Pain under the right rib is a reliable sign of diseases of nearby organs, namely: the diaphragm, liver, gall bladder, head of the pancreas, intestinal loops, right kidney. When painful sensations are detected, it would not be superfluous to contact an appropriate specialist for further examination and determine the source of pain.

Pain on the right under the rib can be of a certain nature, intensity, and duration. Knowing about the main causes and characteristics of pain, you can independently assume the possible state of the body.

What causes pain under the right rib?

Diseases that can cause this condition may be:

  • Damage to the right lung and pleura (pneumonia, pleurisy);
  • Heart disease (angina pectoris, MI);
  • Damage to the diaphragm (hiatal hernia, neoplasms, inflammatory lesion);
  • Pathological condition of the liver (hepatitis A, B, C, cirrhotic lesion);
  • Pathology of the gallbladder (cholelithiasis, inflammation processes);
  • Damage to the pancreas;
  • Problems in the intestinal area (appendicitis, ulcerative process in the duodenum);
  • Kidney diseases (pyelonephritis, ICD – especially renal colic);
  • Osteochondrosis of the thoracic and lumbar spine;
  • Tumor formations of the above organs, as well as their traumatic damage.

Symptoms of pain under the right rib

Each individual organ has its own characteristics of pain: nature, duration, intensity. Acute pain is caused by traumatic organ damage, the formation of hematomas and some acute inflammatory diseases. Such pain under the right rib is usually cutting and to eliminate it will require immediate qualified diagnostics. Chronic pain may be present for months, years; to disappear and reappear is determined by a dull, aching character. Using the example of some diseases, we will consider the variants of the course of pain syndrome. According to localization (relative to the right rib), the pain can be located as follows:

Pain under the right rib in front

This localization of pain may appear as a result of the presence of diseases:

  • Pneumonia;
  • Hepatitis (acute and chronic);
  • Cholecystitis;
  • Pancreatitis
  • Pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, polycystic kidney disease;
  • Ulcerative lesion of the duodenum;
  • Acute appendicitis;
  • Parasitic diseases;
  • Inflammation of the appendages in women;
  • Oncological diseases of the lungs, lungs, liver, gallbladder.

Pain under the right rib from behind

The appearance of pain under the right rib from the back can act as a symptom of inflammation of the pancreas or kidney, and you can distinguish between these two conditions yourself. If the problem is hidden in the kidneys, then the symptom of tapping will be positive, which can be checked at home. You need to stand straight and lightly hit the back surface of the lower rib on the right with the edge of your palm. A positive symptom will be considered with the appearance of pain under the right rib from the back. Damage to the pancreas is characterized by girdle pain – pain will be felt under the right rib behind and in front, as well as in the left side.

Pain under the right lower rib

Pain under the lower rib can be caused not only by nearby organs: liver, lungs. Pain in the heart, with angina pectoris or myocardial infarction, can radiate (give) under the right lower rib. With appendicitis, pain can spread under the 12th rib. It is impossible to exclude osteochondrosis of the spine, a tumor process of the chest and abdominal organs or metastatic lesions, tuberculosis of the lungs and spine. It is not possible to identify these diseases on your own, so a timely visit to a medical facility will correct the situation.

Pain under the right rib above

Pain under the right rib at the top can occur not only as a result of diseases of the liver, but also of the lungs – pneumonia, the presence of a hiatal hernia, even intercostal neuralgia can cause such symptoms. In order to determine the true cause, specialists carry out not only an examination of the patient, but also a differential diagnosis that helps distinguish one disease from another.

If we consider the features of the pain syndrome, we can highlight the following:

Aching pain under the right rib

The aching pain under the right rib is long-lasting, it can be suppressed with painkillers and not go to the hospital, although the chronic course of diseases such as hepatitis, pyelonephritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis; helminthic infestations, cancer of the liver, kidneys, and gall bladder may be accompanied by just this type of pain syndrome. And these diseases can be life-threatening.

Sharp pain under the right rib

Sharp pain under the right rib most often accompanies cholecystitis, and the pain will spread to the right half of the chest. In addition to the pain, there will be a feeling of bitterness in the mouth, and it is possible that vomiting of bile will occur, after which relief will occur. However, one should not exclude other causes of this condition: renal or hepatic colic, acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis.

Dull pain under the right rib

A dull pain under the right rib is often combined with aching and can be a consequence of similar diseases of the liver, gall bladder, and kidneys. Do not underestimate this condition of the body, since such a symptom most often does not seek help, but is eliminated with medication. The prolonged presence of dull pain may indicate a complicated course of the disease or a chronic process, so to avoid worsening the condition, you need to seek help.

Sharp pain under the right rib

Acute pain under the right rib is one of the most serious symptoms, the occurrence of which requires immediate medical intervention. As a rule, the source of this condition is surgical pathology: traumatic damage to organs, up to their rupture, organ perforation, acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis, blockage of the lumen of the bile duct or urinary tract with a stone. The pain syndrome can be so severe that the person either tries to adopt a body position that relieves pain, or may lose consciousness.

Severe pain under the right rib

Acute conditions of the disease can lead to severe pain under the right rib. Another reason may be taking medications that are toxic to the liver. Alcohol also has a harmful effect, and if consumed excessively, hepatitis can occur with further development into cirrhosis of the liver. In this case, you should not self-medicate, but it is best to consult a doctor in order to prescribe hepatoprotectors and discontinue the “heavy” drug, prescribing adequate treatment. Severe pain under the right rib, combined with sharp or cutting pain, can be life-threatening.

Nagging pain under the right rib

Nagging pain under the right rib most often appears due to an enlarged liver, the transition of hepatitis to the chronic stage and will be accompanied by yellowing of the skin and sclera, and deterioration of well-being. But these are not the only reasons; any chronic disease can trigger the appearance of nagging pain. Inflammation of the appendages in women also leads to a similar development of pain.

Stitching pain under the right rib

Stitching pain under the right rib is inherent not only in pathology of the liver and gallbladder, but also in problems with the urinary system. The cause of this type of pain can be pyelonephritis and urolithiasis. These diseases will be accompanied by fever and pain when urinating. Even excessive water load in case of kidney disease can provoke the appearance of stabbing pain under the right rib.

There is no point in ignoring the body’s warning about the problem, since pain under the right rib is like a distress signal that should be paid attention to.

Diagnostic features of pain in the right hypochondrium

You can diagnose pain under the right rib yourself based on your own sensations, and a doctor can help determine the source and eliminate the pain. To determine the disease, the doctor will definitely find out everything about the pain that preceded this condition and will conduct a series of studies, starting with ultrasound and biochemical studies, to make an accurate conclusion and subsequently be able to give a referral to a surgeon or oncologist, if necessary. There are situations when people are in no hurry to go to see a doctor for medical help due to tolerable pain, however, if acute pain in the right side, despite taking medications, continues for half an hour, you need to call an ambulance.

Treatment of pain under the right rib

With the appearance of this condition, it is necessary to take appropriate measures. If the pain is prolonged and there are doctor’s orders, then you should adhere to the doctor’s orders. For any painful attack, there are specific treatment features that are associated with each disease individually. But there are also general points:

  • Mode. It is necessary to adhere to bed rest with the exception of both various stresses and nervous overstrain, since the state of the nervous system affects the course of the disease and the speed of recovery;
  • Diet. Compliance with the diet recommended by the doctor (exclude smoked foods, including fried, fatty, spicy foods). So, for example, diet No. 5 according to Pevzner includes the exclusion of fried foods, baked goods, fatty foods, eggs; It is allowed to eat boiled lean meat or fish, vegetables and fruits. This diet is used for diseases of the liver and gall bladder in order to “unload” fat and cholesterol metabolism. Table No. 10 “salt-free diet” according to Pevzner is prescribed in case of development of pyelonephritis and diseases of the cardiovascular system. Steam or eat boiled food without the use of salt;
  • Taking medications as prescribed.

You should not use medications at home, because it may be difficult to formulate a diagnosis in the future; it is enough to get by with a heating pad with ice, which will dull the pain until a specialist arrives. The doctor who came to see the patient at home, in connection with the relief of pain under the right rib, will use antispasmodics and painkillers until he arrives at the medical institution:

  • drotaverine 1-2 tablets taken without chewing 2-3 times a day (for cholelithiasis, urolithiasis – colic) or
  • dicytel – 50 mg 2-3 times a day or 100 mg twice a day with each meal (cholecystitis, colic)
  • nitroglycerin 1 tablet under the tongue to eliminate an attack of angina. After 5 minutes, it is recommended to take nitroglycerin again.

A very important point is acute and sharp pain in the right hypochondrium. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to independently relieve an attack of pain by taking medications or warming up, because surgical pathology is possible, and such self-medication can only cause harm and cause severe and serious consequences. The essence of surgical treatment is to eliminate the source of pain under the right rib: removal of a stone in case of cholelithiasis, removal of the appendix in case of appendicitis. Before the operation, an examination is carried out to exclude complications during surgery and in the postoperative period. The criteria for the effectiveness of treatment is the normalization of the patient’s condition, as well as biochemical parameters and organ functioning.

Most people use traditional methods to eliminate an attack of pain under the right rib.

  • 10g of hop cones need to be covered with 200ml of water. Take up to 3 times a day;
  • A mixture of rose hips (its fruits), plantain, corn silk, take up to two weeks for about 2-3 months;
  • Prepare a decoction: 1 volume of chamomile flowers, 2 volumes of buckthorn bark, 3 shares of knotweed, 4 volumes of immortelle, the same amount of St. John’s wort. Pour all this into 1 liter of cold, clean water and leave to infuse. After 12 hours, boil the infusion for 10 minutes, let it cool and take 1 glass at once. Subsequent doses should be taken after each meal, after an hour.

Prevention of pain under the right rib

To avoid recurrence of episodes of pain in the right hypochondrium, the source of this condition should be removed, undergo a full examination, and in the future follow all prescriptions and recommendations prescribed by the doctor, because in each specific situation they are different.

It is possible to be prescribed to limit the choice of foods that have a detrimental effect on the affected organ. There is no point in staying at home and waiting for everything to go away on its own; it is better to go to a specialist once again than to then suffer from untimely seeking help for pain under the right rib, since this is a very serious problem that should not be shelved.

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