pain in chest, sometimes

Question for ya.

I recently had a cold, and lost my voice for a couple of days.  Nothing unusual, and this particular strain seemed to hit a lot of people in my area.  All of my symptoms have gone, and I feel 100%.  However, for the past few days there has been this pain in my chest.  It's located on my right side, close to my armpit, but definatly under my rib cage.  At first I thought I had a muscle sore because some kids in my youth group and I were wrestling.  But it hasn't gone away.  It doesn't get any worse, and often I don't feel it at all.  I can breathe fine, no shortness of breathe, no out of the ordinary coughing, no loss of apetite, really no symptoms at all, other than this dull pain.  It hurts the worst when I sneeze or have to exert extra force on my lungs by coughing or taking a quick breath.  The only thing I could attribute it to would be some infection from my recent cold.  Oh, and if I push on my chest in the area of the pain, it hurts a little more.  Let me know what it could be!

Thanks

[National Jewish]

There are several reasons for something like this to occur. The first is the one you have mentioned. This could be an irritation of the muscles in the rib cage area. When the ribs are extended, as in a deep breath, there is pain. It is usually of minor significance and goes away over time. Sometimes, there is inflammation of the nerve under a rib. This can be with a minor infection and be associated with sneezing or coughing episodes. It is usually more painful than muscle pain, but has the same course as muscle pain. The last common problem is when the lining of the lung gets infected with the virus. This is also more painful and takes a little longer to go away. If the symptoms are fading, I would do nothing. If the pain is getting worse or lasting too long, see your physician and a physical examination will tell you where the problem is coming from.