Right side pain, under the ribs

[vnenov]

I’m a 35 y/o male, 178cm and 155 lbs. I’ve been experiencing right sided pain for about 6 months now. The pain is just under my right ribs. The pain radiates to my back as well. I’ve practiced weight lifting, swimming and karate for years. I'm completely unsure what caused it. It started as very minor pain, more like pressure. I’m fairly athletic and exercise 3-4 days per week, or used to… I haven’t been able to since I’ve had this side pain. The odd thing about the pain is that over few weeks it has gotten a lot worse, rather than getting better and since then stayed almost at the same pain level. This pain has stayed with me every single day for the last 6 months. It gets worse when I sit down. It’s not a sharp stabbing pain, it’s more of a severe ache. It feels like a warm/burning/almost tingly sensation on my right side. The pain goes over to the right side of my back, above my hip bone just below my ribs. It’s like my whole right torso is affected! I have a hard time sitting at my desk for work. Also, driving long distances is very uncomfortable and painful now. It feels like someone is poking me right below my right ribcage and I feel a lot of pressure and a pulling sensation on the right side of my back at times. My right oblique muscles are felt very tight on examination. When sneezing I feel a strong tingling in my right side. Sleeping on my right side doesn’t bother it at all, and when I wake up in the morning, the pain is pretty much gone! But of course within the first 10-15 minutes I start walking around a little bit and sitting down to eat my breakfast, it starts. It progresses throughout the day. (I have a desk job, and of course sitting makes it worse….) I can no longer exercise, all I can do is walk, and even that aggravates it sometimes. Food doesn’t seem to make any difference. What I eat doesn’t bother it. Nobody can figure out what I have. I’ve had many different types of blood tests, I’ve had a CT scan of my right side abdomen, a colonoscopy, an ultrasound of my right side and everything has shown up normal. I’ve been checked for kidney stones, gall stones, kidney problems, liver problems, gallbladder problems, but so far, everything is normal! I did go to physical therapy for a couple of weeks, but it did not help, it only caused me more pain. Same thing with a chiropractor. I have also tried acupuncture and injury massage therapy with no luck. I have booked an appointment for a neurologist, but the earliest one was for April, so I am just waiting and wondering what I should do meanwhile? Do you think I may have Thoracic Radiculopathy or something else related to nerve entrapment? What other diagnostic tests should I have? What medications should I take for the pain/treatment?

Thanks,

Vlad

[martsworldblue]

Hi all i am a 43y old female and I have had the same pain and symptoms that you all describe and have been suffering and getting worse over the past 6 years.
I have had intercostal nerve blocks several times and now i have permanent numbness in my hand, hip and its now so painful to walk i have given up with the treatment - i didn't realize the risks involved with this treatment.
I have now been diagnosed with slipping rib syndrome after fighting with UK doctors to perform the hooking test maneuver.and now i have hit a wall as it seems no Doctor in the UK wants to operate and remove the rib and cartilages.
Has anyone found a Doctor/Specialist in Europe that would help in my fight to be pain free
They want me to go onto morphine and then i will in a world of my own.
Can anyone help
Michelle

[datmeowcat]

This is exactly what I am experiencing right now. It has been about six months and the pain is in my lower right two ribs, like right underneath it. It came on and off and has been more severe this past month than ever. Mine only hurt when I walked around or if I jumped or anything like that and has now gotten to the point if i lay down or sit it hurts but then rests until i stand up again. I have gotten blood work and an ultrasound for my gallbladder and it came back negative and I have no idea what to do. I have now been referred to a gastroenterologist and my appt is tm... but I am so nervous they won't know. This was perfectly described. Has anyone found any answer?

[Nekochan17]

Vlad, my husband has had the same pain and experience for the last seven years or so. He too, is a black belt in Karate. Has anyone mentioned whether or not Karate or exercising past "normal" physical limits has caused this? My husband is from Central Asia and his exercise regime is intense when he does Karate. Is the diagnosis still chronic insertionitis? Thanks.

[majdi1975]

I'm 37yrs, 170cm and 83kg. I have exactly the same pain describe here for almost a year, but it radiates between left to right and build up with sitting or while driving.
I did bodybuilding in the past, before this problem I maintained a sport habit with a high protein input. I do office work for the last 5 years and suffered some pressures in life last 2 years..  

I did CT for the liver, lungs. Ultrasound for the abdomen, Endoscopy for the stomach, heart diagnosis .. . I was diagnosed with colon ulcer, after taking the treatment the symptoms still exist. The symptoms terribly intensity when getting emotionally angry and it feels like a belt tight around my lower ribs. There are more stomach gases since this problem started.

Recently I received injections for gallbladder inflammation/stones, but nothing changed.

I discovered that drinking more water and taking 1-2 Aspiring tablets per day reduce the tension by 60-90%.

Much thanks for vnenov for sharing this information, hope vnenov  
can come back to tell us the what happened next.

[majdi1975]

I'm 37yrs, 170cm and 83kg. I have exactly the same pain describe here for almost a year, but it radiates between left to right and build up with sitting or while driving.
I did bodybuilding in the past, before this problem I maintained a sport habit with a high protein input. I do office work for the last 5 years and suffered some pressures in life last 2 years..  

I did CT for the liver, lungs. Ultrasound for the abdomen, Endoscopy for the stomach, heart diagnosis .. . I was diagnosed with colon ulcer, after taking the treatment the symptoms still exist. The symptoms terribly intensity when getting emotionally angry and it feels like a belt tight around my lower ribs. There are more stomach gases since this problem started.

Recently I received injections for gallbladder inflammation/stones, but nothing changed.

I discovered that drinking more water and taking 1-2 Aspiring tables per day reduces the tension by 60-90%.

Much thanks for vnenov for sharing this information, hope vnenov  
can come back to tell us the what happened next.

[mfeist]

wow. I can't believe I am reading this. I too feel your exact pain.Thanks to you I have somewhere new to start in self diagnosing myself. I just left my doctors office (for the 4th time) in FUMES!! after he asked me, "I'm not exactly sure what it is you want me to do for you I've run out of ideas." I am waiting for my MRI now but am really frustrated. Thank you for sharing all of your findings. I very much appreciated it.

Michel