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What Causes Sharp Pain Near The Rib Cage?
Question: I just got over pneumonia and now have a sharp pain on my left side near my rib cage. Is this something I should be concerned about? Could it be a ruptured spleen??
Brief Answer:
spleen rupture is unlikely
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question.
Spleen rupture is unlikely unless you have had some trauma to that area.
One of the things that does frequently happen is that you can get some inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the lung, after a pneumonia.
This can cause a sharp pain, that is often (but not always) worse when taking a deep breath.
You should notify your doctor that this is going on. They may want to check some blood tests and get another chest xray to try and figure it out.
Another more serious cause would be a pulmonary embolus (blood clot to the lung) but this would be rare and usually causes a severe shortness of breath.
If you experienced worsening shortness of breath with the onset of pain you should go to emergency.
If it is just the pain then see your doctor for follow up as soon as you can.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
spleen rupture is unlikely
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question.
Spleen rupture is unlikely unless you have had some trauma to that area.
One of the things that does frequently happen is that you can get some inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the lung, after a pneumonia.
This can cause a sharp pain, that is often (but not always) worse when taking a deep breath.
You should notify your doctor that this is going on. They may want to check some blood tests and get another chest xray to try and figure it out.
Another more serious cause would be a pulmonary embolus (blood clot to the lung) but this would be rare and usually causes a severe shortness of breath.
If you experienced worsening shortness of breath with the onset of pain you should go to emergency.
If it is just the pain then see your doctor for follow up as soon as you can.
Regards,
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
In general, it's a dull pain when I'm just sitting or laying still, but when I cough/sneeze/deeply breathe, it is a sharp pain. My mom is a nurse and believes it may be a fractured rib from the severe and prolonged coughing I've had. I've had a bad cough since 10/07/16 and wasn't diagnosed with pneumonia until a week later. Not that I don't trust my mom's medical opinion, but do you think it also could be a fractured rib?
Brief Answer:
possible
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for the follow up.
It is possible to fracture a rib with coughing but not too likely in a young person. We usually see that more in older people with some osteoporosis.
I think some pleural inflammation is more likely.
Take care and I hope you are feeling better very soon.
Dr Robinson
possible
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for the follow up.
It is possible to fracture a rib with coughing but not too likely in a young person. We usually see that more in older people with some osteoporosis.
I think some pleural inflammation is more likely.
Take care and I hope you are feeling better very soon.
Dr Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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