Right chest pain

There are many names for human physical pain: "health watchdog" and "border guard at the outpost between the human body and the external environment"... All is correct, because the human body reacts to any injury or illness with pain sensations of varying localization, intensity and duration. And the main task is to establish the cause of the pain. Let's figure out what the pain receptors are signaling when we feel pain in the right chest.

Let us clarify right away that "chest" is a concept that varies widely in everyday life. If we stick to the concepts of human anatomy, then this is one of the parts of the body, formed by the sternum, ribs, spine and muscles, that is, the chest (in Latin - compages thoracis). The chest contains the chest cavity and the upper part of the abdominal cavity. All this - both inside and outside - is surrounded by muscles.

We also call the front wall of the chest cavity breast, and in women - the mammary glands located on it (in Latin - mamma). By the way, men also have mammary glands, but they - due to complete uselessness - remain in an underdeveloped state and do not perform any functions.

We will consider pain in the right chest in all variations of the concept of "chest".

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Why does my right breast hurt?

Considering that there are certain organs in the right part of the human chest, the etiology of painful sensations in this localization is most often associated with them.

Pain in the right chest when taking a deep breath gives doctors every reason to assume that a person has developed such a common disease as right-sided pneumonia. Right-sided pneumonia is more common than left-sided pneumonia, because the right bronchus is shorter and wider than the left, which contributes to its infection. At the same time, as doctors note, cases of latent right-sided pneumonia - when it occurs practically without symptoms - have become more frequent recently.

If pain in the right chest when inhaling is accompanied by a cough with serous-purulent sputum, then this may be a sign of any other disease of the lungs and bronchi: bronchitis, pleurisy, tuberculosis, malignant lung tumor.

Pain in the right chest can have muscular or bone etiology. Thus, muscle pain on the right side of the chest is often associated with the so-called myofascial pain syndrome - a spasm of tense muscles, in which there are painful seals near the nerve fibers of muscle tissue. This syndrome is typical for athletes and people associated with constant heavy physical exertion.

There will be severe pain in the right chest (on the right side of the sternum) and with intercostal neuralgia. With this pathology, the pain receptors of the peripheral intercostal nerves react to hypothermia, inflammatory foci, lifting weights, severe stress, sudden movements or a prolonged uncomfortable position. Acute pain in the right chest - along the ribs - spreads to the sternum and intensifies with any movement and even breathing.

A dull pain in the right chest (on the right side of the front, side and back walls of the chest) is typical for spondylosis of the cervical and thoracic spine, in which the vertebrae are deformed due to the growth of bone tissue. Pathological spiky growths on the vertebrae (osteophytes) narrow the spinal canal and compress the nerve endings. This leads to a dull, aching pain in the corresponding section of the spine, which is felt in all the walls of the chest. Also, the cause of pain in the right chest - like intercostal neuralgia - can be thoracic osteochondrosis, which is often confused with pneumonia.

Pain under the right breast and in the right upper abdomen can be caused by acute and chronic diseases of the gallbladder and liver: cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis or hepatitis.

Pain in the right breast in women

Pain in the right breast in women with a normal menstrual cycle is a consequence of natural hormonal changes that occur in the female body every month. Such pain is called mastodynia and, in the absence of pathology, is not strong: minor painful sensations are caused by touching the mammary gland.

However, increased pain in the right breast may be a sign of fibrocystic changes in the breast tissue - mastopathy (diffuse and nodular). With diffuse mastopathy, swelling of the right (or left) breast occurs, tissue compaction, pain and discharge from the nipple appear. Then the disease moves to the second stage - nodular mastopathy. In this case, the pain in the right breast intensifies and becomes almost constant, and the size of the cystic formations increases.

Pain in the right breast (in some areas of the mammary gland) with a change in its shape, reddening of the skin, retraction of the nipple and bloody discharge are signs of breast cancer.

How does pain in the right chest manifest itself?

Acute pain in the right chest - with shortness of breath and attacks of suffocation - may well be a pulmonary embolism, in which the lumen of the blood vessels of the lungs is blocked by a thrombus (a dense blood clot). In this case, the pain occurs suddenly, it becomes difficult to breathe, a dry cough begins, the person sweats heavily and may lose consciousness.

Sharp pain in the right chest (in the rib cage) after physical exertion, coughing or without obvious cause, which radiates to the neck and shoulder and intensifies with breathing and movement, may indicate the presence of air in the pleural cavity between the chest wall and the lung - pneumothorax.

If a burning pain in the right chest (in the right chest) is aggravated by shortness of breath and a wet cough (with purulent sputum), then, most likely, the patient has stage two or three bronchitis or inflammation of the lower lobe of the right lung.

Aching pain in the right chest, extending into the armpit area and sometimes turning into a stabbing pain in the right chest in the absence of tissue lumps, indicates neuralgia.

Constant pulling pain in the right breast in women (that is, in the mammary gland) is most often associated with mastopathy.

Diagnosis of pain in the right chest

Since pain in the right chest occurs with a variety of diseases and can be accompanied by many other symptoms, diagnosis is made not only on the basis of examination of the patient and anamnesis. As a rule, patients with complaints of this nature undergo X-ray examination.

Thus, a chest X-ray makes it possible to detect right-sided pneumonia and begin its treatment in a timely manner. In case of pneumonia, the patient also takes a laboratory blood and sputum test.

Diagnosis of right chest pain due to pulmonary embolism is performed using computed tomography angiography (CT angiography) and electrocardiogram (ECG). X-rays and ultrasound help to identify pneumothorax.

And the diagnosis of pain in the right breast (mammary gland) in women is carried out on the basis of a complete examination, which includes an ultrasound of the mammary gland, mammography, blood tests for hormones and tumor markers. In addition, with nodular mastopathy, as well as with suspicions of benign or malignant tumors of the mammary gland, it may be necessary to take a tissue sample - a biopsy.

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Treatment for pain in the right chest

“You shouldn’t treat the effect without healing the cause” is the basic principle of therapy for all pain syndromes.

Pain in the right chest is treated only after the doctor has established an accurate diagnosis. Pneumonia therapy is aimed at eliminating the source of inflammation, so doctors prescribe a course of antibiotics. And expectorants are used to relieve cough.

In the treatment of pain in the right chest associated with intercostal neuralgia, myofascial pain syndrome, spondylosis of the cervical and thoracic spine and thoracic osteochondrosis, specialists use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, oral analgesics and local anesthetic ointments and gels, and also prescribe various physiotherapy procedures.

Treatment of pain under the right breast and in the right upper abdomen due to cholecystitis, gallstone disease, pancreatitis or hepatitis will be aimed at eliminating pathological processes in the corresponding organs, and, as you yourself understand, self-medication has no place here.

After consulting a mammologist who will determine the cause of breast pain, women receive detailed recommendations for treating the disease. In most cases, treatment of pain in the right breast in women - with negative histological tests for oncology - is conservative. Diuretics, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, and, if necessary, hormonal therapy are prescribed.

Prevention of pain in the right chest

Pain in the right chest that a person feels is a manifestation of many different diseases that arise for various reasons. Is it possible to insure that we never, anywhere and in nothing will hurt?

First of all, you need to treat any illnesses you have and take care of your health, because "whoever expects to ensure health by being lazy is as foolish as the man who thinks to improve his voice by being silent." This was said by the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch.

In Medieval Italy, the city of Salerno, near Naples, had its own medical school, and in the 14th century the Salerno Code of Health was written there, which begins:

If you want to regain your health and not know illness,
Drive away the burden of worries and consider it unworthy to be angry,
Dine modestly, forget about wine, do not consider it useless
To stay awake after meals, avoiding midday sleep.

Don't hold your urine for too long, don't force your bowels with straining;
If you watch this, you will live long in this world.
If there are not enough doctors, let three be your doctors:
A cheerful disposition, peace and moderation in food...