Pain in the ribcage due to coughing on the right side
If the pain is explicitly localized on the right side of the costal arch, this may be an indication of disease or injury to the organs on the corresponding side. In the abdominal cavity this would be the intestine, bile or liver and in the chest cavity the right lung. If affected persons can give a more detailed indication of whether the pain at the costal arch is located rather above or below the diaphragm, possible diagnoses can already be narrowed down.
The lung can cause pain in the form of pneumonia (lat. pneumonia) or pleurisy (lat. pleuritis).
The intestine often causes pain in the ribcage area as part of digestive disorders. If the liver is responsible for the pain, this is usually due to an enlargement of this organ, resulting in tension pain. In the case of problems with the bile, for example gallstones, the pain at the costal arch is increased when coughing, but has the characteristic of being colicky. Of course, it can also be a one-sided contusion after a fall or similar on the costal arch. Also a break, a blockage or sprains would be conceivable.
Pain in the ribcage due to coughing on the left side
If the pain is limited to the left side of the costal arch, the left lung is also a possible organ in the chest area, but in the abdominal cavity only the spleen is possible. As on the right side, the height of the pain at the costal arch, i.e. above or below the diaphragm, can be indicative. If the left lung is considered the trigger in the context of a pneumonia or pleurisy, the pain is expressed as on the other side.
Musculoskeletal causes also differ on the left side only in the localization and not in the symptoms. If the symptoms originate from the spleen, this is usually because the organ is enlarged. The resulting capsule tension pain is often felt below the costal arch and is intensified by the cough.
A closer examination of the spleen should always be carried out in the case of left-sided pain in the costal arch region, as some causes can end in life-threatening complications. Another organ that can cause pain under the costal arch is the heart. However, all the above-mentioned causes of pain are not necessarily triggered by the cough, but sometimes occur at rest.
