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Why do ribs hurt? Is this a reason to see a specialist? Should I visit a physiotherapist? Can rib pain be the result of strenuous physical exertion? The question is answered by the drug. Paweł Żmuda-Trzebiatowski.
What are the causes of rib pain?
Hello. I am 20 years old and I have been feeling it recently rib pain. I don’t know why this is happening, I haven’t had any accident, no injury. As evidenced by the pain in the ribs or it may be the result of increased physical exertion, I have been going to the gym for several months, it seems to me that the pain in the ribs appeared from this very moment, but I am not sure. Should I see a doctor, if so, to what. A colleague advised me to privately perform a chest X-ray before the visit, it is probably a good idea. Apart from the pain in the ribs, I have no other symptoms.
The pain in the ribs goes away after a while. Is it possible that in my case the pain in the ribs is the result of overload, I train quite intensively, I do not spare myself. I have had one episode where the pain in the ribs lasted a long time and only went away after taking the painkiller. I’ve never had any rib problems, so I’m worried about this ailment. Maybe he should see a physical therapist? Please help me and explain why my ribs hurt and what should I do about it.
The doctor indicates possible causes of pain in the ribs
Dear Mr. You wrote that you have been going to the gym for several months and that I associate the occurrence of pain with this. It is possible, especially if you have not practiced any sport before. During increased physical effort, muscle fibers are often damaged or the tendons are micro-damaged. The cartilaginous joints of the ribs with the sternum can also be subject to microdamages.
Sometimes, apart from mechanical damage, local inflammation develops, which may increase pain. At the beginning, I would suggest you to reduce the number of training sessions or possibly reduce their intensity. For this you can apply Mr. anti-inflammatory drugsfor example diclofenac or ibuprofen topical gel. If this does not help, I suggest that you go to your GP. It would be good to have laboratory tests, including morphology and CRP, and possibly a chest X-ray.
Apart from injuries or other injuries of the ribs, the differentiation of pain should take into account the costal neuralgia, i.e. pain resulting from damage to the intercostal nerves. The mentioned neuralgia may result from compression of the roots of the spinal nerves by osteoliths or other degenerative changes in the spine, or by a hernia of the intervertebral disc. It is also worth considering Tietz syndrome, which is manifested by pain in the front of the ribs resulting from costal cartilage inflammation. You will get more information from your GP after obtaining the test results.
– Lek. Paweł Żmuda-Trzebiatowski
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