What Causes A Dull Aches At The Bottom Of The Rib Cage?

Posted on Thu, 16 Feb 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 Answered on

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a dull ache on my right side at the bottom of my rib cage been there for about a week--hardly notice it during the day but feel it more at night when in bed

If I push against the bottom of my rib the pain increases slightly-- on a 1 to 10 scale I'd give it a 2

Answered by Dr. Mahaveer Patil (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
muscular pain v/s intra-abdominal pain

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for posting the question.
I have gone through your medical history in detail.

Dull aching pain that has remained for a week now can be due to a muscle spasm /sprain.
You may have unknowingly strained one of the rib cage muscles causing this kind of pain.

Other possibility that i would consider is a abdomen-related cause.For e.g.- Liver pathologies or indigestion / gas problems.

Gall bladder inflammation also should be kept in mind.

I would suggest you to take antacids with analgesic muscle relaxant tablets for 2 days with local analgesic gel application and hot fomentation.

If there is no relief from the symptoms,then you can get a Xray / Ultrasound of the abdomen to rule out abdominal pathologies.

I hope the answer was useful.

Feel free to ask me any follow up queries that you may have.

Thank you.
Best wishes

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana