How Does The Colon Work
The colon is one of the parts of your digestive system that helps absorb water and minerals and eliminate waste. In addition to the colon, the digestive system consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. Each part of the digestive system has a unique role in breaking down and absorbing calories and nutrients from food. This is vital to the proper function of your body.
Picture the colon as a long tube-like structure curled in your abdominal cavity. On average, an adult colon is about five to six feet long. On one end, the colon connects to the small intestine. The opposite end of the colon is connected to the rectum.
After you eat, involuntary muscle contractions, called peristalsis, move food through the digestive system. The body absorbs nutrients and calories as the food moves through the small intestine. Leftover waste material, which is mostly liquid, then travels to the colon. The colon removes water from the stool and balances electrolytes and pH.
Bacteria in the colon help the digestive process. Peristalsis continues to move the stool to the rectum, so that it can be eliminated during a bowel movement. It takes about 36 hours for food to work its way through your digestive system and pass from your stomach to your rectum.
Bacteria in the colon serve important functions, including:
- synthesizing certain vitamins
- protecting the body from harmful microorganisms
- processing remaining food particles
Rib Cage Nerve Damage
Intercostal neuralgia is a condition that describes pain in the ribs caused by damage to the rib cage nerves. This can be the result of an injury, inflammation, injury to chest muscles, or shingles.
According to a study published in the Journal of Neurology & Translational Neuroscience, nerve damage of the ribs can result in middle back pain that wraps around to the front of the chest. Depending on the location of the damaged nerves, you may also experience shoulder pain, chest pain, and pain in the upper thigh.7
The symptoms of nerve damage that affects the thoracic spine and ribs include:
- Sharp shooting pains in the left rib cage or right rib cage
- Burning pains that cause a lot of discomfort
- Muscle spasms in your back, shoulder, or arm
- Tenderness when touching your rib cage
- Loss of sensation in your middle back or chest wall
Rib Cage Injury/broken Rib
Pain under left rib cage could be from trauma to the rib cage. Trauma to the rib cage includes a broken or fractured rib. Trauma could happen from car accidents, collision, or other blunt force. It causes sharp pains when taking deep breaths or moving.
An x-ray is needed to confirm this cause. The downside of x-rays is it does not always capture all fractures. Simple rib injuries can take up to 2 months to heal. More complex injuries may need surgery.
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Ribs Hurt When I Breathe What Could Be The Reasons
Your left ribs protect several body organs. These include your heart, stomach, as well as your left lung, pancreas, spleen, and left kidney.
Any infection, inflammation, or injury to these organs can result in pain radiating under and around your left rib cage.
Now, lets see in detail the potential causes of pain under left rib cage.
Warm Or Cold Compress
Applying a warm or cold compress to your sore ribs can help to reduce inflammation and get rid of the pain. Using heat or cold can help to treat muscle strains and tears and soothe nerve pain.
When should you use heat or cold for a rib injury that affects your muscles or nerves? Doctors from Johns Hopkins Medical center answer the question as follows:19
- Cold treatment for rib pain. In the first 48 hours after the initial injury, use cold compresses to reduce swelling and prevent blood flow causing bruising.
- Heat treatment for muscle pain in the back. After the initial swelling has gone down, you should switch to heat compresses to get rid of back pain. The heat increases blood circulation and promotes healing.
How to make a compress for sore rib pain relief:
You can use an old clean sock and rice to make an effective cold or hot compress. This is what you should do:
In the first 2 days after an injury, place the cold pack on the sore ribs or back for 15-20 minutes at a time. After this time, place the sock back in the freezer. Use every hour or so to reduce pain and swelling in an injured rib.
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Causes Of An Enlarged Spleen
An enlarged spleen can be caused by infections, cirrhosis and other liver diseases, blood diseases characterized by abnormal blood cells, problems with the lymph system, or other conditions.
Here are some common causes of an enlarged spleen:
Infections
- Lymphoma, a cancer of lymph tissue, such as Hodgkin’s disease
Other causes of an enlarged spleen include:
- Inflammatory diseases such as sarcoidosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis
- Trauma, such as an injury during contact sports
- Cancer that has spread to the spleen
- A cyst, a noncancerous fluid-filled sac
- A large abscess, a pus-filled cavity usually caused by a bacterial infection
- Infiltrative diseases such as Gaucher disease, amyloidosis, or glycogen storage diseases
Pain Under Left Rib Cage: Common Causes And Treatments
Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health
A sharp, aching pain under your left rib cage may cause you panic because of the possibility that it is heart-related pain. While it is true that pain under your ribs on the left-hand side could be a sign of angina or another serious cardiac issue, there are other reasons for pain under your left ribs. For example, kidney disease, an enlarged spleen, heartburn, or other digestive issues can all be reasons for varying degrees of upper abdominal or chest pain on the left side of your body.
You should never ignore any kind of unexplained pain under your ribs or in your abdominal area. For example, chest pain caused by heartburn can sometimes be mistaken for cardiac arrest. An injury to your ribs, such as rib fracture, broken rib, bruised rib or pulled chest muscle will cause rib pain that may wrap around the ribs causing rib pain in the back.
Rib injury will obviously be painful but it may also cause other painful complications like a collapsed lung, pleurisy, or costochondritis . The pain could be noticeable immediately after injuring your rib cage area or it can develop gradually over time.
Some chest pains cause a burning, uncomfortable feeling behind your ribs. Other chest pains can resemble a dull ache that doesnt go away. You may also have other symptoms with the pain in your chest like coughing, nausea, vomiting, or pain that radiates to your jaw, shoulder, neck, or back.
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Stress Fractures And Injuries
Aside from muscle strains, another common cause of rib and back pain is a bone fracture. Stress fractures are most common in contact sports and workplace accidents and can be caused by anything from a long fall to a kick to the chest.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, may also cause fractures in the ribs and rarely the sternum, particularly in older individuals with lower bone density. Ribs can also be bruised without fracturing, which can cause a lot of pain. Osteoporosis increases the risk of rib fractures quite substantially, making them a lot more common.
Injury To Muscles In The Rib Cage
One of the most common reasons for back pain or rib pain is an injury to the intercostal muscles in your rib cage or back. Rib muscle injuries can be caused by trauma to your left-side ribs, sudden upper body movements, or incorrect lifting. This can cause pain that ranges from a mild ache to sharp jabbing pains that can spread to your back.
The journal The Physician and SportsMedicine reports that rib stress fractures and strains can cause muscle pain in the ribs. Rib injuries can happen due to blunt force trauma on the rib cage or repetitive strain injuries. The severity of rib cage pain and back pain depends greatly on the extent of the injury.5
According to doctors from the Victoria State Government, other symptoms of painful rib cage muscle injuries can include:6
- Pain that intensifies when breathing deeply
- Rib cage muscle spasms
- Reduced range of upper body movement
- Tenderness when touching the injured ribs
At the end of the article, you can find out how to use some of the best home remedies for treating rib cage pain and back pain.
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What Is On Your Left Side That Can Cause Pain
The organs located in your left abdomen include your colon, left kidney, spleen, stomach, and pancreas. If you’re not struggling with gas or indigestion, pain on this side is typically a sign that something is off in one of these organs or organ systems.
What’S Causing Pain Under My Left Ribs? | Healthline
Rib Fracture Bruised Rib Injured Or Pulled Chest Muscles
Obviously, trauma or injuring to one or more of your left ribs, or to the muscles connecting your left ribs will cause mild to severe pain depending on the extent of the injury. The pain could wrap around the ribs causing rib pain in the back.
Rib cage injury can also cause further serious complications which can intensify the pain in your ribs. For example, the University of Rochester Medical Center reports that trauma to the left side of your rib cage can damage your spleen or your left kidney. Trauma to the right side of your rib cage can damage your liver or other kidney.18
To treat a broken or fractured rib, its important to get plenty of rest and take pain relief medication. Dr. Colin Tidy on Patent.info says that this is important to help speed up the recovery of a broken rib. The pain relief medication will help you to breathe and cough properly.19
An injury can also damage the xiphoid process which is located at the lower part of the breastbone. Xiphoid process pain can be difficult to diagnose because it can mimic symptoms of other health issues.
You may find some natural pain relievers that work just as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs .
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How Is Left Rib Pain Diagnosed
To figure out whats causing pain in your left rib cage, a doctor will give you a physical exam that includes feeling the affected area. This will help them check for any signs of swelling or inflammation that might be caused by conditions such as costochondritis.
If they suspect the pain could be due to a heart problem, a doctor might use an electrocardiogram to measure the electrical activity in your heart. This will help to rule out any serious underlying condition.
Next, they may take blood, stool, or urine samples for testing. Analyzing these results can alert a doctor to signs of kidney problems, pancreatitis, or gastritis.
If the cause of your rib cage pain still isnt clear, you may need an imaging test, such as:
This will give a doctor a better view of your bones, organs, and tissues.
How Is Chronic Pancreatitis Treated
Depending on the severity and symptoms of the chronic pancreatitis patient, he or she may require hospitalization for pain management, IV hydration, and nutritional support.
Chronic pancreatitis requires the patient to eat a healthy low-fat diet, drinking lots of fluids, limiting caffeine, eating small frequent meals, and making sure you have enough calcium and vitamins in your diet. You may be prescribed pancreatic enzymes, which are taken at each meal. People with chronic pancreatitis should avoid alcohol and smoking.
Your doctor may prescribe pain medicines or even a surgical block for pain relief. Some patients take insulin to control glucose levels. In very severe cases, part or all of the pancreas may be removed.
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Muscle Strain Or Sprains
This is a very common source of pain and injury in this part of the back. Muscle strains and sprains commonly occur from bending down to pick something up, irritation from repetitive activity, or playing a sport. There are many muscles in this part of the spine and rib cage. When these get injured they can get inflamed and extremely tender and sore and end up causing pain with daily activities.
Understanding The Thoracic Spine
The thoracic spine is between the neck and the low back . Its bones are numbered 1-12 and the abbreviation T is used for thoracic. Hence, T6 means the sixth thoracic vertebra .
Whats unique is that the ribs attach here to thethoracic vertebrae. These two structures both constrain and define which movements are possible by the other. And because theyre connected, what happens in one is often felt in the other. In addition, the thoracic vertebrae act as pivot points for the ribs as you breathe in and out. This is often why patients experience pain when taking a deep breath.
Theres an immense amount going on in the thoracic spine. First, there are facet joints where the two vertebrae meet. There is a spinal nerve that exists in this area at each vertebra. The nerve begins as the thoracic spinal nerve and then continues all the way around to the front of the chest as the intercostal nerve. Theres a disc that acts as a shock absorber as well as a multitude of muscles and ligaments. Then there are two areas where each rib attaches to each vertebra . Realize that there can be problems with any one of these structures that can cause pain around the ribs and back symptoms.
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Physical Therapy And Exercise
Maybe you currently have slipping rib syndrome, and you want to exercise to maintain your fitness level. Know that many types of exercises can worsen your symptoms and sabotage the healing process. If you overdo your workouts, you may develop a chronic problem that requires pain injections or surgery to resolve.
Exercises to Avoid
Avoid exercises that place direct pressure on your chest. In addition, avoid exercises that involve throwing or pitching motions . Until you are completely healed, stay away from sports in which you are likely to contact other athletes .
Suggested Exercises
During your recovery, your physician may recommend specific types of gentle exercise. Obtain his or her approval before engaging in any exercise program. Working with a physical therapist may also be beneficial.
Early-stage Exercises
At the beginning, youll need to take it slowvery slow. Your physical therapist or recovery specialist can show you some breathing exercises, which is about as vigorous as youll want to go at first. Focus on segmental breathing, which will help to provide you with more rib mobility.
Expansion Exercises
To further improve your rib joint mobility, engage in thoracic extension and flexion exercises. Seated rotation exercises may also be useful. A physical therapist can also guide you through these exercises.
What Is Acute Pancreatitis
Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that occurs suddenly. A person with acute pancreatitis generally looks and feels very ill and needs immediate medical attention.
The most common causes of acute pancreatitis are excessive alcohol intake and gallstones. After alcohol use, the symptoms can appear within a few hours, or could take several days. Other causes of acute pancreatitis include abdominal trauma, medications, infections, tumors, and genetic abnormalities of the pancreas.
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Anatomy Of Slipping Rib Syndrome
To learn about the workings of any medical condition, a quick review of the related anatomy is useful. To understand how slipping rib syndrome develops, an explanation of your bodys rib structures is a good starting point.
First, everyone has 12 pairs of ribs, with one set on each side of your body. Starting at the top, the first set of ribs attaches to the first thoracic vertebra . The remaining ribs make attachments down to the T11 vertebra. Costovertebral ligaments attach the ribs to the thoracic vertebrae.
The first seven rib sets are connected to the thoracic vertebrae in your back and the sternum . In the front of the rib cage, and between the ribs, are the costochondral joints and costal cartilage. These ribs are referred to as true ribs.
The costal cartilage has considerable elasticity, allowing for expansion of the rib cage. When you take a deep breath, for example, the cartilage allows your rib cage to expand to accommodate the extra volume of air.
Causes Of Pain Under Left Rib Cage
Your heart is located in the center of your chest, slightly to the left. So, generally, most cardiac-related pain affects the left rib cage, left arm, and cause pain in the left shoulder. However, organs like your spleen, pancreas, large intestine, your left kidney and your left lung are all found under your left rib cage. So, any inflammation or infection in these organs will also cause pain in your left upper abdomen and back.
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How To Prevent Pain Under The Left Rib Cage
Prevention of future rib cage pain depends on the initial cause. If the cause is from muscle pain or strains, it is best to warm up the body before fully exerting exercise properly.
Other prevention measures include using exercise equipment properly. It also applies to using correct form and staying hydrated.
You should take enough rest if the pain is caused by an infection, bruising, and injured muscle or rib.
You can apply ice and cold to the affected area to prevent the pain. Other self-care methods include taking hot baths. Hot baths help relax the muscles around the injured or painful areas.
