Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and More

Your left ribs protect the organs that sit below them, like your heart and your stomach. Pain in this area can be caused by injury, infection, or an underlying condition.

If you have pain in your chest, you might worry about a serious condition, such as a heart attack. While it’s true that pain under your left ribs can be a heart attack symptom, discomfort in that area is not always related to your heart.

Depending on the cause, left rib pain might feel sharp and stabbing, or dull and aching. For many people, pain in this area is due to a benign (not harmful), treatable cause. But if you’re having chest pain, it’s best to see a doctor or healthcare professional to make sure it’s nothing serious.

Read on to learn about possible causes of left rib pain, diagnosis, and treatments.

Chest pain can sometimes signal a medical emergency, such as a heart attack. If you’re feeling pain in your left ribs, it’s best not to ignore it.

Heart attack symptoms include:

• pain, discomfort, or a heavy feeling in your chest, usually in the middle or on the left side
• pain or discomfort in your neck, jaw, shoulders, arms, back, or above your belly button
• shortness of breath
• sweating
• fatigue
• nausea and vomiting
• lightheadedness or dizziness
• fast or irregular heart rate

If you think you could be having a heart attack, call 911 or local emergency services right away.

Your rib cage consists of 24 ribs — 12 on the left and 12 on the right side of your body. Their function is to protect your organs that lie beneath them.

On the left side, this includes your heart, left lung, pancreas, spleen, stomach, and left kidney. When any of these organs are infected, inflamed, or injured, pain can radiate under and around your left rib cage. It’s also possible to injure your ribs themselves.

Costochondritis refers to inflammation of the cartilage that attaches your ribs to your breastbone. This condition doesn’t always have a clear cause. It can happen for several reasons, such as:

• an infection
• an injury
• severe coughing

Costochondritis causes a sharp, stabbing pain that’s usually felt on the left side of your rib cage. It may get worse when you cough, sneeze, or press on your ribs.

A forceful blow or injury to your chest is the most common cause of bruised or broken ribs.

If you have a bruised rib, you’ll usually feel pain in your chest that’s worse when you inhale or move.

When a rib is broken, the pain is likely to be severe. It may make you feel like it’s hard to breathe in all the way. Broken ribs can sometimes cause serious complications, such as:

• a collapsed lung
• injuries to your blood vessels or organs, such as your spleen
• flail chest, which is a medical emergency that happens when you have many fractures in your ribs

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are two different digestive conditions. The causes of IBS and IBD aren’t fully known.

IBS and IBD both cause persistent, long-term pain in your abdomen, which is the area from your chest down to your hips. It’s possible for IBS or IBD to cause pain under your left ribs. These conditions also cause digestive symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhea, and gas.

Symptoms may come and go. IBS symptoms tend to improve after you have a bowel movement. IBD is a more serious condition that causes physical changes to your intestines. A doctor can see these changes using imaging tests.

Your pancreas is a gland located near your small intestine, on the left side of your belly. It makes insulin, which your body uses to turn sugar into energy. It also releases digestive juices into your small intestine to help break down food you’ve eaten.

Pancreatitis refers to inflammation of your pancreas. It can have many causes, including:

• injury
• long-term heavy alcohol use
• gallstones

Pain caused by pancreatitis can happen suddenly (acute pancreatitis), or it can slowly get worse over time (chronic pancreatitis). Additional symptoms of pancreatitis include:

• fever
• fast heart rate
• nausea
• vomiting
• weight loss
• jaundice

It’s important to treat pancreatitis to prevent serious complications.

Your spleen also sits in the left side of your body, near your rib cage. This organ is an important part of your immune system. It produces white blood cells that fight infection, and it processes other parts of your blood.

An enlarged spleen, also called splenomegaly, can cause symptoms such as:

• pain or discomfort
• bloating
• feeling full after eating only a small amount of food

Several things can cause an enlarged spleen, including:

• viral infections, such as mononucleosis
• bacterial infections, such as syphilis
• parasitic infections, such as malaria
• blood diseases
• liver diseases

Sometimes, your spleen can rupture, usually as a result of trauma. It’s a medical emergency, and you should get medical attention immediately.

If your spleen ruptures, the area might feel tender when you touch it. In addition to pain, other signs and symptoms can include:

• low blood pressure
• dizziness
• blurry vision
• nausea

More rarely, a splenic infarct happens when a portion of your spleen necrotizes or “dies.” This happens when the blood supply is lowered or stopped, usually as a result of an injury or conditions that affect your blood.

Gastritis refers to inflammation of the lining of your stomach, which is also near the left side of your rib cage.

It doesn’t always cause symptoms, but possible symptoms include:

• pain in your upper abdomen
• feeling full after eating only a small amount of food
• nausea
• vomiting

The causes of gastritis include:

• Helicobacter pylori infection
• frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• long-term, heavy alcohol use

Your kidneys are part of your urinary tract. They’re located on either side of your spine, but when they become inflamed or infected, the pain can radiate to the front of your body. When your left kidney is involved, you might feel pain near the left side of your rib cage.

Kidney stones are hardened calcium and salt deposits that form into stones. They can cause a cramping pain as they move out of your kidneys and make their way toward your bladder. In addition to pain in your left rib cage, kidney stones can also cause:

• an urge to urinate, with little urine coming out
• bloody or cloudy urine
• pain in your side that radiates to the front of your body

Kidney infections occur when bacteria from your urinary tract make their way into your kidneys. This usually happens due to a bladder infection. Additional symptoms of a kidney infection can include fever and nausea.

If you’re having symptoms of a kidney problem, it’s important to see a doctor. You can get a diagnosis and start any treatment that may be needed.

Your heart is surrounded by a fluid-filled sac called the pericardium. Pericarditis refers to inflammation of this sac. This can cause a dull ache or a stabbing pain that’s usually worse when you’re lying down. Pericarditis can also cause a high fever.

Researchers aren’t sure why it happens, but it often occurs after you’ve had a viral infection.

Pericarditis can lead to complications if it is not treated.

Pleurisy happens when the tissue that surrounds your lungs becomes inflamed. Causes of pleurisy include:

• pneumonia
• blood clot in your lung
• injury
• cancer that has spread from another part of your body to the tissue surrounding your lungs
• cancers that specifically affect the tissue surrounding your lungs, such as mesothelioma

Pleurisy on your left side may cause pain under your left rib cage, but the main symptom is a sharp, stabbing pain when you breathe. Be sure to see a doctor if you experience any intense chest pain while breathing.

To figure out what’s causing pain in your left rib cage, a doctor will give you a physical exam that includes feeling the affected area. This will help them check for any signs of swelling or inflammation that might be caused by conditions such as costochondritis.

If they suspect the pain could be due to a heart problem, a doctor might use an electrocardiogram to measure the electrical activity in your heart. This will help to rule out any serious underlying condition.

Next, they may take blood, stool, or urine samples for testing. Analyzing these results can alert a doctor to signs of kidney problems, pancreatitis, or gastritis.

If the cause of your rib cage pain still isn’t clear, you may need an imaging test, such as:

• ultrasound
• CT scan
• X-ray
• endoscopy

This will give a doctor a better view of your bones, organs, and tissues.

What kind of doctor should I see for left rib pain?

There are many possible causes of pain around your left rib cage. A primary care doctor can usually help you determine the cause. If needed, they can refer you to a specialist, such as an orthopedic doctor who treats bones, muscles, and joints.

If you need help finding a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

If you think you could be having a heart attack or other medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services right away.

Treating your left rib cage pain depends on what’s causing it. If it’s related to any type of inflammation, a doctor will likely recommend you take NSAIDs to lower your pain and swelling. In some cases, you may need an antibiotic to clear up a bacterial infection.

Bruised ribs will likely heal with rest, as will broken ribs, if there are no complications.

In rare cases, you may need surgery. For example, if a kidney stone is too large to pass through your body on its own, a doctor may need to surgically remove it.

Given the number of organs in the upper left part of your body, it’s not uncommon to feel pain under the left rib cage. It may be caused be an easily treatable condition.

But if you have pain in this area that’s severe, worsens over time, lasts more than 24 hours, or is associated with any of the serious symptoms above, you should get medical treatment immediately to rule out any underlying conditions.

Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and More

Your left ribs protect the organs that sit below them, like your heart and your stomach. Pain in this area can be caused by injury, infection, or an underlying condition.

If you have pain in your chest, you might worry about a serious condition, such as a heart attack. While it’s true that pain under your left ribs can be a heart attack symptom, discomfort in that area is not always related to your heart.

Depending on the cause, left rib pain might feel sharp and stabbing, or dull and aching. For many people, pain in this area is due to a benign (not harmful), treatable cause. But if you’re having chest pain, it’s best to see a doctor or healthcare professional to make sure it’s nothing serious.

Read on to learn about possible causes of left rib pain, diagnosis, and treatments.

Chest pain can sometimes signal a medical emergency, such as a heart attack. If you’re feeling pain in your left ribs, it’s best not to ignore it.

Heart attack symptoms include:

• pain, discomfort, or a heavy feeling in your chest, usually in the middle or on the left side
• pain or discomfort in your neck, jaw, shoulders, arms, back, or above your belly button
• shortness of breath
• sweating
• fatigue
• nausea and vomiting
• lightheadedness or dizziness
• fast or irregular heart rate

If you think you could be having a heart attack, call 911 or local emergency services right away.

Your rib cage consists of 24 ribs — 12 on the left and 12 on the right side of your body. Their function is to protect your organs that lie beneath them.

On the left side, this includes your heart, left lung, pancreas, spleen, stomach, and left kidney. When any of these organs are infected, inflamed, or injured, pain can radiate under and around your left rib cage. It’s also possible to injure your ribs themselves.

Costochondritis refers to inflammation of the cartilage that attaches your ribs to your breastbone. This condition doesn’t always have a clear cause. It can happen for several reasons, such as:

• an infection
• an injury
• severe coughing

Costochondritis causes a sharp, stabbing pain that’s usually felt on the left side of your rib cage. It may get worse when you cough, sneeze, or press on your ribs.

A forceful blow or injury to your chest is the most common cause of bruised or broken ribs.

If you have a bruised rib, you’ll usually feel pain in your chest that’s worse when you inhale or move.

When a rib is broken, the pain is likely to be severe. It may make you feel like it’s hard to breathe in all the way. Broken ribs can sometimes cause serious complications, such as:

• a collapsed lung
• injuries to your blood vessels or organs, such as your spleen
• flail chest, which is a medical emergency that happens when you have many fractures in your ribs

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are two different digestive conditions. The causes of IBS and IBD aren’t fully known.

IBS and IBD both cause persistent, long-term pain in your abdomen, which is the area from your chest down to your hips. It’s possible for IBS or IBD to cause pain under your left ribs. These conditions also cause digestive symptoms, such as constipation, diarrhea, and gas.

Symptoms may come and go. IBS symptoms tend to improve after you have a bowel movement. IBD is a more serious condition that causes physical changes to your intestines. A doctor can see these changes using imaging tests.

Your pancreas is a gland located near your small intestine, on the left side of your belly. It makes insulin, which your body uses to turn sugar into energy. It also releases digestive juices into your small intestine to help break down food you’ve eaten.

Pancreatitis refers to inflammation of your pancreas. It can have many causes, including:

• injury
• long-term heavy alcohol use
• gallstones

Pain caused by pancreatitis can happen suddenly (acute pancreatitis), or it can slowly get worse over time (chronic pancreatitis). Additional symptoms of pancreatitis include:

• fever
• fast heart rate
• nausea
• vomiting
• weight loss
• jaundice

It’s important to treat pancreatitis to prevent serious complications.

Your spleen also sits in the left side of your body, near your rib cage. This organ is an important part of your immune system. It produces white blood cells that fight infection, and it processes other parts of your blood.

An enlarged spleen, also called splenomegaly, can cause symptoms such as:

• pain or discomfort
• bloating
• feeling full after eating only a small amount of food

Several things can cause an enlarged spleen, including:

• viral infections, such as mononucleosis
• bacterial infections, such as syphilis
• parasitic infections, such as malaria
• blood diseases
• liver diseases

Sometimes, your spleen can rupture, usually as a result of trauma. It’s a medical emergency, and you should get medical attention immediately.

If your spleen ruptures, the area might feel tender when you touch it. In addition to pain, other signs and symptoms can include:

• low blood pressure
• dizziness
• blurry vision
• nausea

More rarely, a splenic infarct happens when a portion of your spleen necrotizes or “dies.” This happens when the blood supply is lowered or stopped, usually as a result of an injury or conditions that affect your blood.

Gastritis refers to inflammation of the lining of your stomach, which is also near the left side of your rib cage.

It doesn’t always cause symptoms, but possible symptoms include:

• pain in your upper abdomen
• feeling full after eating only a small amount of food
• nausea
• vomiting

The causes of gastritis include:

• Helicobacter pylori infection
• frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• long-term, heavy alcohol use

Your kidneys are part of your urinary tract. They’re located on either side of your spine, but when they become inflamed or infected, the pain can radiate to the front of your body. When your left kidney is involved, you might feel pain near the left side of your rib cage.

Kidney stones are hardened calcium and salt deposits that form into stones. They can cause a cramping pain as they move out of your kidneys and make their way toward your bladder. In addition to pain in your left rib cage, kidney stones can also cause:

• an urge to urinate, with little urine coming out
• bloody or cloudy urine
• pain in your side that radiates to the front of your body

Kidney infections occur when bacteria from your urinary tract make their way into your kidneys. This usually happens due to a bladder infection. Additional symptoms of a kidney infection can include fever and nausea.

If you’re having symptoms of a kidney problem, it’s important to see a doctor. You can get a diagnosis and start any treatment that may be needed.

Your heart is surrounded by a fluid-filled sac called the pericardium. Pericarditis refers to inflammation of this sac. This can cause a dull ache or a stabbing pain that’s usually worse when you’re lying down. Pericarditis can also cause a high fever.

Researchers aren’t sure why it happens, but it often occurs after you’ve had a viral infection.

Pericarditis can lead to complications if it is not treated.

Pleurisy happens when the tissue that surrounds your lungs becomes inflamed. Causes of pleurisy include:

• pneumonia
• blood clot in your lung
• injury
• cancer that has spread from another part of your body to the tissue surrounding your lungs
• cancers that specifically affect the tissue surrounding your lungs, such as mesothelioma

Pleurisy on your left side may cause pain under your left rib cage, but the main symptom is a sharp, stabbing pain when you breathe. Be sure to see a doctor if you experience any intense chest pain while breathing.

To figure out what’s causing pain in your left rib cage, a doctor will give you a physical exam that includes feeling the affected area. This will help them check for any signs of swelling or inflammation that might be caused by conditions such as costochondritis.

If they suspect the pain could be due to a heart problem, a doctor might use an electrocardiogram to measure the electrical activity in your heart. This will help to rule out any serious underlying condition.

Next, they may take blood, stool, or urine samples for testing. Analyzing these results can alert a doctor to signs of kidney problems, pancreatitis, or gastritis.

If the cause of your rib cage pain still isn’t clear, you may need an imaging test, such as:

• ultrasound
• CT scan
• X-ray
• endoscopy

This will give a doctor a better view of your bones, organs, and tissues.

What kind of doctor should I see for left rib pain?

There are many possible causes of pain around your left rib cage. A primary care doctor can usually help you determine the cause. If needed, they can refer you to a specialist, such as an orthopedic doctor who treats bones, muscles, and joints.

If you need help finding a primary care doctor, you can browse doctors in your area through the Healthline FindCare tool.

If you think you could be having a heart attack or other medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency services right away.

Treating your left rib cage pain depends on what’s causing it. If it’s related to any type of inflammation, a doctor will likely recommend you take NSAIDs to lower your pain and swelling. In some cases, you may need an antibiotic to clear up a bacterial infection.

Bruised ribs will likely heal with rest, as will broken ribs, if there are no complications.

In rare cases, you may need surgery. For example, if a kidney stone is too large to pass through your body on its own, a doctor may need to surgically remove it.

Given the number of organs in the upper left part of your body, it’s not uncommon to feel pain under the left rib cage. It may be caused be an easily treatable condition.

But if you have pain in this area that’s severe, worsens over time, lasts more than 24 hours, or is associated with any of the serious symptoms above, you should get medical treatment immediately to rule out any underlying conditions.

what can be dangerous and how to treat it??

How does pain in the ribs appear?

Rib pain can vary in severity from barely perceptible to severe and unbearable. It can disturb the patient constantly or make itself felt only from time to time. It is variable in character – shooting, sharp, pulling, aching, pressing and others.

Most common causes of rib pain

1. Traumatic injuries.

When the ribs are bruised, the pain is usually moderate. In the impact area, you can see a hematoma and swelling of the soft tissues. On palpation of the affected area, the discomfort increases. Healing time: from a week to 10 days. After an injury, you should immediately consult a doctor for diagnosis – in order to exclude a fracture of one or more ribs, damage to the chest organs. It is important to make sure that the internal organs are not damaged. If a multiple fracture occurs and several ribs are damaged, the patient may experience pain shock.

2. Neuralgia of intercostal nerves.

Pain in the region of the ribs with neuralgia resembles an electric shock, increases with deep inhalation and exhalation, coughing, sneezing, turning the body. Due to hypothermia, trauma, intense sports load, the development of an infectious disease, irritation of the nerve roots occurs. The feeling that it hurts between the ribs can occur with such pathologies of the thoracic spine as a herniated disc, protrusion, osteochondrosis.

3. Tietze syndrome.

The disease is called costal chondritis . Often patients suffer from this disease for many years. Periods of remissions are replaced by exacerbations. The cartilage tissue increases in volume, the pain appears suddenly, in nature it resembles an attack of angina pectoris. Pain is concentrated in the sternum, but can spread throughout the chest, the pain becomes even stronger during coughing or attempts to breathe deeper. There may be a local increase in temperature and swelling of the affected area.

4. Angina.

Attacks of pain and pressure behind the sternum. Sensations can spread to the left arm, to the neck. The patient may experience anxiety and fear. Heart rhythm disturbances occur.

5. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

In case of pancreatitis, the patient is concerned about pain on the left in the hypochondrium or girdle pain. In acute inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis), an attack of pain can last for several days. The attack may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

6. Pleurisy.

There are two forms of pleurisy – dry and exudative. The dry form is characterized by stabbing pains that subside if the person lies on the affected side. The exudative form is characterized by dull pain in the ribs, shortness of breath, cough, fever. At rest, pain is not felt, it occurs during coughing and deep breathing.

7. Pneumonia.

With pneumonia, a person complains that he has pain in the right hypochondrium or in the left hypochondrium, sensations extend to the back. In addition, the general condition worsens, the temperature rises, and a cough often appears.

8. Periostitis.

Aseptic form due to contusion. In this case, recovery occurs in 5-7 days. And if infection occurs, and purulent periostitis develops (for example, when soft tissues are injured), in addition to acute pain, a deterioration in the general condition of a person is observed. The body temperature rises, chills appear.

9. Shingles.

Pain under the ribs pronounced. In addition to the pain symptom, burning and itching are disturbing. Three days after the onset of the disease, rashes in the form of pink spots appear on the skin over the affected area. In their place, bubbles form, which open up and a crust remains on the affected area. Subsequently, scars may remain in place of the vesicles on the skin. The disease is a dangerous complication – postherpetic neuralgia, which is difficult to treat and brings a lot of discomfort to the patient.

10. Fibromyalgia.

If a person tries to turn or raise his arm, pain occurs. The patient feels pain in the side , in the arms, legs and in general, throughout the body. In addition, he is tormented by such unpleasant sensations as burning, tingling, numbness.

11. Oncological diseases.

For example, costal osteosarcoma. When the tumor is just beginning to develop, the pain is not severe, but over time and as the disease progresses, it becomes more and more acute. Ewing’s sarcoma develops in young patients. The pain grows rapidly, becomes constant – it is felt both day and night. Breathing is difficult, coughing up sputum with an admixture of blood.

12. Muscle hypertonicity.

Due to too much physical exertion, the pectoral muscles are in hypertonicity. There are complaints that hurts between the ribs .

why does the right or left side hurt under the ribs when coughing

Published: April 10

Updated: May 31

Reading time: 4 minutes

Cough is a symptom of many diseases. The appearance of pain in the ribs during coughing attacks is considered an alarming sign. Perhaps complications of the underlying disease have arisen or some new pathology is being formed. Find out why pain radiates to the ribs and how to deal with it.

Ribs hurt when coughing – possible causes

The chest is a complex area in which important organs of the human body are located. As a rule, pain after coughing is caused by diseases of the lungs, heart or spine. Less often, the cause of pain can be an injury. Pain in the region of the ribs occurs in such conditions as:

• Bronchitis.
  Dry cough and pain in the side are associated with an inflammatory process in the bronchi, while during a coughing attack there is tension in the diaphragm, which provokes pain.
• Pneumonia.
  Inflammation of the lungs is accompanied by soreness in the region of the ribs in front and behind, the pain can be aching, sharp or stabbing.
• Pleurisy.
  There are many nerve endings in the thin film surrounding the lungs. With its inflammation, the ribs on the sides do not hurt constantly, the discomfort is aggravated by coughing or taking a deep breath. Acute soreness may radiate from the ribs to the shoulder or down to the abdomen.
• Lung cancer.
  With oncological lesions, the pain syndrome intensifies at the time of coughing. This symptom is typical for the late stage of the disease.
• Intercostal neuralgia.
  The most common cause of acute pain in the side when coughing. It becomes more intense when you cough, take a deep breath or press on the intercostal spaces. The main difference from cardiac pathology is that the symptoms can persist for a whole day, while if the heart is affected, the pain disappears quickly.
• Osteochondrosis.
  When the thoracic spine is affected, the nerve endings are compressed. Due to pinching, the ribs on one side hurt very much, the symptoms intensify during coughing or active movements in the back.
• Injuries.
  Due to a fracture or cracks in the ribs, a sharp pain appears. Strong pain sensations on both sides prevent a person from moving and breathing deeply.

You can guess the cause of discomfort from the side under the ribs by the location of the pain.

If the pain is more localized in the abdomen, read our article “Pain in the abdomen when coughing”.

Pain in the right side under the ribs when coughing

Pain in the right side when coughing is usually caused by exacerbation of diseases of the liver or gallbladder.

• Cholecystitis.
  Chronic sluggish inflammation in the gallbladder can provoke pain under the ribs on the right. Discomfort becomes stronger at the time of exacerbation after errors in the diet.
• Hepatitis.
  A chronic inflammatory process in the liver leads to its enlargement and stretching of the organ capsule. As a result, there is a slight soreness under the right rib in front, which is aggravated by coughing and sneezing.

When coughing, the left side hurts under the ribs

When there are no symptoms of inflammation in the respiratory organs, then pain in the left side when coughing suggests problems with the cardiovascular system.

• Angina.
  Attacks are accompanied by dull pressing pain on the left side, which is aggravated by coughing.
• Myocardial infarction.
  Not always a heart attack proceeds according to a typical scenario. There is an asthmatic form in which shortness of breath, cough and chest pain on the left come to the fore.

Cough attacks with discomfort in the left hypochondrium are also possible in diseases of the stomach, such as gastritis or gastric ulcer.

Cough and pain in the side – what to do?

Treatment begins with finding and eliminating the cause of the discomfort. For help, you can contact a therapist – he will conduct an initial consultation and refer you to a specialized doctor, for example, a cardiologist or neurologist.

For attacks of intercostal neuralgia, painkillers are prescribed in the form of ointments, tablets, intramuscular injections or patches that are glued to the skin. If the pain is related to heart problems, then drugs are used to improve blood circulation and deliver oxygen to the heart muscle. In infectious diseases of the respiratory system, antiviral agents, antibiotics, expectorants and antitussive drugs are used.

Perhaps the doctor will prescribe Rengalin, a drug to combat productive and non-productive cough. The three-component composition of the drug regulates the activity of the cough center, helps to reduce inflammation and swelling, and also moderately expands the bronchi, contributing to faster sputum removal. Rengalin can be used for ARVI and other infectious, inflammatory and allergic diseases of the respiratory system.