Lastly, there’s angina, which is a medical term for chest pain experienced by those with heart trouble. Angina can easily be mistaken for pain under the ribs.

Obviously, there are dozens of diseases, disorders and conditions that can cause rib pain. Some are relatively harmless and resolve on their own without treatment. Others are very dangerous.

If you have pain under the ribs that has continued for more than a few days, or seems to be getting worse, it’s time to call your doctor and discuss your symptoms.[/body]

Are you searching for additional information on ribcage pain? Read Common Ribcage Pain Causes and Broken Ribs. George McKenzie is a former radio and television news anchor and talk show host with a special interest in topics related to health and fitness.

Tags: Athletic Competition, Auto Accident, Broken Rib, Cartilage Injury, Connective Tissue, Cracked Rib, Deep Breath, Experience Pain, Ligaments Tendons, Muscles, pain under the ribs, rib, Rib Fractures, rib pain, ribcage pain, ribs, Soft Tissue Damage, Soft Tissues, Sternum, Torso, Typical Symptom, X Ray

by GoodHealth on October 7th, 2010 | RSS | trackback