Our ribs play an essential function in your body as they secure a few of your internal organs, which are responsible for proper working of digestion and cardiovascular systems. Therefore, if you feel pain (even sharp pain) under your right rib cage, you should not panic, but for sure you need to consult your doctor who will find the cause of your suffering.
What Causes a Pain Under Right Rib Cage?
The internal organs which are close to your right rib cage consist of right kidney, gallbladder, and liver. The pain normally happens when among these organs is infected or inflamed.
Nevertheless, there are in fact many more possible causes of pain under right rib cage. You shouldn’t worry, though, that it may recommend any heart-related issue as it normally causes pain closer to the left chest.
Observe your pain and tell your doctor if the pain is strong or mild, sharp or dull, incidental or chronic. Believe if you’ve likewise been experiencing some other symptoms as this might also assist your doctor to provide you the right diagnosis.
1. Injuries
It may sound unexpected but injuries are really the most typical causes of sharp pain under your right chest. What’s more, people typically don’t recognize that they have hurt their rib and they discover it during a check out to a doctor as a broken or injured rib might lead to either severe or only mild pain.
Obviously, if you experienced some serious mishap or injury, you will probably require a medical care or you will not be able to move for a long time. However, in case of insignificant fractures, your ribs will probably recover on their own. You will just have to have a lot of rest and prevent working out for a long time. Your doctor will determine if your injury is serious or small by chest X-ray assessment.
MRI and CT scan might be suggested by your doctor too as these examinations might show the soft tissue and recognize the injury which an X-ray hasn’t revealed.
You should know that a rib injury might likewise result in some severe complications as an outcome of the injury your internal organs may have been harmed too. It might have affected your liver, kidney, or spleen. Thus, if in spite of the truth that you have cured your ribs after some accident, you’ve been still feeling pain in this area, consult it with your doctor.
2. Digestion Problems
Other common issues which may result in sharp pain under the right chest are connected with our metabolism and our digestive system. It’s connected with that a number of us eat fatty or fast food, we also tend to overeat or eat too quickly. A demanding lifestyle might adversely impact our food digestion procedure too.
A feeling of discomfort or sharp pain under your right rib cage is extremely typically caused by extreme gas in your colon. You might feel it in different parts of your abdominal area, depending on the area of the accumulation of gas, nevertheless, it generally takes place under the right chest.
The build-up of gas in your system generally happens after you ate a heavy meal, or food rich in carbs. Dairy products are likewise rather heavy for our gastrointestinal system. In order to bring yourself fast relief, you can attempt over-the-counter items, which speed up food digestion or opt for natural approaches, such as tea made of chamomile, ginger, or peppermint.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another common condition of the modern world. It’s very hard to describe it and cure it as it might cause numerous symptoms and it isn’t clear what exactly causes this disease.
Among the symptoms of IBS is actually sharp pain under left or right chest. It’s usually accompanied by excess gas, bloating, and pain in the lower abdominal area. Some people also experience heartburn, difficulty with swallowing, or chest pain.
The research studies have actually shown that bad diet and chronic stress are amongst reasons that cause IBS. Thus, it’s crucial to present some modifications into your daily diet. Your doctor may also recommend you some medicines which will reduce the symptoms. Consuming aloe vera juice is thought about to be the most reliable natural way of decreasing IBS.
A comparable condition to IBS is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If there is some inflammation in your digestive tract, it will not work appropriately and you may feel sharp pain under your right chest. Other symptoms include difficulty with swallowing and coughing.
A lot of people likewise suffer from constipation. If it’s only incidental, you might quickly deal with it, however if it’s chronic, it may become quite major and it may lead to breathing problems, pain in your chest, your abdomen, and the right rib cage.
Your diet is crucial if you want to prevent constipation. Drink plenty of water every day as it will flush the stool out of your body. You must likewise consume a lot of vegetables and fruit. You should be aware that our body is one important system and if you desire it to work correctly, you have to look after it holistically. Combine a healthy diet with regular exercises a minimum of 3 times a week.
Remember also that stress, especially if it’s chronic, may have an extremely bad influence on your digestive system and metabolic process. Therefore, stay calm and positive and your organism will be grateful for that.
3. Intercostal Muscle Strain
The intercostal muscles are those that link the ribs. If you strain the intercostal muscles on your right side, this can cause pain. When these muscles become stretched, it is quite noticeable because the muscles appear irritated and extremely painful. Relaxation and medication can help reduce intercostal muscle strain.
Regular activities are not typically the cause of intercostal muscle strain. These strains most often take place as the result of an injury or overexertion of the muscles.
Typical causes consist of:
- a direct blow to the chest, such as from a fall or car accident
- an impact blow from contact sports, such as hockey or football
- twisting the torso beyond its normal range of motion
- twisting while lifting weights
- forceful twisting, such as from golf or tennis
- reaching overhead, for instance, when painting a ceiling
- lifting any heavy things above shoulder height
- extended overhead reaching
- repetitive strong motions, such as hitting a tennis ball
4. Appendicitis
Appendicitis is rather a common and potentially deadly condition, which takes place when your appendix gets inflamed. The reason why it in some cases happens hasn’t been clearly determined yet.
In case of appendicitis the pain is usually severe and it begins close to your belly button then spreads to the abdomen area near you right chest. Extra symptoms include abdominal swelling, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea, anorexia nervosa, and fever.
Appendicitis needs instant medical help to prevent the appendix from rapturing as it can be a dangerous circumstance. Also, you should not take any painkillers to eliminate the pain as they can likewise cause your appendix to rapture.
5. Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is the inflammation of your pancreas, which is a very essential organ that takes part in the production of enzymes needed in the procedure of digestion. When your pancreas works effectively, it cooperates with your liver and gallbladder, however when it gets swollen, it may be the reason for severe pain.
Pancreatitis is a common disease of people who drink alcohol. Nevertheless, it might also appear as an effect of an injury or gallstones. Apart from pain under your left or right rib cage, you might likewise observe that your stools got smelly and oily, suffer from nausea, fever, or vomiting. Pancreatitis requires medical consultation in order to be totally cured.
6. Kidney Stones
If kidney stones impact your right kidney, they might cause exceptionally severe pain under your right chest. Kidney stones are really deposits of minerals and salts that sometimes accumulate in your kidneys for many years. When they move, they cause strong abdominal pain, which may infect your back or even groin.
When your kidney stones get really big, you may also feel pain while urinating and your urine may smell or have a pink or even red color. In case you stop urinating at all, contact your doctor right away. Kidney stones may also cause kidneys infection, which will additionally cause chills and fever.
Nevertheless, if your kidney stones are little, there is an opportunity that you can handle them by yourself. If you drink plenty of water or mix water with apple cider vinegar, you may dissolve your kidney stones.
Unfortunately, kidney stones want to come back. Therefore, even if you eliminated them, you need to keep drinking a lot of water on a daily basis as it’s the best preventive step you can take. It’s likewise worth having ultrasonography regularly, when a year would be enough, to spot any kidney stones in the early stage.
7. Liver Problems
As your liver lies in the right part of your body when something bad is going on, it might cause pain under your right chest. Liver disease appears when the capsule of your liver stretches. It frequently occurs as a repercussion of congestive heart failure, that makes your heart pump the blood weaker than normal, which may lead to fluid retention.
Your liver might also get infected or irritated, which will likewise cause sharp pain under the right chest. A common liver condition is Hepatitis, which is mainly connected with alcoholism, but in truth it may also be caused by some viral infections. Apart from mentioned pain, it can also cause tiredness, weakness, and fever.
Liver cysts are likewise rather typical and they may cause pain under your right chest. The scientists have not clearly recognized the precise reason of the cysts as even people who take good care of their body sometimes establish them. Fortunately is that they frequently cure on their own.
Fatty liver disease, is on the other hand, a condition that mainly impacts overweight people. It takes place when your body begins getting fat from the rest of your body.
The most major and a lethal condition is liver cancer. The biggest issue with it is that people are often uninformed that they have it for a long period of time. Meanwhile the bad cells are increasing and are ruining good cells.
Liver cancer spreads really quickly when it’s not found in the early stage, it might be too late to cure it. This type of cancer is frequently a consequence of alcohol addiction or hepatitis. Symptoms include sharp pain under your right rib cage accompanied by abdominal swelling, fever, dark urine, and loss of weight.
Therefore, it’s incredibly crucial to take good care of your liver and clean it naturally by a proper diet. If you eat too much of fat and fast food, you liver may have problems with processing it. What’s more, a difficult lifestyle also adversely influences your liver.
Therefore, you ought to drink green tea in between the meals as it’s a natural anti-oxidant, which will assist your liver do its job. Take in a great deal of fruit and vegetables, the most advantageous to your liver are avocados, beets, tomatoes, and apples. Use olive oil, turmeric, and garlic on a regular basis and your liver will remain healthy for long years.
8. Gallstones
Another essential organ in your body is your gallbladder. It complies with your liver and they together break down food you consumed and they participate in the food digestion process.
If you feel an abrupt, sharp, or a stabbing kind of pain, it might recommend a gallbladder infection or gallstones. The pain may last for a couple of hours, it doesn’t disappear even if you change your body position, and you may have a problem with taking a deep breath. In case of gallbladder inflammation, the pain may spread out likewise to the right shoulder.
9. Costochondritis
Costochondritis appears when your cartilage gets irritated and as the cartilage holds your ribs to the breastbone, the inflammation may be rather painful.
The condition usually looks like a result of an injury, some sporting activity, however likewise as a problem after viral infections, upper breathing diseases, such as fibromyalgia. It’s in some cases called ‘chest wall pain’ and apart from pain under your right chest, you may also suffer from a sore throat, fever, or tiredness.
10. Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is an inflammation of your big intestinal tract. Regrettably, the exact causes of the condition have not been fully determined yet. It’s only known that often it refers genes. Therefore, if any of your family members has actually experienced the disease, you remain in the risk group also. It’s a condition which generally impacts young people.
Among the symptoms of Crohn’s disease is sharp pain under right chest. It’s usually accompanied by blood in stool, excess flatulence, diarrhea, ulcers, and loss of weight. The condition requires medical care and often a remain in the hospital.
11. Ulcers
Ulcers in your stomach are quite a typical reason for pain in the rib area. An ulcer is a type of an inflamed wound in your upper intestinal systems, typically in a small intestinal tract or in your stomach lining. It’s typically accompanied by reflux of heartburn.
What’s interesting, ulcers are more frequent in the spring or autumn time and they typically heal on their own. Others, nevertheless, require taking medications recommended by your doctor.
12. Lung Diseases
There are a few lung-related diseases and if your right lung is affected, you will feel pain under your right chest. However, it will be normally accompanied by other symptoms too.
Among the most typical and at the same time the most serious lung diseases is pneumonia. It frequently takes place as an issue after some fungal, viral, or bacterial infection. Hence, it’s essential to fully cure all the infections.
You may feel pain either under either your left or right chest, depending upon which lung is influenced with the disease. It’s usually a stabbing or sharp kind of pain, which becomes worse when you want to take a deep breath. Accompanying symptoms include headaches, chills, fever, cough, and weak point.
A rib fracture, inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, or lung infections may be the cause of another severe lung disease referred to as pleurisy. It occurs when the layers of tissue that surround your lungs are filled with fluid. It puts pressure on your lungs, which you will feel as sharp pain under the right rib cage if it’s your right lung which is impacted.
The pain might become worse when you cough and sneeze, and taking a deep breath might be painful too. The pain frequently infects your back or right shoulder. Pleurisy needs treatment in order to be completely recovered.
In reality, pleurisy may cause another severe lung condition, which is a collapsed lung. The disease causes severe, stabbing pain, that makes it hard to breath and it might be accompanied by a dry cough.
A collapsed lung normally takes place as an effect of a serious injury or trauma to your chest. It’s also occurs more often amongst cigarette smokers and drug abusers.
The most serious and lethal lung disease is lung cancer. Nevertheless, pain under your right rib cage is in fact not a typical symptom of the disease. The primary signs of lung cancer consist of chronic cough and spending blood, losing weight, weak point, and exhaustion. Smokers are the most liable to getting lung cancer.
13. Other Causes
There are also some diplomatic immunities where you can feel pain under your right chest. One of them is pregnancy time. It’s normally related with change in the level of hormonal agents and a bigger size of your uterus and breasts.
Naturally, you can’t do anything about it. Simply aim to have a rest in a comfy position, in which the pain is the least frustrating. It should disappear when you deliver a baby, otherwise call your doctor about it.
Pain under the right rib cage is also rather typical while running. It generally takes place if you ate or drank too much before run. Dehydration or irregular breathing after running might likewise lead to pain under your right rib cage.
How to Treat a Pain Under Right Rib Cage
Pain under your right rib cage may be truly troublesome as it can restrict your body movements and disrupt your daily life, causing a lot of pain. Of course, if the pain is actually severe and sudden you must call your doctor about it. Otherwise, attempt available over the counter techniques and see if after a couple of days you can feel the difference.
Obviously, it’s hard to treat pain if you have no idea its cause, however you can constantly try popular painkillers, such as Paracetamol. The best choice, nevertheless, would be using Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs as the pain in the rib area is frequently triggered by some inflammation procedure. The most typical offered drug is Ibuprofen. It might be extremely effective as it not only treatments the inflammation, however can also bring you remedy for pain.
You must also have a better look at your diet as pain under your right rib cage is typically gotten in touch with your digestive process. You might get shocked, however even something as easy as consuming a lot of water daily may bring incredible results. To remove the contaminants from your organism and increase metabolic process, start a day from consuming a glass of mineral water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Avoid junk food and highly processed food. Rather consume a great deal of vegetables and fruit, whole grains and food rich in fiber. Likewise eat different kinds of meat, fish, and seafood. You will rapidly see that your gastrointestinal system is grateful for these changes and you will just feel better.
Regrettably, in case of some more serious conditions, such as kidney stones, gallstones, or chest injuries, you will need to follow your doctor’s suggestions as often a surgery is only possible treatment here.
Is It Dangerous?
You’ve most likely been wondering if pain under your right rib cage is something which requires a medical consultation or perhaps you can handle it by yourself.
You have to be sensible here and observe your pain. If it’s severe, takes place often, and over the counter pain relievers, such as Paracetamol or Ibuprofen don’t assist you, for sure you have to make an appointment with your doctor.
You should even consult him immediately if the pain is accompanied by other distressing symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, or fever, extremely low blood pressure, fast breathing, fast heart rate, or when the pain infects your left arm or jaw.
Keep in mind that only your doctor may provide you the right diagnosis after an in-depth, medical evaluation. Furthermore, the earlier you know the reason for your pain, the quicker you will begin an appropriate treatment and recuperate.