Health & Fitness Tools

What’s Causing My Pain in the Ribcage?

1st November, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Rib pain is not always caused by a rib injury. There are also a number of diseases that trigger rib discomfort, which means it can sometimes be tough to determine the source of the problem. The purpose of this article is to review those causes that are relatively common, but also to touch on some of those that are less well known to the general public.

We’ll start with pain in the ribs caused by rib injuries.

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. Pain from a cracked is broken rib can be so intense that many people say it’s the worst pain they’ve ever felt. Rib fractures occur most frequently because of a blow to the body during athletic competition, a fall, or a vehicular accident. One of the most obvious symptoms is your breathing: it can be extremely uncomfortable just trying to inhale. The damaged area will probably also be sensitive to touch, and any movement involving the torso can result in sharp, stinging discomfort.

Cartilage Injury – Cartilage is the material that connects your ribs to your breastbone. It also gives your ribcage a certain amount of shock absorbency, and helps make it easier for your chest to expand and contract when you breathe. When you have cartilage damage, the pain feels similar to the pain of a cracked rib. Laughing and coughing will cause discomfort. Taking a deep breath will hurt, and an unexpected sneeze can be particularly unpleasant.

Soft Tissue Damage – Soft tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments are spread around the rib cage. These can be stretched, strained or torn in any number of ways: for instance, you may try to push, pull or lift something that’s beyond your capability. You can also hurt yourself performing the same muscular task or repeating the same motion for an extended period of time (known as a repetitive motion injury). The resulting pain can easily be mistaken for pain in the ribs or rib damage.

A number of conditions and disorders related to the bones and joints sometimes result in pain in the ribs. Some of the more common include the following.

Joint inflammation – The older we get, more likely it becomes that we’ll experience joint inflammation in any number of places. When joints near the ribs become inflamed, the pain can feel like it’s happening in your ribcage. There are two conditions that are especially common.

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

Rheumatoid Arthritis – When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks itself. The pain is often most apparent 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 – Pleurisy occurs when the lining between the ribs and the lungs becomes inflamed (the medical name for this lining is the “pleura”). Rib pain caused by pleurisy can be intense, and breathing can become difficult and uncomfortable.

Pneumonia – Generalized pain in the ribs and discomfort in the chest area is one of the symptoms of pneumonia. Anything that involves movement in the upper torso can be painful, especially laughing, coughing or sneezing.

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

Chest pain and soreness in the ribcage area are also characteristic signs of several kinds of cancer, especially multiple myeloma and lung cancer. Approximately 80 percent of myeloma patients report ribcage pain as one of their symptoms.

Anyone who has a lung condition that’s due to tobacco use or long term exposure to pollutants is likely to have pain in the ribs. This is especially true among those who have asbestosis and mesothelioma.

A number of medical illnesses that cause pain in the ribs fall into the “miscellaneous” category.

* Gallbladder problems, especially a gallbladder attack or gallstones

* Nerve disorders or damage. The disease known as “shingles” is included in this category because it often begins with pain in the rib and torso area before progressing to a skin rash.

* Those who use steroids for a long period of time often develop chronic pain in the ribs.

* Individuals who are under a great deal of stress are prone to rib pain. These individuals often take deep, rapid breaths and stretch the soft tissue around the ribcage..

Finally, chest pain from heart problems (known to doctors as “angina”) is sometimes mistaken for pain in the ribs. Angina, of course, is characteristic sign of heart disease.

Clearly, there are many, many different kinds of conditions and injuries that result in pain in the ribs. Some are relatively minor and require little or no treatment – the pain simply goes away with time. Others are very dangerous.

If you have pain in 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]

Do you need additional resources on pain in the ribs? Read Common Ribcage Pain Causes and Why Are Fractured Ribs So Dangerous?. George McKenzie is a retired radio and TV reporter with a special interest in issues related to health and fitness.