Understanding Rib Pain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Before the appearance of pain in the side, the doctor must carry out an exhaustive questionnaire to the patient to orient the origin and rule out relevant pathology, for example, rule out pain of cardiac origin.

Causes of rib or rib pain

There are several medical causes that we consider in the face of coastal pain. Thanks to medical interrogation, we can exclude most of these causes, but we will do so for medical priority order: acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, hepatic or renal colic, rib fracture, herpes zoster, intercostal sprain ...

Trauma

Many times, when assessing a specific rib pain, and having ruled out other possible origins, we will find that the pain is muscular (In most cases). This means that gets worse with movement, deep breathing or postural change. Rib pain is usually associated with trauma from a blunt object, whether in a traffic accident, a fall on a bicycle, or a fall down stairs. It is usually accompanied by the appearance of a local hematoma, with pain on palpation and inspiration.

It is possible that when exploring we will come across a small crackling that will make us think of a possible fracture (by friction between the fragments of the fractured rib). If there is a history of high intensity trauma, we must think about the possibility of finding several rib fractures, therefore. In case of confirming the presence of several rib fractures, it is recommended to performing a CAT scan (computerized axial tomography) that will allow us to see the fracture trace in three dimensions and rule out a lung contusion that may require a specific treatment.

In the event of severe thoracic trauma, admission to the intensive care unit may be indicated until the correct evolution of the blunt tissues is verified.

No history of trauma

Sometimes there is no direct traumatic history but the patient explains a mechanical overload important, such as the lifting a weight elevated or the practice of exercise high intensity or a severe coughing process. This can cause an overload of the musculature located in the intercostal space (intercostal muscles) that will give rise to a pain of mechanical characteristics that will worsen on deep inspiration or when raising the upper limb on the affected side. General Medicine Specialist