Pain in right upper abdomen below ribs

Most people are conscious that if you feel pain on the left side of your chest, it might have something to do with your heart. However, what should you do if you experience sudden, sharp pain under your rib cage on the right side of your body?

In this post, we’ll discuss some of the reasons you can experience pain under your right rib cage. Along with this, we’ll tell you about when you should seek medical treatment.

Just under the right side of your rib cage lie several important organs, such as the pancreas, gallbladder, right kidney, and parts of your liver, and small and large intestines. Experts divide the abdomen into four quadrants, and the upper quarter on the right-hand side is the RUQ or right upper quadrant.

Sudden, sharp pain in the RUQ is not usually a cause for concern – some individuals may suffer from gas accumulating in the large intestine where it bends under the rib cage, called a hepatic flexure. This is especially true if you suffer from bowel disorders or gastrointestinal discomfort regularly.

Another reason for pain under the right rib cage is if you’ve strained or injured your intercostal muscles. These muscles line the rib cage and facilitate its movement. So, for example, if you’ve twisted or turned your body or sat at your desk for too long before getting up, you could have pulled one of these muscles. Allowing the body to rest should alleviate symptoms.

When Should I Go To The Hospital?

Crucially, sudden sharp pain in the RUQ can be a sign that something is wrong. Most commonly, especially if the pain is excruciating, happens after you eat a large meal or lasts a long time, you may have developed gallstones. These are formed when there is too much cholesterol in your bile, a substance the gallbladder stores to aid digestion.

Liver problems can also lead to pain under the right rib cage. This can be due to hepatitis, the development of an abscess, or more rarely, a cancerous growth. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, tenderness in the area, fever, and dark urine.

The kidney is also susceptible to infection, cancer, or the development of kidney stones. Symptoms of kidney issues may involve fever, fatigue, and nausea. But if your urine is bloody or smells bad, it is a serious sign, as is painful or frequent urination.

If your symptoms coincide with any of the above, you should see a doctor as soon as you can.

Conclusion

If you’re facing sudden, sharp pain under the right rib cage, it’s wise to visit a qualified health professional. They can diagnose your issues and tell you whether they signal a condition that requires treatment.

At the Northwest Cardiovascular Clinic in Houston, TX, we listen to all of our patients and keep you confident and comfortable through our high-quality care practices. We’re equipped to perform a comprehensive suite of tests to diagnose any potential heart problems. These include electrocardiography, heart rhythm monitoring, and blood tests. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach us at (281) 807-5253.

Biliary colic is a steady or intermittent ache in the upper abdomen, usually under the right side of the rib cage. It happens when something blocks the normal flow of bile from the gallbladder. Bile is a liquid that helps to digest fats. Under normal circumstances, bile is made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. When you eat a meal, bile passes from the gallbladder through the cystic duct and the common bile duct into the small intestine, where it mixes with partially digested food.

Gallstones are the most common reason for biliary colic. If a gallstone blocks either of these ducts, the normal flow of bile into the intestine is disrupted. The muscle cells in the bile duct contract vigorously to try to move the stone, causing the pain of biliary colic. A stricture of the bile duct or a tumor also can block bile flow and cause biliary colic.

A person with biliary colic usually complains of an ache or a feeling of pressure in the upper abdomen. This pain can be in the center of the upper abdomen just below the breastbone, or in the upper right part of the abdomen near the gallbladder and liver. In some people, the abdominal pain spreads back toward the right shoulder blade. Many people also have nausea and vomiting.

Because symptoms of biliary colic usually are triggered by the digestive system’s demand for bile, they are especially common after fatty meals. The symptoms also can occur when a person who has been fasting suddenly breaks the fast and eats a very large meal.

Diagnosis

After you describe your symptoms, your doctor will perform a physical examination, paying particular attention to the upper right portion of your abdomen (the area of your liver and gallbladder). Ultrasound, the same painless procedure used to produce pictures of babies in the womb, can be used to produce pictures of your abdomen so your doctor can look for gallstones. Blood tests also may be done, especially if you have any fever or if your pain persists.

Expected Duration

Most episodes of biliary colic pass after 1 to 5 hours. After the most intense pain passes, your abdomen may continue to ache mildly for about 24 hours.

Prevention

Because biliary colic is usually related to gallstones, it can be prevented by controlling the risk factors for gallstones. Some of these risk factors, such as heredity, increasing age and pregnancy, are a normal part of life. Others, such as obesity and a high-fat diet, are risk factors you can modify through a healthy lifestyle. Women going through menopause who take estrogen (hormone replacement therapy) are also more likely to develop gallstones and biliary colic.

At first, your doctor may prescribe pain medication and encourage you to eat a fat-free diet. If the first episode of biliary colic is particularly severe, or episodes of colic keep retuning, surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) usually is recommended. This procedure can be done through small incisions using an instrument called a laparoscope. The procedure usually requires only a brief stay in the hospital, and some people can leave the hospital the same day they have their operation. It is the most widely used treatment in people troubled by painful gallstones, because it is very effective and safe, with no complications in more than 90 percent of cases.

If surgery cannot be done and symptoms of biliary colic are lasting, medication that dissolves gallstones may be used. However, this medication is expensive and can take months or years to work. Also, only small stones will dissolve. Rarely, medication to dissolve gallstones is combined with a procedure called shock-wave lithotripsy, which uses carefully aimed shock waves to break up gallstones. However, in many people treated with medication or lithotripsy, gallstones tend to form again within a few years.

When To Call a Professional

Call your doctor whenever you have severe abdominal pain, with or without nausea and vomiting. If you have symptoms of biliary colic and you suddenly develop a fever and shaking chills, this may signal a gallbladder infection (cholecystitis), so call your doctor immediately.

Prognosis

As long as you have gallstones that can block your cystic duct or common bile duct, you are at risk for repeated episodes of biliary colic. There is also a 25 percent chance that you will develop acute cholecystitis, or some other complication of gallstones, within 10 to 20 years.

Additional Info

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

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