The last three days i've had a sharp pain under my right rib cage. It hurts to breathe, and it hurts when i'm just sitting. About three to five times a day, I'll get a really really sharp pain under my rib cage when breathing and it feels like a big bubble that will only go away if i take a really deep breath, but it hurts too much to breathe or even move. It happens if I laugh or if im laying down and switch positions too fast.. I can't take a deep breath laying down either or the "bubble" will come. I can't breathe hardly at all when it happens. i have to take really quick and short breaths.. it has happened before, but never as bad as the last three days and it's never left me sore. I don't have much of an appetite, and my urine has a strong odor. Ive had a history of bladder infections and a few kidney infections, also i had swollen kidneys and a swollen spleen about four years ago. :-( so i'm not sure if it has any relation to either of those. If anyone has any ideas as to whats wrong with me id greatly appreciate the info. Thanks!
Sudden pain under the rib cage on the right side when trying to breathe is something that affects many. However, the cause isn't always clear. The pain can range in duration, severity, and how occasionally it occurs.
It hurts to breathe in I can't lay down or move without it hurting really bad, what does that mean?
Severe pain under right ribs, pain is getting in intervals of time, hard to breathe even, what's the solution?
This type of pain is reported to typically last from 2 or 3 seconds to a few minutes, though, in some cases, the pain can persist for up to 30 minutes.
The frequency of episodes varies from patient to patient; sometimes occurring daily with multiple episodes each day, or on a less frequent basis with weeks, months, or even years between episodes. During an episode, the affected individual may be unable to move without feeling pain in the chest area. Taking deep breaths may be difficult. Therefore, many individuals take short, shallow breaths until the pain has been relieved.
On rare occasions, breathing in or out suddenly may cause a small popping or cracking sensation in the chest, which results in the pain going away. Many described this as having a 'bubbly' feeling under their ribs Deep breathing was reported to result in this popping sensation, after which the pain seemed to immediately dissipate.
In most cases reported in the discussion, the pain was resolved quickly and completely, and medication was not needed for the pain to subside.
The SteadyHealth members discussed possible causes for the pain under the right rib.
I have not had any kind of infections or anything of the sort so I'm wondering if its from sleeping wrong or sitting on the couch wrong?
For the majority who discussed this problem, an infection indeed wasn't the culprit, but the bad posture could be causing the pain. Others mentioned many other causes, including Precordial Catch Syndrome (PCS), also known as Texidor's Twinge, a common cause of chest pain in children and adolescents, trapped gas, costochondritis, gallbladder stone, pulled abdominal wall muscle, pleurisy, kidney infections, pneumonia, anxiety, esophagitis, trauma from fall, etc.
Although the discussion seeks answers for the pain under the rib cage on the right side, many experienced same pain on the left side.
The majority of participants in the discussion suggested that anyone with this type of pain should consult their doctor to get the right diagnosis, even if the pain doesn't suggest anything serious.
What do experts say?
Pain under a right rib cage is a common complaint that can be caused by a range of conditions, from mild to severe ones. The pain associated with the rib cage may be sudden and sharp or dull and aching. Many cases of rib cage pain are not linked to serious conditions. These usually resolve on their own or with minimal treatment. Others, however, may be caused by more serious conditions, some of which are medical emergencies requiring immediate intervention.
The most common causes of rib cage pain are injuries, such as pulled muscle or bruised ribs. Fractured or broken ribs can be more serious, so it is important to perform an X-ray following the injury to highlight bone breaks and fractures, as well as MRIs and other scans to detect potential soft tissue damage.
Other common problems which may result in pain under the right rib cage are connected with the digestive system. Fatty or fast food, overeating or eating too fast, and a stressful lifestyle all negatively affect our digestive systems.
A feeling of discomfort or pain under your right rib cage is very often caused by excessive gas in your colon. The buildup of gas can be felt in different parts of the abdominal area, however, it usually occurs under the right rib cage.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is another common GI condition. One of the symptoms of IBS is a pain under the left or right rib cage, usually accompanied by excess gas, bloating, and pain in the lower abdominal area.
Sometimes, however, the pain under the right rib cage could indicate something more serious that requires prompt medical attention.
- Costochondritis or Tietze's syndrome is a common cause of this type of pain. It is an inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage that affects the cartilage where the upper ribs attach to the breastbone or sternum. Although costochondritis usually appears as a result of an injury, it can also be a complication after viral infections or upper respiratory diseases. The pain caused by costochondritis can range from mild to severe.
- Pleurisy or pleuritis is an inflammation or infection of pleura, the thin tissues that line the lungs and chest wall. The main symptom associated with pleurisy is a sharp, stabbing pain when you breathe. This pain might go away when you hold your breath or put pressure on the painful area. However, the pain will often get worse when you sneeze, cough, or move.
- There are internal organs which are close to the right rib cage including right kidney, gallbladder, and liver. The pain may occur when one of these organs is infected or inflamed.
- If you feel a sudden, sharp, or a stabbing kind of pain, it may suggest a gallbladder infection or gallstones. This type of pain may last for a few hours, it doesn't go away when changing body position, and you may have difficulty taking a deep breath. In gallbladder inflammation, the pain may spread to the right shoulder.
- If kidney stones affect your right kidney, they may cause extremely severe pain under your right rib cage, which may be accompanied with strong abdominal pain that may spread to the back or groin.
Although rarely, a rib cage pain that gets worse upon breathing deeply, coughing, or laughing can be a sign of lung cancer, especially if other symptoms are present, such as chest pain, cough with blood or phlegm, shortness of breath, and wheezing.
It is, therefore, important to make an appointment if you feel any discomfort or pain under the right rib cage and discuss it with your doctor, especially the pain that won't go away or the one that gets worse over time.
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Discussion highlights
Location of pain
- I get this "bubble" in my chest under my left rib cage, close to my arm pit.
- Im having the sharp pain u.Der my left rib cage and the collar bone as well!
- I have pain on right side under breast more so rib area it got worse and spread to side and right back now it is spread to left side and left rib breathing is hard at times with it.
- But when I bend to far forward when I stretch or lean, then I get this horrendous bubble like feeling under my right rib toward the closer to the center of my body.
- I've been experiencing a mild pain that's only on the right side of my torso, kind of behind my ribs.
How often the pain occurs and how long it usually lasts?
- This pain typically lasts from 2 or 3 seconds to a few minutes, though, in some cases, they can persist for up to 30 minutes.
- The frequency of episodes varies from patient to patient;
- sometimes occurring daily with multiple episodes each day, or on a less frequent basis with weeks, months, or even years between episodes.
- Episodes typically last a couple of seconds to three minutes.
- It happens to me frequently, at least once a week.
- It can give me sleepless nights for days on end but I don't think it's life threatening.
- The last three days i've had a sharp pain under my right rib cage.
- About three to five times a day, I'll get a really really sharp pain under my rib cage when breathing and it feels like a big bubble that will only go away if i take a really deep breath, but it hurts too much to breathe or even move.
- it has happened before, but never as bad as the last three days and it's never left me sore.
What makes the pain worse?
- It gets worse on weekends when I sit around and do nothing but on weekends where I am busy it goes away completely.
- It hurts to take a deep breath, but when I take a deep enough breath there is a 'pop' then it doesn't hurt anymore to take a deep breath.
- so when i take a deep breath, it feels like i've been stabbed in the side and in the neck.
- It hurts to breathe, and it hurts when i'm just sitting.
- It happens if I laugh or if im laying down and switch positions too fast.
What helped relieve the pain?
- I press on the "bubble" and lean as far back as possible as if stretching in the opposite way will cause the bubble to go away.
- To relieve the pain, I'd usually build up courage to take that one deep breath to stop it - it goes away after a painful "snap" or "pop." I've never had it medically checked out, though.
- if I massage it helps, but not completely.
- But if gas is the problem, the best way to help get rid of it is to move around and walk as much as possible, take slow deep breaths and hold it as long as possible, then let out the air slowly, even though it will be painful at first.
- If I breath really really deep and push the air deep to allow full expansion of my lungs the pain goes away for about a good hour or so making me feel good again.
- After a round of strong anti inflammatory and steroids I got better quick.
- I can sleep for as long as 400mg of ibuprofen lasts which seems to be anywhere between 2 and 4 hours.
- One simple chiropractic adjustment fixed it!
- Herbal and green teas are fine.
- The only thing that has helped me is called Mastic Gum (jarrow brand).
- i had my gallbladder taken out and im better easy procedure.
- I held off on any exercise, lifting any heavy and it was better within the next 2 weeks.
- Like I kicked ciggs for about two weeks , no more pain.
- i started burping and it alll went away.
- It was incredibly painful to breathe, but after about 10 minutes of shallow breathing, it went away.
In conclusion
A pain under the right rib cage is a common complaint that is usually not linked to serious medical conditions. It usually resolves on its own or with minimal treatment. This type of pain can indicate some serious condition, although rarely. Therefore, if you feel pain under your right rib cage, don't panic, but certainly consult your doctor if the pain lasts longer or gets worse.