Have you ever had a pain or "stitch" in your side, maybe in the middle of a fit of laughter? Do you ever have trouble taking a full breath or experience pain in the side while breathing, sneezing, or coughing? While certainly any trouble or pain with breathing should be examined thoroughly by your doctor, there is a muscular cause that you might be able to take care of yourself assuming everything else checks out okay. Show Trigger points in the muscles between your ribs can cause several surprising symptoms, including:
These muscles are named the "Intercostals" because they are literally in between the ribs (yellow X's shown in the drawing). They help to rotate the torso and most notably help to expand and contract the rib cage. Because the rib cage contracts rapidly during laughing (as with coughing and sneezing), sharp pain can result if there are trigger points in the Intercostals. For this reason, the Intercostals have earned the nickname "Hurts To Laugh" muscles. How do these muscles become so tight and upset? There are a number of reasons, including heavy breathing such as during exercise or due to lung or asthma problems, slumped posture, prolonged coughing, or even a bra that is too tight. Any of these and more causes can result in the Intercostals tightening up, becoming painful and restricting your rib cage expansion. Luckily, relieving these trigger points is often straight forward and fairly simple.Follow the self-test and self-care tips below to identify and relieve trigger points in your "Hurts to Laugh" muscles, so you can Breathe Deeper and Laugh Longer with Less Pain!
Im having this sharp pain under my right rib cage everytime when i laugh, twist and turn too fast, taking deep breath, put pressure on. Also have migrains temporary fever and vomit once through this whole week cycle. I have my period too i dont know if that has anything to do with this because ive never experience this pain before. Disclaimer : The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Overview Your ribs are thin bones, but they have an important job protecting your lungs, heart, and chest cavity. If you experience trauma to your chest, one or more ribs may be bruised, cracked, or fractured. A bruised rib can take some time to heal, depending on the severity. It’s important to get your injury checked out by your doctor to rule out more serious injuries and learn about treatment options that can help your recovery. Share on Pinterest The main symptom of bruised ribs is chest pain. This pain may feel worse when you inhale. It may also hurt when you laugh, cough, or sneeze. Bending over or moving into other positions may also cause sharp chest pain. Other symptoms can include:
The symptoms of a broken rib are similar. If a rib is broken, you may hear a cracking sound when it happens, but only imaging tests can confirm the diagnosis. The most typical cause of a bruised rib is a blow to your chest. This can happen in a car accident or during direct contact in a sport such as football. Falling from a ladder or other high place can bruise or break a rib, as can having something heavy fall on your chest. Less common causes include excessive coughing or repetitive, strenuous activities, such as rowing or lifting heavy weights. Diagnosing a bruised rib starts with a review of your symptoms and a physical exam. Your doctor will also listen to and watch your chest while you breathe to see if any lung function may have been affected. A bruised or broken rib may be accompanied by a bruise on your skin. Whether a bruise is visible or not, your symptoms may require an X-ray. Your rib may have a slight fracture that isn’t detected with an X-ray. In these situations, a CT scan may help the doctor differentiate a break from a bruise. Other diagnostic tools include a chest MRI. A rib bruise won’t show up on an X-ray, but it can often be detected with an MRI. A bone scan can be particularly helpful in diagnosing a broken rib caused by repetitive action, such as excessive coughing or rowing, especially when it’s not visible on rib detail X-rays. Rib injuries are difficult to treat. Unlike a broken arm, for example, that can be set in a cast, a rib injury can’t be wrapped. The practice of wrapping your rib cage is seldom used these days because it restricts you from breathing deeply. Too much shallow breathing places you at risk of developing pneumonia. Resting and restricting your activities are the main treatment options for bruised ribs. Ice may help relieve some of your pain and swelling. Since bruised ribs cause pain when you inhale — causing you to take more shallow breaths — your doctor may prescribe medication to help manage your pain. Long-lasting anesthetic injections near the site of the bruise may also help temporarily keep your nerves there from relaying pain signals to your brain. Your doctor may also advise respiratory therapy. You’ll learn breathing techniques that can reduce some of the pain, while still allowing you to fill your lungs with air. Bruised ribs usually heal within a month or so, but that process can take longer if one or more ribs are actually broken instead of bruised. If you’re initially diagnosed with bruised ribs but the pain isn’t easing after a couple of weeks, tell your doctor. More imaging or another evaluation may be necessary. Don’t hesitate to see your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms:
Even though there isn’t much you can do to help with the healing of your injury, you should still have a thorough evaluation of your ribs and lungs. Ignoring your pain could raise your risk of damaging your lungs or developing pneumonia or other serious respiratory problems. Bruised ribs can be a painful injury with the potential to affect your lung health. They generally require time to heal and patience to put up with the pain. But if you follow your doctor’s advice, you should be able to fully recover. There are safe ways to manage your pain. If you’re prescribed opioids or other strong medications, be sure to take them only as prescribed. To help prevent bruised ribs in the future, wear proper padding when engaging in contact sports. You may also want to explore other activities or exercises that pose less of a threat to this important set of bones.
The ribs protect some of your body’s most important organs inside your chest—including your heart and lungs. As a cardiologist, I focus on this area of the body and I understand how complex it can be to distinguish between all the vital systems that converge around the ribs when pain appears. What Causes Rib Pain?There are 12 ribs on each side of your chest, and they run from your spine in the back to your sternum, or breast bone, in the front. They are connected to your breast bone by cartilage, which is a strong but flexible tissue that allows the rib cage to expand during breathing. Muscles called intercostal muscles run between adjacent ribs and help move the chest wall, especially during breathing. Pain in your rib cage can come from any of these components. If you’re experiencing pain between or around your ribs, paying close attention to your symptoms can help you identify the cause.
Chat with a doctor and get rib pain treatment for just $35 Get startedSymptoms to Watch ForSince there are a variety of causes that can lead to pain in your ribs, it can be helpful to chat with a doctor about any other symptoms you’re experiencing. These symptoms can be clues to what’s causing your pain. The following are just some of the symptoms that often appear with pain in the ribs: When you use the K Health app, we’ll ask you about many symptoms related to your pain in order to get a full picture of what’s going on with your health. Here are the most common symptoms our users reported experiencing with their rib cage pain:
Rib Pain from CoughingIf your ribs hurt when you cough or sneeze, it could be because coughing causes repeated movement of your intercostal muscles, as well as other muscles like the muscles in your abdomen. When you’ve got rib pain from coughing too much, this repeated movement, particularly if it’s frequent and forceful, could result in a pulled muscle causing pain or sore ribs. A cold can also cause pleuritis, which is inflammation of the lining of your lungs and the inner aspect of your chest wall (called pleura). I hear from many users who complain of cough, but a little less than 1% also experience pain in their ribs with coughing. According to data from over 8,000 health dialogues within the K Health app, women aged 26-55 are 18% more likely to report this type of pain with coughing compared to men of the same age. So while it’s relatively rare, it is more common among women. Possible Conditions Causing Rib Cage PainOur app works by showing you how doctors have diagnosed symptoms like rib cage pain in people like you in the past. But since we’ve had over 8,000 chats with users who reported pain in their ribs, we took a look at the conditions most commonly associated with this symptom. Here’s what you need to know about these conditions:
Other Less Common Conditions
Other causes may include a sprain in the muscles of your neck (cervical sprain) or inflammation in your stomach (peptic ulcer disease), parts of your body which are located nearby. Rib or chest pain is also commonly associated with mood disorders, like anxiety. Lung cancer may also cause rib cage pain, although it is a less common cause. How to Address Your Rib Pain and Possible TreatmentsYour rib cage is a collection of bones and tissues, and any of these components can cause rib pain, so it’s important to explore the cause. Anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen can help with pain. If your pain is caused by cough, you can try a cough suppressant. While I always recommend a personal assessment, here are the most common ways people address their pain:
Prevention TipsHere are some things you can do to avoid or minimize pain in your ribs:
Chat with a doctor and get rib pain treatment for just $35 Get startedHow K Health Can HelpMost people with rib cage pain see a doctor, but you could start by doing a free assessment with K Health to learn how people like you with similar rib pain symptoms were diagnosed and treated. Did you know you can get affordable primary care with the K Health app? Download K to check your symptoms, explore conditions and treatments, and if needed text with a doctor in minutes. K Health’s AI-powered app is HIPAA compliant and based on 20 years of clinical data. K Health articles are all written and reviewed by MDs, PhDs, NPs, or PharmDs and are for informational purposes only. This information does not constitute and should not be relied on for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. |