Accompanying symptoms
The accompanying symptoms of rib pain when coughing depend on the cause of the symptom. A broken rib causes pain over the affected side, which becomes worse when breathing in and out vigorously, sneezing, coughing and when moving. Pressure on the broken rib also causes pain.
In addition, one can often feel an accumulation of air in the skin above the affected area. Sometimes the fracture can even be felt as a step. If pleurisy is present, the affected person often suffers from pronounced chest pain during breathing and coughing.
The doctor can hear rattling noises with the stethoscope. The affected persons usually adopt a relieving posture. Inflammation of the pleura can also be accompanied by fever and cause breathing difficulties or shoulder pain. If the rib pain when coughing is the result of a cold or flu, symptoms such as sore throat, fever, cold or aching limbs may occur.
Diagnosis
Rib pain when coughing requires a thorough examination and medical history. When taking a medical history, the doctor will first ask about any trauma, accident or similar and details of the symptoms. During a physical examination, the lungs and heart are listened to. Since a common cause of rib pain when coughing is a fracture of one or more ribs, an x-ray of the chest is often taken to rule out a rib fracture.
Therapy
Depending on the cause of the pain in the ribs when coughing, these may require varying degrees of treatment. A sore rib muscle in the context of a protracted cold typically only requires treatment of the underlying disease. Various treatment methods are available for a broken rib.
A single fractured rib can often be fixed with a bandage to facilitate breathing. This protects those affected from pneumonia. Rarely, if it is a complicated fracture of several ribs, surgery may be necessary.
In some cases, only a drug-based painkiller is sufficient for a broken rib. If pleurisy is the cause of rib pain when coughing, it is extremely important to treat the underlying disease accordingly.This includes antibiotics, painkillers and antipyretic drugs. If a pleural effusion is present at the same time, a thoracic drain is indicated to remove the fluid. If the cause of the pain lies in diseases of organs such as the spleen, pancreas, heart or intestine, targeted treatment of the underlying disease, in addition to painkillers, is part of the treatment of rib pain when coughing.
