Pain under the right rib is a syndrome that occurs not only in diseases of organs localized in a painful place, but also characterizes a number of other diseases. Painful sensations can spread in the hypochondrium from the pelvic organs, heart, spine, and also indicate gynecological, surgical, parasitic pathologies.
Why does it hurt the side under the ribs on the right?
A stabbing pain in the side on the right does not necessarily indicate a disease. With intense jogging, pain is caused by stretching of the hepatic capsule. However, you should pay attention to them. Such symptoms can be triggered by insufficient preparation, improper breathing or poor warm-up, but in some cases, chronic diseases occur.
In other circumstances, soreness in the right side under the ribs indicates a pathological process.
Causes of pain in the right side
The symptom in question is likely with damage to the following organs:
- gallbladder (gallstone disease, cholecystitis);
- gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, stomach ulcer);
- pancreas (pancreatitis);
- liver (cirrhosis, hepatitis, opisthorchiasis);
- kidney (pyelonephritis);
- heart (angina pectoris, heart attack);
- diaphragm (hernia, swelling);
- right lung (cancer, pneumonia).
Traumatic organ damage and joint diseases (osteochondrosis) can also be the cause.
As a rule, acute stabbing pain implies an acute stage of the disease; with dull aching pains, a chronic course takes place.
How to deal with side pain?
If the symptom occurs while jogging, it is not necessary to seek medical help. It is necessary to smoothly reduce the pace and adjust to a step, start breathing deeply and relax your hands. With regular exercise, you should remember about the need to warm up before running, proper breathing (abdominal breathing and deep breaths), and choosing the optimal load.
If the etiology of pain under the right rib is unclear, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Self-medication in the form of compresses, as well as the use of painkillers, can only worsen the state of health and complicate the diagnosis of the disease.
With the specified description of pain, an immediate call to an ambulance is required:
- acute, suddenly appearing;
- aching, not passing for an hour or more;
- stabbing, provoked by a movement lasting half an hour.
If, along with dull pain in the right edge of the abdomen, nausea and vomiting occur, it is advisable to consult a doctor on the same day.
Treatment for pathology in the right hypochondrium
In order to avoid the development of complications, it is categorically impossible to treat the disease on your own by taking analgesics. The doctor will reliably determine the disease and prescribe treatment, because soreness is just a symptom.
Depending on the diagnosis, the following methods are used in the treatment of the above diseases:
- adherence to a strict diet (from excluding certain foods from the diet to temporary fasting);
- taking medications (antibiotics, antiviral drugs, pain relievers as part of complex therapy, etc.);
- surgical operations (with rapid processes requiring urgent intervention).
For any kind of discomfort under the right rib (stitching, aching, dull), you should immediately contact a specialist.
Causes of pain under the right rib, depending on its location
Depending on the localization of pain, it is possible to determine in which organ the pathological process occurs.
Pain localization - front
Gallbladder disease is the main source of analgesia under the rib on the right side. Bile is formed in the liver, after which it is transferred to the gallbladder, where it accumulates. To normalize digestion after eating, the body produces bile acids.
A narrowing or blockage of the gallbladder duct causes pain after eating a fatty meal due to the need to digest more bile acids.
The concentration of painful feelings in front is characterized by such diseases as gallstone disease, changes in the chemical composition of bile, cholecystitis.
In the presence of stones in the gallbladder, the nature of suffering depends on their size: if the stones are large, the pain is constantly present and when the position of the body changes, it becomes stronger.
In liver diseases, due to its increase, soreness is also felt in the front and radiates to the armpits.
Localization of pain - behind
With the posterior placement of back pain, gallbladder disease or pulmonary disease is diagnosed. It is rather difficult to differentiate by the nature of their sensations. In the right hypochondrium, it aches both with pneumonia and with diseases of the gallbladder. Pain in both conditions is aggravated by breathing. However, lung damage does not accompany pain after eating.
Another group of pathological conditions in which pain is felt in the back is kidney disease. A similar painful reaction is caused by the location of the right kidney, like the gallbladder, under the liver.
A common cause of pain on the right under the rib from the back in women is inflammation of the appendages (fallopian tubes and ovaries), if caused by STDs. Inflammation caused by bacterial infections affects the hepatic capsule.
Infrequent cases of pain in the right hypochondrium
With a lesser frequency under the rib on the right, discomfort occurs in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Parasitic diseases (opisthorchiasis, giardiasis) cause cramps due to blockage of the bile ducts by flatworms and protozoa. Strengthening or weakening of pain syndrome when organs are damaged by worms depends on the period of their life.
Blockage of the bile ducts occurs with an increase in the number of individuals. With echinococcosis, sensations intensify when a sufficient area of the liver tissue is affected.
The syndrome in question may also indicate acute appendicitis or complications after it.
Hepatic pain syndrome
This is a medical designation for recurrent acute pain in the right hypochondrium during exercise and sports.
The etiology of such pain in athletes is the rapid breakdown of glycogen in the liver, which occurs when the body lacks energy. Thanks to this, a person is able to continue physical activity for some time.
Subcostal pain in women of reproductive age
Short-term stabbing sensations in women of reproductive age may occur during ovulation. This is due to the fact that along with the appearance of the egg, follicular fluid accumulates in the peritoneum, which causes irritation, which is accompanied by pain.
Soreness can also manifest itself in various gynecological diseases and in premenstrual syndrome.
The opinion of doctors - how to treat?
When subcostal analgesia appears under the right rib for no obvious reason (such as exercise or premenstrual syndrome), the doctors' opinion is unanimous - to seek help from a specialist. Only an examination and an accurate diagnosis will help to form a competent direction of treatment and will minimize negative consequences.
So, pain in the right hypochondrium can sometimes occur against the background of natural physiological processes, or it may indicate pathological processes. If the cause of the pain syndrome is not clear, a doctor's consultation is mandatory, since without diagnostics it is impossible to figure out on your own in numerous diseases that have pain in the right hypochondrium in symptoms.
