Hi and thank you for choosing HCM to post your question . I read carefully your question and my opinion is as follows: Your cough is considered subacute .The most common causes of subacute cough are: 1.Respiratory tract infection with Bordetella pertussis that is a 6 week disease divided into 3 stages,catarrhal ,paroxysmal and convalescent stage.Catarrhal stage is characterized by nasal congestion,sneezing,tearing, low grade fever.The paroxysmal phase is characterized by paroxysms of intense coughing and posttussive vomiting and turning red with coughing.Convalescent stage is characterized by chronic cough which may last for weeks.In this case antibiotics have little value.In this situation antitussives (such as codeine),bronchodilatators (such as Salbutamol inhaler)can help relieve the symptoms. 2.Postnasal drip syndrome lately called Upper airway cough syndrome.It results from rhinosinusitis that can be in nature allergic,bacterial or from other causes. 3.Gastroesophageal reflux disease. From what you wrote in your question it seems to me that the last two options are less possible but i would like to know a bit more about your medical history. Bad coughing spells can cause muscle strain mainly seen on chest muscles,abdominal muscles or muscle in back.A painkiller like ibuprofen can be taken when the pain of the pulled muscle from coughing becomes unbearable. I hope my opinion is helpful to you. Wish you good health. Kind regards Dr.Dushi