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Pain in the ribs
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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[What is the cause of pain in the ribs?
Injuries and fractures of ribs
Fracture of the ribs is a violation of the integrity of the cartilaginous or bony part of one or several ribs. If one rib or a small number of ribs is broken, and fractures are not accompanied by any complications and other damages, they, as a rule, grow together independently. This does not require any significant intervention or immobilization.
A broken rib heals on its own for several weeks. In the treatment there is no need. But, despite this, if you assume that you have a broken rib and you have pain in the ribs, you should definitely consult a doctor so that he can confirm the diagnosis and check that there is no damage to the lungs.
Titze Syndrome
If certain conditions arise in the cartilaginous part of the ribs, especially in the cartilages that attach to the sternum, an inflammatory process may occur. Pain in the ribs with this disease can appear spontaneously and be quite intense, very similar to an attack of angina pectoris. But the localization of pain can be very diverse. In Titze syndrome, pain can become stronger by pressing the ribs near the sternum or directly on the sternum. Pain with myocardial infarction and angina does not depend on it.
Intercostal neuralgia
Muscle pain or neuralgia can become stronger when exhaling or deep breathing, changes from a change in body position or movements in the chest. Usually it is well probed.
The cause of compression or irritation of the intercostal nerves is the deformation of the intercostal space. Deformation of the intercostal space and pain of the intercostal nerves can lead to even long-term strikes in the chest zone, excessive tension of the internal and external muscles and ligaments of the chest, various types of curvature of the spine, hernia of intervertebral discs of the thoracic region.
Muscle pain in the chest
Pain in the ribs can cause not only squeezing or irritation of the intercostal nerves, but also the excessive tone of one or more muscles. Typically, these are the muscles that unbend the back or muscles of the shoulder blade and shoulder. Muscle pain is characterized by an increase in the intensity of pain when stretching the affected muscle (inclination forward, movement of the shoulder blade or shoulder).
In some cases, muscle pain in the ribs is one of the symptoms of a depressive or anxious condition. Tension in the extensor muscles is one of the characteristic features of these conditions. And in this case, massage, gymnastics and blockades bring relief only for a while.
Osteosarcoma of the ribs and bronchogenic carcinoma, malignant pleural tumors (mesothelioma)
These ailments affect the pleura and are manifested by pain in the ribs, which is directly related to the act of breathing.
Fibromyalgia
Pain in the ribs, caused by muscle diseases, as usual, begins to manifest itself when turning the trunk or during the raising of the hands.
Pleurisy
This is an inflammatory process involving the pulmonary sac or otherwise the pleura where our lungs are located. Pain in the ribs is blunt. To this is added a pronounced restriction of the mobility of the chest.
Anatomy of the ribs
The rib is one of the paired arcuate flat bones that go from the spine to the sternum and form the thorax in all vertebrates. A person has 12 pairs of ribs that adjoin the condyle to the vertebrae. 10 pairs of ribs are connected to the breast bone by cartilage. The first 7 ribs are called "real", and the remaining 5 are "false", while the 11th and 12th pairs of ribs are "free", that is, they join only to the spine and do not connect with the breastbone. Some people can be deprived of the 11th or 12th pair, others, on the contrary, have a 13th pair of "free" ribs. The lower ribs can sometimes be removed surgically for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes (for example, to make the waist narrower - for women, "free" ribs are usually smaller than for men).
Who to contact?
Who should I contact if you have pain in the ribs?
If the pain in the ribs bothers you more than three days and becomes permanent, you must necessarily call a doctor to not miss the course and development of a serious illness. The doctor-traumatologist, the neurologist or the cardiologist will be surveyed, put the correct diagnosis and appoint an adequate treatment.