Why Do I Have Pain in the Ribs?

When most people experience rib pain, they immediately think it's coming from an injury of some kind. Such isn't necessarily the case, however. Rib pain can also result from a number of medical problems, which may make a quick diagnosis difficult. The goal of this article is to describe the typical causes of rib pain, including some that are overlooked by the general public.

We'll start with rib pain resulting from damage due to an injury. Many people are familiar with the most common types.

Fractured (Broken) or Cracked Ribs – Pain from a cracked or broken rib is generally sharp and extremely severe. Some people who have had broken or cracked ribs say it was the worst pain they've ever felt. Rib fractures are most likely to occur because of a blow to the body during athletic competition, a fall, or a vehicular accident. Just taking a breath can become extremely painful. Any movement of the upper body will probably produce sharp pain. The injured area will probably also be sore and sensitive to touch.

Cartilage Injury – Cartilage is the tissue that connects your ribs to your sternum (breastbone). Cartilage is flexible but tough tissue that makes it easier for your chest to expand and contract when you breathe. It also makes it possible – up to a point – for your ribcage to absorb the shock of a blow. When you have cartilage damage, the pain feels similar to the pain of a cracked rib. Laughing and coughing will cause discomfort. Taking a deep breath will hurt, and an unexpected sneeze can be particularly unpleasant.

Soft Tissue Damage – Your chest and back include dozens of soft tissue formations that circumvent your ribcage: your ligaments, tendons and muscles. These can be stretched, strained or torn in any number of ways: you may try to lift, push or pull something that's too heavy for you. An injury can also result from "repetitive motion," that is, performing the same task over and over for a long period of time. The resulting pain can easily be mistaken for rib pain or rib damage.

Conditions, disorders and diseases of the bones and joints may also cause rib pain. Some of the more common include the following.

Joint inflammation – Few of us are lucky enough to completely escape some form of joint inflammation or irritation as we get older. Anytime a joint near the ribcage becomes inflamed, it may seem like the pain is originating in the ribcage itself. Many people are prone to two conditions in particular.

Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis occurs when joints wear out, causing irritation and inflammation. It sometimes affects the areas which connect the backbone and breastbone to the ribs, resulting in ribcage pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis – When you have this disease, your body's immune system attacks itself. Since there are a lot of bones and joints around your ribcage, it's not unusual for rheumatoid arthritis to strike there.

Rib pain is also a symptom related to a number of diseases, which include the following.

Pleurisy – Pleurisy occurs when the lining between the ribs and the lungs becomes inflamed (the medical name for this lining is the "pleura"). Rib pain caused by pleurisy can be intense, and breathing can become difficult and uncomfortable.

Pneumonia – Rib pain is typical when you have pneumonia. Coughing, laughing, breathing, sneezing can all be painful.

Tuberculosis – Painful ribs is one of the many symptoms of tuberculosis, along with coughing, fever and fatigue.

Chest pain and soreness in the ribcage area are also characteristic symptom of several kinds of cancer, especially multiple myeloma and lung cancer. Rib pain is a symptom in 4 out of 5 myeloma cases.

Patients suffering from mesothelioma or asbestosis are likely to report pain in the ribs, as is anyone who has a lung disorder related to smoking or long term exposure to environmental pollutants.

A variety of other diseases also cause rib pain. Here's a quick list.

* Gallbladder trouble – especially gallbladder attacks and gallstones.

* Spinal or other nerve-related injuries and disorders. Shingles is ia disease which often starts with acute pain in the ribcage area before erupting into an extremely uncomfortable rash.

* Those who abuse steroids often experience rib pain after long term use.

Stress and anxiety that causes rapid breathing that sometimes overextends or strains the muscles around the ribcage.

Lastly, there's angina, which is a medical term for chest pain experienced by those with heart disease. Angina can easily be mistaken for rib pain.

In summary, it's clear that dozens of injuries and conditions can trigger rib pain. Some are relatively minor and require little or no treatment – the pain simply goes away with time. Others are very dangerous.

If you've had rib pain for several days, or if your pain is growing steadily worse, it's probably time to call your doctor.[/body]

Are you searching for additional resources on pain in the ribs? Read Common Ribcage Pain Causes and Why Are Fractured Ribs So Dangerous?. George McKenzie is a retired radio and television news anchor and talk show host with a special interest in topics related to health and fitness.