Have you ever felt an excruciating stabbing pain under the rib cage and all your body cells just screaming “I am dying”? If yes, you must have Googled the conditions and tried to know the symptoms, causes, and treatments. Right?
Well, if you did that, then you might get a lot of information on the subject, but it still doesn’t mean that you are capable of self-diagnosis. Because this sudden pain under your ribs may have a lot of reasons. From simple muscular pain due to sleeping in the wrong position to something as severe as bone cancer- it’s hard to figure out the actual reasons.
Because your rib cage has intercostal muscles, and they start hurting when you sit or sleep in the wrong position for hours. Sometimes exercising hard or forceful body twisting can also cause these muscles to hurt.
However, if you are experiencing something like this, maybe this article helps you know the real causes and all the other things you might want to know about sharp stabbing pain in the right side under the rib.
What Could be the Possible Reasons or Causes of sharp stabbing pain in the right side under the rib?
There could be a lot of possible reasons for pain in the right side of the back under ribs or at the nearest areas. Sometimes broken ribs, chest injury, pulled muscles, diseases like osteoarthritis, lungs inflammation, and intercostal muscle strains are the real reasons that cause sudden pain. However, you cannot be sure 100% about that because liver problems also cause similar pain sometimes.
Therefore, it’s best to consult with your doctors before taking any medications.
Have a look at few important reasons that cause pain in the right side under the ribs and back.
- Rib Injury:
If you have experienced a recent injury under the ribs and pain started after that, your ribs may be bruised. If your pain is getting severe each day especially when you touch, breathe, or cough and it is also accompanied by swelling, then it might be possible that your ribs are fractured. In that case, you need to consult with your doctor as soon as possible.
- Liver Problems:
Your liver exists on the right side of your body just under the rib cage. Now the pain you experience under the rib can also happen due to several Liver issues.
However, always keep in mind that if it is a liver problem, then you might encounter different problems as well. For example, irritating skin, jaundice, abdominal swelling, pain in the ankles, dark-colored urine or stool, nausea, and chronic fatigue.
In that condition, it’s best to include liver-friendly foods in your lifestyle or consult with the physician for proper advice.
- Problems with Gall Bladder:
Your gall stone is located under your liver on the right side of the body. When this small organ gets inflammation, it hurts a lot. The possible reason for the pain could be the presence of gallstones that block the duct.
Sometimes it also could be biliary colic. In that condition, you may experience multiple episodes of pain that could last for hours. Sometimes this pain is extremely intense, and you feel like it’s radiating to the shoulder blade. Moreover, a person also feels nauseous as well as the abdomen will be disturbed for 1 or 2 days.
- Intercostal Muscle Pain:
Our intercostal muscles exist between the ribs and attach them. These muscles stabilize all the chest muscles and help a person breathe.
A person experiences pain every time he moves the muscles, or when the muscles are pulled or partially torn. Now a strain in the layers of intercostal muscles leads to pain and causes breathing difficulties.
- Gas Issues:
If you are experiencing pain in the upper right side under the ribs and then it shifts to another nearest area, then it might be a gas issue.
Gas can also cause excruciating pain in your body.
Your large intestine always bends at two small points existing under your ribs. The left point is known as splenic flexure as well as the right point is called the hepatic flexure.
Now when gas starts to accumulate in these points in your intestine, it always causes a lot of pain. Also, this hepatic flexure syndrome or the pain under your rib cage is usually mistaken as caused by your gall bladder.
- Shingles:
Shingles usually cause terrible pain as well as itchy rashes. The pain can be sometimes sharp, very minor, or excruciating. With shingles, you often experience headaches or fever. The shingles can usually cause sudden sharp pain under the right side of the ribs.
It’s best to get help from your medical practitioner if you have pain under the right rib and feeling a rash that you think could be shingles. It gets more significant if you are expecting.
How can you cure this sharp pain under the ribs?
If you want to cure the sudden pain under your ribs, then first you need to identify its cause. That’s the primary step for treating your problem. If your ribs are bruised and causing pain, then using a cold compress can give some relief.
However, the other way to cure your ribs pain is choosing a medicated mattress, or simply avoiding heavy exercise. Even if you include more fiber in your diet and avoid foods that ultimately cause gas could also reduce your pain and discomfort.
But if your pain is serious and you have other medical conditions as well, then there is nothing more useful than treating early and getting diagnosed by a specialist. They will treat your illness and suggest a permanent cure.
What should you do?
If you are still wondering “what causes pain in my right side under ribs?”, and the pain is not even bearable then it is recommended to consult with your doctor as soon as you can.
However, if the pain is minor, and it stops after a couple of hours, then you don’t need to worry because it might be due to muscular issues or indigestion problems. But remember, if that pain is increasing and keeping you from working, then get the necessary medications and see your doctor.