Rib pain may feel like it hurts when touched, when you breathe in, or constantly.
Your healthcare provider may need to have images taken and bloodwork done to properly diagnose your rib pain.
Common Causes
Some of the more common musculoskeletal causes of rib cage pain are as follows.
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Ribs can also be bruised (bone bruise) without a fracture.
With fractures, tenderness is usually very localized.
Your ribs may hurt when touched on or near the injured area.
Symptoms may include swelling along with pain.
Inflammation
Costochondritisis an inflammatory condition that involves the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum.
The condition is common and the pain can sometimes mimic the pain felt in a heart attack.
People with fibromyalgia can experience pain from even a very slight touch.
So can steroid drugs used to treat it.
It can be challenging to diagnose and treat.
With intercostal neuralgia, pain may be felt over the whole chest or along one rib.
You may feel a sharp pain when your healthcare provider presses on the area between the ribs.
Tietze Syndrome
Tietzesyndrome is similar to costochondritis but less common.
Unlike costochondritis, there is swelling that accompanies the inflammation of the cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum.
In some cases, rib cage pain may be the first symptom of cancer.
Your healthcare provider may want to order imaging tests to help rule out a malignancy.
Abronchoscopyand/or a CT scan of the chest can help diagnose lung cancer.
Some potential non-musculoskeletal causes of rib cage pain include the following.
Symptoms include fever, chills, and rash distributed on one side of the body.
The pain can feel like burning and can occur even with a very slight touch.
Heart Disease
Heart disease may cause pain that is felt in the rib cage.
Risk factors include the condition Marfan’s syndrome as well as cardiovascular disease.
Sleep apnea may also play a role.
Pneumonia can also be a cause.
Certain positions may be more painful than others.
They will also ask if there’s anything that makes your pain worse or better.
On physical examination, your healthcare provider will look for pain and signs of swelling or rash.
they may also ask you to do a range of motion tests.
Treatment
The treatment of rib cage pain will depend on the underlying cause.
Sometimes this simply requires reassurance and advice to avoid activities and movements that aggravate the pain.
Exercise and physical therapy, as well as complementary practices such as massage or acupuncture, also may help.
Rib fractures cause pain that persists for several weeks.
If an underlying problem or disease is the cause of rib pain, it will need to be treated.
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