Pain when you take a deep breath

Pain when taking a deep breath may indicate pleural diseases, the penetration of viruses into the body or the heart as a source of pain. Although in many cases, pain when inhaling is not associated with heart disease or respiratory organs. Pain when taking a deep breath can be strong and sharp or, conversely, pulling and weak. Why does pain occur when taking a deep breath and what are the accompanying symptoms?

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What causes pain when taking a deep breath?

These reasons can be very diverse, and each of the diseases has different symptoms. Here are the most common causes of pain when taking a deep breath.

• Inflammation of the membrane
• Developmental disorders of the costal spine
• Shortening of the interpleural ligament
• Intercostal neuralgia
• Renal colic
• Rib injuries
• Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine

Let's take a closer look at each of these reasons that make us suffer from chest pain when inhaling.

Inflammation of the membrane

The membrane that lines the chest cavity and covers the lungs tends to become inflamed. This most often occurs with pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs).

Reasons

The causes of membrane inflammation, i.e. pleurisy, can be the penetration of infections into the body, as well as injuries to the breast cells, tumors - malignant and benign. Inflammation of the membrane can be primary or secondary, depending on the cause of occurrence. Secondary pleurisy (inflammation of the membrane) is a process that is a consequence of chronic inflammation in the lungs.

Symptoms

1. The pain from this type of inflammation becomes weaker when a person turns onto the side that hurts.
2. A person cannot breathe normally because the pain may increase with respiratory activity
3. Breathing may be weakened because the person is afraid of pain and breathes more weakly.
4. When listening, pleural noise can be heard
5. There may be a subfebrile temperature.
6. Chills, sweats (especially at night), weakness

Restriction of active chest movements

All this provokes pain during deep inhalation, especially deep, and exhalation. As a rule, breathing is shallow, because a person is afraid of pain and spares his own body, trying not to breathe deeply.

Reasons

• Violations of the functions of the rib cage
• Developmental or functional disorders of the thoracic spine
• Tumors of the pleura
• Pericarditis, dry or purulent

Symptoms

The pain may increase with active movements, deep breathing (inhalation and exhalation), the person may experience shortness of breath, difficulty breathing. The pain may be sharp or not strong - its intensity varies.

Shortening of the interpleural ligament

With this disease, not only does it hurt when you inhale, but a cough may also appear, and it may be mild and persistent.

Reasons

Inflammation in the body due to the invasion of viruses and bacteria, a weak immune system can be the cause of shortening of the ligaments. In this case, they can shift and poorly perform their role in the body.

Symptoms

• Pain when inhaling and exhaling deeply
• Constant coughing
• Coughing intensifies when talking, during active physical activity, or when running.
• The pain can be stabbing or sharp.

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Intercostal neuralgia

Doctors define this disease as the most "suffering". With it, a person suffers from severe pain in the chest. They tend to increase sharply with a deep breath and exhale. Symptoms that are similar to signs of intercostal neuralgia can occur due to spasms of the back muscles - one muscle or several. Then the pain increases gradually and they occur if the affected muscle is stretched, for example, when bending over.

Reasons

• Irritation, pinching of nerve roots in the thoracic spine
• Pinched or inflamed nerve endings in the space between the ribs
• Osteochondrosis
• Spondylitis
• Psychological stress
• Chest injuries
• Heavy physical exertion
• Allergy
• Aortic aneurysm

Symptoms

• Pain when inhaling and exhaling deeply, similar to heart pain
• The pain increases with movement
• The pain intensifies when sneezing and coughing
• The pain intensifies with any movement of the body
• The pain is burning, in the form of an attack, and occurs suddenly
• Pain may occur only on one side in the chest area, pain under the shoulder blades and even in the lower back
• The pain becomes stronger when palpating the affected area - its direction can be determined along the course of the nerve

Pain from intercostal neuralgia is not relieved by taking nitroglycerin, as is the case with heart pain.

Renal colic

Renal colic is a very painful disease. The pain that occurs with it is characterized as unbearable, vicious, sharp, and extremely severe. A person with these pains tends to experience severe suffering. An attack of renal colic often comes unexpectedly, covers the lumbar region, abdomen. Before an attack of renal colic occurs, a person may experience pain in the kidney, at first slight, then more severe.

Reasons

• Urolithiasis
• Vascular diseases
• Inflammation in the body
• Allergy
• Diseases of the kidneys and urinary system
• Injuries
• Tumor in the bladder and kidneys
• Increased pressure inside the kidneys

Symptoms

• The pain is growing rapidly
• Pain can occur suddenly
• The pain can radiate from the lower back to the thigh, groin, and reproductive organs.
• Chills
• High temperature
• Fever
• Urge to urinate, which is extremely painful
• Increased heart rate
• A sharp increase in pressure
• Colic in the lumbar region - short-term or not going away for 2-3 days

Rib fracture

When a person receives a strong blow, their chest can be compressed. The ribs are damaged and may be fractured. With such damage or injury, a person may feel severe pain when taking a deep breath and exhaling, as well as coughing. Such injuries are quite common - rib contusions occur in about 10% of cases of body injuries. Since the chest contains many vital organs, such as the heart and lungs, breathing when they are damaged can often cause pain and suffering. Chest injuries can be open (clearly visible) and closed (when the broken ribs or damaged organ are not visible under the skin).

Reasons

• Injuries
• Blows
• Bruises
• Falls

Symptoms

Severe pain when inhaling and exhaling deeply, pain when palpating the damaged area, chest pain in the direction of pressing (deeply). Breathing with such pain can be shallow and short, because the person is afraid of pain. When coughing, chest pain can increase sharply. If the patient is sitting, the pain can weaken. It increases in a standing position.

Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine

Pain when taking a deep breath may be a consequence of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine, as a rule, deviates slightly backwards (it is convex). Because of this, the load on the fragile vertebrae is distributed unevenly, it is greater in the front and side of the spine. There, with strong physical exertion, osteophytes can begin to grow - small but sharp bone outgrowths.

In other parts of the spine, they usually painfully injure the nerve roots, which become inflamed and hurt a lot. But in the front and side of the spine there are no nerve roots, so thoracic osteochondrosis initially occurs without any symptoms of pain. But they arise due to disorders in the joints that serve to connect the vertebrae.

There are openings between the vertebrae. Which can narrow and thus compress the nerve fibers. This happens during the processes of vertebral dystrophy. Then there is severe pain, which intensifies with a deep breath. And disturbances in the functioning of the internal organs aggravate this process.

Reasons

• Disorders of internal organs (lungs, heart)
• Compression of nerve roots
• Bad posture
• Frequent colds
• Intervertebral disc dysfunction
• Bone tissue dystrophy
• Long-term incorrect posture, sitting in one position

Symptoms

• Chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing
• Pain between the shoulder blades
• Pain that gets worse with movement
• Liver dysfunction
• Impaired mobility of the spine, especially its upper part
• Pain between the ribs

Where should you go if you have pain when taking a deep breath?

Pain when taking a deep breath, as you already understood, is the cause of many diseases that can only be diagnosed by visiting a doctor. Therefore, do not delay a visit to a traumatologist, neurologist or orthopedist if the pain when taking a deep breath lasts more than a day and intensifies.