Pain under the right rib

Pain under the right rib is a reliable sign of diseases of nearby organs, namely: diaphragm, liver, gall bladder, head of the pancreas, intestinal loops, right kidney. When painful sensations are detected, it would not be superfluous to contact the appropriate specialist for further examination and determination of the source of pain.

Pain on the right side under the rib can have a certain character, intensity, duration. Knowing the main causes and characteristics of pain, you can independently assume the possible state of the body.

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What causes pain under the right rib?

Diseases that can cause this condition may include:

• Damage to the right lung and pleural layers (pneumonia, pleurisy);
• Heart diseases (angina, MI);
• Lesions of the diaphragm (hernia of the esophageal opening of the diaphragm, neoplasms, inflammatory lesions);
• Pathological condition of the liver (hepatitis A, B, C, cirrhosis);
• Pathology of the gallbladder (cholelithiasis, inflammatory processes);
• Pancreatic damage;
• Problems in the intestinal area (appendicitis, ulcerative process in the duodenum);
• Kidney diseases (pyelonephritis, urolithiasis - especially renal colic);
• Osteochondrosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine;
• Tumors of the above-mentioned organs, as well as their traumatic damage.

Symptoms of pain under the right rib

Each individual organ has its own characteristic of pain: nature, duration, intensity. Acute pain is caused by traumatic damage to organs, hematoma formation and some acute inflammatory diseases. Such pains under the right rib are usually cutting and their elimination requires immediate qualified diagnostics. Chronic pain can be present for months, years; disappear and reappear, is determined by a dull, aching character. Using some diseases as an example, we will consider the variants of the course of pain syndrome. According to localization (relative to the right rib), pain can be located as follows:

Pain under the right rib in front

This localization of pain may appear as a result of the presence of diseases:

• Pneumonia;
• Hepatitis (acute and chronic);
• Cholecystitis;
• Pancreatitis;
• Pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease;
• Ulcerative lesion of the duodenum;
• Acute appendicitis;
• Parasitic diseases;
• Inflammation of the appendages in women;
• Oncological diseases of the lungs, lungs, liver, gallbladder.

Pain under the right rib from behind

The appearance of pain under the right rib at the back may be a symptom of inflammation of the pancreas or kidney, and you can distinguish between these two conditions yourself. If the problem is hidden in the kidneys, then the tapping symptom will be positive, which can be tested at home. You need to stand up straight and lightly hit the back of the lower rib on the right with the edge of your palm. A positive symptom will be considered the appearance of pain under the right rib at the back. For damage to the pancreas, girdle pain is characteristic - pain will be under the right rib at the back and in front, as well as on the left side.

Pain under the right lower rib

Pain under the lower rib can be caused not only by nearby organs: liver, lungs. Heart pain, with angina or myocardial infarction, can radiate (give off) under the right lower rib. With appendicitis, pain can spread under the 12th rib. Osteochondrosis of the spine, tumor process of the organs of the chest and abdominal cavity or metastatic lesion, tuberculosis of the lungs, spine cannot be ruled out. It is not possible to independently detect these diseases, therefore, timely treatment to a medical institution will correct the situation.

Pain under the right rib at the top

Pain under the right rib at the top can occur not only as a result of liver disease, but also lung disease - pneumonia, the presence of a hernia of the esophageal opening of the diaphragm, even intercostal neuralgia can cause such symptoms. In order to determine the true cause, specialists conduct not only an examination of the patient, but also differential diagnostics, which helps to distinguish one disease from another.

If we consider the characteristics of pain syndrome, we can highlight the following:

Aching pain under the right rib

Aching pain under the right rib as a rule long-term, it can be dulled by painkillers and not go to the hospital, although the chronic course of such diseases as hepatitis, pyelonephritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis; helminthic invasions, cancer of the liver, kidneys, gall bladder can be accompanied by this type of pain syndrome. And these diseases can be life-threatening.

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Sharp pain under the right rib

Sharp pain under the right rib most often accompanies cholecystitis, and the pain will spread to the right half of the chest. In addition to pain, there will be a feeling of bitterness in the mouth, vomiting of bile is possible, after which relief comes. However, other causes of this condition should not be excluded: renal or hepatic colic, acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis.

Dull pain under the right rib

Dull pain under the right rib is often combined with aching and can be a consequence of similar diseases of the liver, gallbladder, kidneys. Do not underestimate this condition of the body, since with such a symptom, most often they do not seek help, but eliminate it with medication. Long-term presence of dull pain may indicate a complicated course of the disease or chronicity of the process, therefore, to prevent worsening of the condition, you need to seek help.

Sharp pain under the right rib

Acute pain under the right rib is one of the most serious symptoms, the appearance of which requires immediate medical intervention. As a rule, the source of this condition is surgical pathology: traumatic damage to organs, up to their rupture, organ perforation, acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis, blockage of the lumen of the bile ducts or urinary tract by a stone. The pain syndrome can be so severe that a person either tries to take a body position that relieves pain, or may lose consciousness.

Severe pain under the right rib

Acute conditions of the disease can lead to severe pain under the right rib. Another reason may be taking drugs that are toxic to the liver. Alcohol also has a harmful effect, excessive consumption of which can cause hepatitis with further development into cirrhosis of the liver. In this case, self-medication should not be done, but it is best to consult a doctor to prescribe hepatoprotectors and cancel the "heavy" drug, prescribe adequate treatment. Severe pain under the right rib, combined with acute or cutting pain, can be life-threatening for a person.

Aching pain under the right rib

Nagging pain under the right rib most often appears in connection with an enlarged liver, the transition of hepatitis to a chronic stage and will be accompanied by yellowing of the skin and sclera, deterioration of health. But these are not the only reasons, any chronic disease can provoke the appearance of nagging pain. Inflammation of the appendages in women also leads to a similar development of pain.

Stabbing pain under the right rib

Stabbing pain under the right rib is characteristic not only of liver and gallbladder pathology, but also of problems with the urinary system. The cause of this type of pain can be pyelonephritis and urolithiasis. These diseases will be accompanied by fever, pain when urinating. Even excessive water load in kidney diseases can provoke the appearance of stabbing pain under the right rib.

There is no point in ignoring the body's warning about a problem, since pain under the right rib is like a distress signal that should be paid attention to.

Diagnostic features of pain in the right hypochondrium

You can diagnose pain under the right rib yourself based on your own feelings, and a doctor can help you determine the source and eliminate the pain. To determine the disease, the doctor will definitely find out everything about the pain, what preceded this condition and will conduct a series of studies, starting with ultrasound and biochemical studies, to make an accurate conclusion and will subsequently be able to give a referral to a surgeon, oncologist, if necessary. There are situations when people are in no hurry to go to see a doctor to receive medical care due to tolerable painful sensations, however, if acute pain in the right side, despite taking medications, continues for half an hour, you need to call an ambulance.

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Treatment of pain syndrome under the right rib

With the appearance of this condition, it is necessary to take appropriate measures. If the pain is long-term and there are doctor's orders, then you should follow the doctor's orders. For any pain attack, there are specific treatment features that are associated with each disease individually. But there are also general points:

• Regime. It is necessary to adhere to bed rest, excluding both various loads and nervous strain, since the state of the nervous system affects the course of the disease and the rate of recovery;
• Diet. Following the diet recommended by the doctor (exclude smoked foods, including fried, fatty, and spicy foods). For example, diet No. 5 according to Pevzner excludes fried foods, baked goods, fatty foods, and eggs; boiled lean meat or fish, vegetables, and fruits are allowed. This diet is used for liver and gallbladder diseases in order to "unload" fat and cholesterol metabolism. Table No. 10 "salt-free diet" according to Pevzner is prescribed in the case of pyelonephritis and cardiovascular diseases. Steam or boil food without using salt;
• Taking medications as prescribed.

You should not take medications at home, because there may be difficulties with forming a diagnosis in the future; it is enough to use an ice pack, which will dull the pain until the specialist arrives. A doctor who came to see a patient at home, in connection with the relief of pain under the right rib, will use antispasmodics and painkillers until arriving at a medical institution:

• drotaverine 1-2 tablets to be taken without chewing 2-3 times during the day (for gallstones, urolithiasis - colic) or
• dicytel - 50 mg 2-3 times a day or 100 mg twice a day during each meal (cholecystitis, colic)
• nitroglycerin 1 tablet under the tongue to relieve an attack of angina. After 5 minutes, it is recommended to take nitroglycerin again.

A very important point is acute and sharp pain in the right hypochondrium. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to independently relieve an attack of pain by taking medications, warming up, because surgical pathology is possible, and such self-medication can only harm and cause severe and serious consequences. The essence of surgical treatment is to eliminate the source of pain under the right rib: removal of a stone in cholelithiasis, a vermiform appendix in appendicitis. Before the operation, an examination is carried out to exclude complications during surgery and in the postoperative period. The criteria for the effectiveness of treatment are the normalization of the patient's condition, as well as biochemical parameters and organ functioning.

Most people use folk methods to relieve an attack of pain under the right rib.

• 10g of hop cones should be covered with 200ml of water. Take up to 3 times a day;
• A mixture of rose hips (its fruits), plantain, corn silk, take up to two weeks for about 2-3 months;
• Prepare a decoction: 1 volume of chamomile flowers, 2 volumes of buckthorn bark, 3 parts of knotweed, 4 volumes of immortelle, the same amount of St. John's wort. Pour 1 liter of cold clean water over all of this and leave to infuse. After 12 hours, boil the infusion for 10 minutes, let it cool and take 1 glass at once. Take subsequent doses after each meal, after an hour.

Prevention of pain under the right rib

To prevent recurrence of episodes of pain in the right hypochondrium, you should remove the source of this condition, undergo a full examination, and in the future follow all the appointments and recommendations prescribed by the doctor, because in each specific situation they are different.

It is possible that the prescription is to limit the choice of food products that have a detrimental effect on the affected organ. There is no point in staying at home and waiting for everything to pass on its own, it is better to go to a specialist once again than to suffer later from an untimely request for help regarding pain under the right rib, since this is a very serious problem that should not be put off for long.