What Causes Discomfort On Left-sided Rib Cage In An Elderly Person?

Posted on Thu, 9 Jun 2016

Question: I am a 71 year old male in good health. Tonight I started feeling some mild discomfort on the left side of my rib cage. It started about four hours ago. I took an Alieve, but it did not make it go away. I can feel it if I take a deep breath...almost like a pulled muscle on my rib cage.

Answered by Dr. Divakara (32 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Get EKG done.

Detailed Answer:
HI

Thanks for posting your query.

There are many conditions that can cause pain in the site mentioned by you. These conditions are

1. Gastritis : Due to excess production of acid in the stomach.
2. Lung Problems.
3. Heart Problems.
4. Compression of nerve at neck level.
5. Chest Muscle problem.

Among these , heart problem is the one which deserves more attention. Also considering your age , i recommend you to get an EKG to check for any cardiac problem first. So kindly get it done and revert back with report.

Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarifications feel free to ask.

Regards.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar