Do you have constant pain under your left rib cage?

One of the problems that may seem very serious at first and cause a lot of fuss is back pain located under the left rib cage. Treatment of some medical issues, which can cause constant pain, has to be conducted as fast as possible, because it can be dangerous. Ribs, coastal cartilages (which attach the sternum and ribs), sernum-breastbone and thoracic vertebrae are parts of the rib cage, which is named so due to the look of the structure. The name thoracic cage is used in medicine for the rib cage, because it guards the lungs and heart. The division of the nerves occurs in the chest-thorax. They come from the spine and split in two; the first part goes half a circle surrounding the chest and under the skin, sending the fibers to the skin's surface. Lower rib cage area is where the second nerve goes from and it surrounds the sternum bone. This nerve goes to the skin surface as well, and returns to the level where the first nerve ends.

Causes

Pleurisy, infection of the cartilage located close to the breast bone, osteoporosis and rib cage pain can be caused by the cracked rib. These problems can be experienced due to fractured rib as well. The first thing you have to do is see if a fracture is present, and it can be done with an X-ray scan. If this is the case, a surgery will correct the problem. Problems like cancer, tumor and nerve damage can lead to pain for a three or more months, and in this situation, CT or MRI scan will have to be performed to diagnose if one of these conditions is causing the pain. The area down the arms and around the back area can be the source of the pain caused by the inflammation of the cartilage that is located between the breastbone and ribcage.

Sensations similar to those related to various lung issues or heart attack will be felt in this case. This issue may be caused by some stomach problem, so consultation with a gastroenterologist is advised. If you are always hungry and the food you eat causes heartburn and pain located under the rib cage at the left side, this pain may be related to the stomach. Pancreas or intestine infection may be the cause of the problem. In this case, routine blood pathology will be needed in order to exclude these causes. Other possible causes are bowel, gastric and digestive disorders. The area where the breast bone and rib cage connect is the area that emits a lot of pain for pregnant women, and this pain will interfere with sleeping patterns and cause trauma. Women in late pregnancy stages suffer from this kind of problem the most.