Brief Answer:
It seems to be a muscular pain- treatment recommended and other issues to consider explained

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

By what you explain and the fact that the pain is worse with the cough and is a pain that "moves" location means that it is very likely it is a muscular pain that might happen due to muscular strain due to cough.

Taking paracetamol and Ibuprofen (they can be taken together) might be a good help for the pain if it is bothering.

On the other hand, it is important to think about:
- the cause of the cough. If you have the cough for longer than a week or if you have a fever for longer than 3 days or you feel tired or have shortness of breath than you will need to have an examination with your doctor to find the cause of the cough. A viral infection is the most common cause of cough but the specifications I mentioned make viral infection less likely and this is the reason you need to have a check with a doctor to rule out other more important causes of the cough.

- the arm pain: if it is effected by cough it increases the chance of muscular pain but if the pain is in the left arm, not related to the cough or is not worse when you touch or if you have any previous problems with your heart please talk to your doctor to make sure your heart is doing well. If you have not had any check for the lipids, sugar levels in the blood or no general examination in the last 2 years it is advisable to have them done just to know how you are doing healthwise.

To conclude I would say:
_ use paracetamol and ibuprofen to help with the pain
- talk with your doctor if the cough has any of the above characteristics mentioned so you can rule out more important causes of cough
- also if the arm pain is in the left arm or if you have any heart issues please consider having a check with your doctor to make sure your heart is doing well.
- having a general check every year is recommended for all patients, even if they are not symptomatic, and lipids and sugar levels need to be checked every 2 years and other routine tests might be done at this time to monitor your health status and also diagnose possible problems early.

Hope I have answered your query.

Regards,
Dr. Zotaj Antoneta, General & Family Physician

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