I have a dull pain in my left rib cage, what's going on?

Many people may have experienced rib pain. Sometimes it is caused by fatigue or emotions, and it will get better after proper rest. However, if the left rib pain occurs for a long time, you should be alert to some disease factors, the most common of which is costochondritis.

1. Common symptoms

The lesions are mostly located at the 2nd to 5th costal cartilages in the chest, with the 2nd and 3rd costal cartilages being the most common. The lesions may also invade the manubrium sternum, the inner side of the clavicle and the anterior and inferior costal cartilages. The patient may feel dull or sharp pain in the chest at the affected costal cartilage, with tenderness and swelling. The pain may worsen with deep breathing, coughing or movement of the affected upper limb, and may sometimes radiate to the shoulder or back, and the patient may even be unable to raise the arm. However, there is no change in the local skin. The pain varies in severity and often lingers, affecting the patient's work and study.

The swollen rib cartilage may even persist for months or years after the pain disappears. Sometimes the pain will occur after fatigue, and the onset may be acute or slow. The acute one may occur suddenly, with a stabbing pain, throbbing pain or soreness in the chest; the insidious one develops slowly, unknowingly making the junction of the ribs and costal cartilage bow-shaped, swollen, and dull pain, sometimes radiating to the shoulders, back, armpits, neck and chest, and sometimes chest tightness and shortness of breath. The pain is relieved by resting or lying on the side, and worsens with deep breathing, coughing, lying flat, chest straightening and after fatigue.

2. Treatment of costochondritis with Western medicine

1. Symptomatic treatment. When symptoms are severe, you can rest appropriately and reduce upper limb and chest activities. Local physical therapy, hot compress, and application of anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic drugs.

2. If the pain is obvious and symptomatic treatment is ineffective, local blockade with compound betamethasone injection plus lidocaine can effectively reduce swelling and pain.

3. You can also take Chinese medicine for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis orally, and apply dog ​​skin plaster and pain-relieving ointment externally.

4. For a very small number of patients, the local pain is severe, the above-mentioned treatments are ineffective, which seriously affects the patient's life and work and causes a certain mental burden, or for those suspected of having a malignant tumor, surgical resection may be considered. After the diseased costal cartilage is removed, the local pain may be alleviated or even disappear.