Pain Under Rib Cage

Pain under rib cage is commonly referred to as a side stitch. The occurrence of side stitch is most common during exercise. It is also known as 'Exercise Related Transient Abdominal Pain' (EATP). Pain under rib cage however, could be the result of many different causes. Few of these are mentioned in the article below.

Pain Under Rib Cage
One of the common forms of abdominal pain, pain under rib cage can be the result of problems like gallstones, appendicitis, fractured rib cage, etc. These and many such causes of are described in this article.

Causes of Pain Under Rib Cage
There are many different causes of pain under rib cage; let us find more about them. Before getting into the causes, here is some useful information on left abdominal pain under ribs.

Appendicitis
The main symptom of appendicitis is the pain that occurs on right side of lower abdomen. Slight fever, nausea and vomiting are the other symptoms (apart from pain) of this problem. Pain which occurs in the lower abdomen actually originates in the navel region. Such kind of pain may not be severe, at least initially.

Gallstones
Pain under right rib cage that spreads to the upper back is a primary symptom of this medical condition. This form of back pain can also spread to the right shoulder or portion of chest which is on the right side. Nausea, stomach gas problems and vomiting are other symptoms of gallstones. In case of gallstones, one shouldn't eat anything before receiving proper medical treatment.

Side Stitch
In this medical condition, one experiences a stabbing/sharp pain under the rib cage. As mentioned above, pain commonly occurs while performing an exercise. The side stitch might occur due to contraction of spleen or liver. Diaphragmatic Ischemia, parietal peritoneal irritation and thoracic spine imbalances are the other causes of side stitch.

Fractured Rib Cage
A fractured rib cage can also give rise to sharp pain. Physical injury is the common cause of fracture in ribs. Sometimes the injury may not be caused due to a direct blow however, from coughing hard. People suffering from osteoporosis are prone to such injuries caused to the ribs. One should immediately consult a doctor if sharp pain is experienced; this is because, such kind of pain can be the symptom of injury caused to blood vessels, spleen, lungs, etc.

Pleurisy
In this condition, lining of lungs and other parts of the chest become inflamed. Underlying causes of pleurisy are mainly the infections resulting from tuberculosis and pneumonia; other causes include chest trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc. Stabbing chest pain is experienced by patients of pleurisy.

Intestinal Obstruction
Pain resulting from intestinal obstruction has the underlying causes like cramps which wax and wane. These cramps can intensify suddenly after meals. Watery stool is another sign of intestinal obstruction.

Pain Under Rib Cage on Left Side
Spasms in the spleen is one of the important symptoms of pain under rib cage on the left side. Spleen gets enlarged or swells in size. Causes behind spasms can be diverse however, inflammation of the spinal region is most common amongst them. More facts on left back pain under ribs should be of help to readers.

The reasons behind pain under the rib cage can be varied. Therefore, the treatments used to cure these problems can be recommended/implemented only after proper diagnosis. Pain under rib cage is not a disease or disorder in itself. It could be one of the signs of a disorder/disease or various diseases could exhibit the same symptom of pain under rib cage. Thus, one should take proper care in dealing with this health problem.