Rib pain is often caused by a rib injury, but it can also result from a variety of diseases, disorders and conditions. Some of these are not easy to diagnose quickly. The purpose of this article is to offer an overview of those causes that are relatively common, but also to touch on some of those that are less well known to the general public.

We’ll start with rib pain resulting from damage due to injuries. Many people are familiar with the most common types.

Fractured (Broken) or Cracked Ribs - When you have this type of rib injury, you generally know it because the pain is extremely sharp and severe. Those who have had a cracked or broken rib are likely to say the pain is worse than any other injury they’ve ever experienced. Rib fractures are often the result of vehicular collisions or the collision of bodies during athletic events. One of the most obvious symptoms is your breathing: it can be extremely uncomfortable just trying to inhale. Any movement of the upper body will probably produce sharp pain. The injured area will probably also be sore and sensitive to touch.

Cartilage Injury - Cartilage is the tissue that connects your ribs to your sternum (breastbone). Cartilage is flexible but tough tissue that makes it easier for your chest to expand and contract when you breathe. It also makes it possible - up to a point - for your ribcage to absorb the shock of a blow. When you have cartilage damage, the pain feels similar to the pain of a cracked rib. Laughing and coughing will cause discomfort. Taking a deep breath will hurt, and an unexpected sneeze can be particularly unpleasant.

Soft Tissue Damage - Dozens of muscles, tendons and ligaments surround your ribcage like latticework. These can be stretched, strained or torn in any number of ways: you may try to lift, push or pull something that’s too heavy for you. An injury can also result from repeating the same motion for a long time (knwon as a “repetitive motion injury”) The resulting pain can easily be mistaken for rib pain or rib damage.

There are a number of bone and joint conditions that cause forms of rib pain. Some of the more common include the following.

Joint inflammation - As we get older, joint inflammation becomes more and more likely. When joints near the ribs become inflamed, the pain can feel like it’s happening in your ribcage. There are two conditions that are especially common.

Osteoarthritis - Osteoarthritis can cause irritation and inflammation in many joints all over the body. This includes the areas where the ribs connect to the breastbone and the backbone.

Rheumatoid Arthritis - When you have this disease, your body’s immune system attacks itself. Since there are a lot of bones and joints around your ribcage, it’s not unusual for rheumatoid arthritis to strike there.

Rib pain is also a symptom related to a number of diseases, which include the following.

Pleurisy - Medical professionals call the lining between the lungs and the ribs the “pleura.” When this lining becomes inflamed, the general area of the chest and ribcage will hurt. Rib pain from pleurisy can be intense, and simply inhaling and exhaling can be be uncomfortable.

Pneumonia - Chest discomfort and pain in the ribcage area is one of the characteristic indicators of pneumonia. Breathing can be difficult, and laughing, sneezing or coughing can be downright painful.

Tuberculosis - Rib pain is also characteristic of tuberculosis (commonly known as “TB”). Fatigue, fever and coughing are among the other symptoms.

Chest pain and soreness in the ribcage area are also characteristic signs of several kinds of cancer, especially multiple myeloma and lung cancer. Rib pain is a symptom in 4 out of 5 myeloma cases.

Patients suffering from mesothelioma or asbestosis are likely to complain of pain in the ribs, as is anyone who has a lung disease related to smoking or long term exposure to environmental pollutants.

A number of medical illnesses that cause rib pain fall into the “miscellaneous” category.

* Gallbladder problems, especially a gallbladder attack or gallstones

* Spinal or other nerve-related injuries and disorders. This category includes shingles, which often starts with ribcage pain before erupting into an extremely uncomfortable rash.

* Long time steroid users sometimes develop chronic rib pain.

* Anxiety and stress sometimes cause rib pain. Those who are tense take a lot of deep breaths, which can stretch muscles and tendonssoft tissue in the torso beyond their capacity..

Finally, chest pain from heart conditions (known to doctors as “angina”) is sometimes mistaken for rib pain. Angina, of course, is characteristic symptom of heart disease.

Clearly, there are many, many different kinds of conditions and injuries that result in rib pain. Some are relatively minor and require little or no treatment - the pain simply goes away with time. Others are very dangerous.

If you’ve had rib pain for several days, or if your pain is growing steadily worse, it’s probably time to call your doctor.[/body]

Are you searching for additional information on rib pain? Read Identifying the Causes of Your Ribcage Pain and Fractured Ribs. George McKenzie is a retired TV and radio news anchor and talk show host with a special interest in topics related to health and fitness.