Quite often, when coughing, it hurts in chest, and the more intense the pain, the more anxiety arises, especially when the child is sick. Cough and chest pain are not always a consequence of pathological disorders in the respiratory system. Sometimes the diagnosis can be surprising.
Common Causes
A common cause of chest pain during coughing is overstrain of the intercostal muscles. They allow the intercostal space to expand / narrow during breathing, and frequent spasms cause lactic acid to build up, leading to pain. To confirm this, it is enough to feel the muscles between the ribs, if the sensations are unpleasant, the assumption is correct.
Drinking plenty of water and breathing in the steam is the best thing you can do to ease mucus buildup. Maintaining a healthy diet and avoiding smoking will also help relieve mucus buildup. You should also avoid dairy and dairy products when you have mucus as they improve mucus production. Pain relievers such as aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen can help relieve pain and swelling. If you are experiencing a persistent cough, cough syrup can help relieve cough and chest pain.
The cough can be very annoying and it can last for a long time, sometimes up to three weeks. The lungs are covered with a layer of mucus. This layer ensures that particles that do not enter the lungs are stopped. If a lot of particles, dust or other materials get into the mucus layer, you will cough up the phlegm, so it is removed. Find out more about coughing below or do a symptom check and get personal information about your throat and chest complaints.
It is much worse if the pain in the chest when coughing is localized on one side. This indicates inflammation or damage to the pleura, lungs, or alveoli. Sometimes, pain when coughing indicates tuberculosis.
Additional symptoms inherent in a number of diseases and the localization of pain will help determine the cause of the painful effect of a severe cough.
Other symptoms with a sore throat
Other symptoms you may experience along with a cough. Bloodthirsty cough: It is possible that you are not coughing up any phlegm. A cough can be caused by the lungs and throat producing too much phlegm. It cannot stay in the throat or lungs, so he coughs. Phlegm can be translucent, yellow, or green. In addition to innocent irritation of the lungs or throat, a cough can be caused by a cold, flu, or laryngitis.
Knowing what to do when you have a sore throat laryngitis
It is important to know what you can do on your own to get rid of your cough and when to see a doctor. Also check the symptoms; you are answering questions about your symptoms, such as cough, chest of drawers, fever, phlegm, etc. and you will receive a personalized result within minutes, explaining everything about your complaints!
Tracheitis
If chest pain occurs when you cough as a result of a cold, then your doctor will diagnose tracheitis. It hits the top respiratory tract... The disease can be accompanied by laryngitis, flu, ARVI, but sometimes it also occurs independently, against the background of staphylococci and streptococci, various allergens. From such a cough, the chest hurts in the center, where the trachea passes, in the diaphragm and intercostal space. Additionally, tracheitis may be accompanied by chills, weakness, sore throat, and high fever.
Chest pain during pregnancy can have many different causes. Most of these reasons are related to normal changes that your body experiences during pregnancy and are not dangerous. However, sometimes, chest pain during pregnancy can be a sign of something much more serious.
It is not uncommon for women to have some chest pain during pregnancy. It is most often mild, comes and goes, and is not accompanied by any other symptoms. However, if you are pregnant and experience chest pain that manifests itself in any of the following ways, contact your doctor immediately.
Cardiovascular pathology
There may be pain in the region of the heart when coughing, especially during physical exertion, which can be symptoms of one of the diseases of the circulatory system. Additionally, there may be shortness of breath, blotches of blood in the secreted sputum, increased heart rate. If, when coughing, it hurts on the left side behind the sternum and there is a burning sensation, then these are signs of angina pectoris. The painful effect in the region of the heart, which radiates to the left clavicle and scapula, indicates a possible myocardial infarction. Ischemic disease, arrhythmia, defect, heart failure, dysfunction of valves and peripheral vessels can be the answer why it hurts in the heart from coughing.
- Sudden chest pain, especially if you also have a cough or shortness of breath.
- Chest pain that comes from one arm.
- The chest pain is accompanied by fever.
- Chest pain with shortness of breath, dizziness, or unusual sweating.
Intercostal neuralgia
Inflammation of the intercostal nerve can be caused by a cold, pinching, or spasm that irritates the nerve. This is possible with significant physical exertion, a sharp turn, prolonged uncomfortable position, hypothermia, and more. Severe paroxysmal pain occurs with a rapid change in body position (coughing, sneezing, and so on). Such symptoms are similar to angina pectoris, gastritis and bronchitis. Intercostal neuralgia is distinguished by probing the space under the lower rib, where the nerve is located. If at the same time there is a sharp pain - the assumption is correct.
Other causes of chest pain during pregnancy
Usually chest pain during pregnancy is not caused by anything remotely life-threatening. Most often, this pain is caused by normal pregnancy processes and the added physical stressors of adaptation to the growing fetus. Heartburn is one of the almost universal causes of chest pain during pregnancy. Hormones that increase pregnancy to support the lining of the uterus also soften the ligaments that keep the lower esophageal sphincter closed. When the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes, acid and stomach contents can reflux back into the throat and esophagus, causing the characteristic burning and sour taste associated with heartburn and acid reflux.
Interesting! Severe stress can cause intercostal neuralgia.
Pneumonia
A dry cough and sternum pain in the center are also characteristic of pneumonia. In addition to this, inflammation of the lung tissue is characterized by an increase in temperature indicators (more than 37) from the very beginning, covering the face with red spots. Pain in the sternum occurs when coughing up dried phlegm that covers the walls of the bronchi. Over time, it liquefies, which brings slight relief, acquiring a rusty hue. But there is a stabbing pain in the area of \u200b\u200bthe inflamed focus. The intensity of manifestations in pneumonia depends on the size of the pathology zone (segmental, total or lobar).
In addition, the physical pressure of a growing baby pressing into the diaphragm and stomach also affects chest pain caused by heartburn in pregnant women. To reduce the discomfort of heartburn, try it. Avoid alcohol and smoking. Wearing clothes that fit loosely around the waist.
- Eating fewer meals more often than three large meals.
- The sleeper propped up pillows with his head and shoulders.
- Avoid spicy foods.
- Avoid fatty foods.
- Drinking fluids between meals instead of meals.
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammatory process in the layers of the pleura, which are located between the ribs and lungs. Pain in the chest with pleurisy has a pulling and stabbing character, aggravated by coughing. There is a feeling of intercostal friction and an increase in the pain effect when bending to the healthy side. The main symptom of the disease is a lag in breathing of one half of the chest, shortness of breath and a feeling of heaviness.
There is not much that can be done to avoid such pain. However, soaking in a warm bath or taking a warm shower may someday help alleviate the worst discomfort. Taking frequent breaks throughout the day and avoiding heavy lifting can also reduce pain.
Sometimes, what pregnant women describe as chest pain is actually chest pain, especially during the first and third trimesters. Chest pain during pregnancy is caused by increased blood flow to the breasts and the release of hormones in preparation for breastfeeding... Mild breast discomfort is normal, although some women find supporting wearing a snug sports bra always helps relieve it. If you have strong pain in the chest or pain in only one breast or in one area of \u200b\u200bone breast, especially if you have a fever, you should be checked by your healthcare provider as this could be a sign of a clogged canal or an infectious disease.
Trauma
The causes of severe pain when coughing and other sudden movements of the chest can be associated with injury or bruised ribs. This effect differs in duration. The location of the injury can only be determined by X-ray images.
Lungs' cancer
Oncology of lung tissue is characterized by a long asymptomatic course. And only at the stage of spreading to the bronchi, neighboring organs and the development of metastases, the disease manifests itself as an uncontrolled cough and pain in the chest, often in the middle or from the side of the tumor, giving it to the scapula, neck or arm. The nature of such pain is sharp and stabbing. Additionally, the cancer process is accompanied by weakness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting, and further development leads to pulmonary bleeding and anemia.
Although the vast majority of chest pain in pregnant women has a relatively harmless cause, only your healthcare provider can make the final decision. Protect yourself and your baby by informing your doctor or midwife about chest pain you may have during pregnancy.
If you or your child brings up the question, “My chest hurts when I cough,” it may not be dangerous. However, severe chest pain or difficulty breathing can be severe. Doctors will also explain that because your lungs are in your chest, an infection in your upper respiratory tract can cause pain if you cough violently.
Important! According to statistics, 85% of patients with lung cancer are smokers.
Lungs' cancer
Renal colic
Accompanying a cough with painful sensations that radiate under the right-sided spoon, scapula and hypochondrium is characteristic of renal colic. It can be recognized by the accompanying abdominal pain. The course of the disease can pass without temperature.
This article will help explain why your chest hurts when you cough and what to do with it. Acute bronchitis is the upper respiratory infection in the bronchia. This usually happens after viral infectionespecially the flu. Keep in mind that the flu causes coughing, so by the time you have acute bronchitis, your lungs are already congested with coughs.
Lingering chest pain after a cold
Symptoms of acute bronchitis include. Chest pain.
- Cough up to several weeks.
- Mucus that is either clear, green, or yellow.
- Sadness.
- Difficulty.
Osteochondrosis
Aching pain during coughing can be the result of osteochondrosis, which occurs as a result of poor posture and injuries.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis caused by Koch's sticks can provoke a prolonged cough. It is characterized by an increase in temperature and an increase in the pain effect in the sternum. The cough can be dry or productive.
Pneumonia is inflammation deep in the real air sacs of the lungs. The infection causes mucus to fill up the air sacs blocking the air passage. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungus. Pneumonia often occurs after prolonged respiratory illness. Since the infection affects the lower respiratory tract, coughing can be worse than upper respiratory illness as the body tries to clear mucus. The symptoms of pneumonia include.
Fever Chills Cough Shortness of breath Sweating Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Fatigue Pain in the chest with coughing or breathing. Pleura - inflammation of the pleura, the thin lining of the chest wall that protects the lungs. There is fluid between the pleura to help breathing. When it gets inflamed, it can lead to severe chest pain.
Pneumothorax
The disease appears as a result of past infections and injuries, and represents the accumulation of air in the leaves of the pleura, which prevents the lungs from fully opening when breathing. Pain after coughing is especially pronounced.
Reduction of the interpleural ligament
The interpleural ligament is responsible for stabilizing the respiratory function in the body. It can decrease as a result of hereditary or congenital features, pleural inflammatory processes. Because of this, when talking, coughing, or physical exertion, a feeling of pain and burning occurs.
Pleurisy can be felt all over the chest when coughing or even just breathing. Pleurisy symptoms include. Back or shoulder pain Chest pain with coughing, breathing or sneezing Sometimes coughing Fever. Pleiris is not always caused by an infection. It can be caused by autoimmune diseases, certain medications, and lung cancer. If you have a fever with pleurisy, you may need to be treated with antibiotics.
Sudden, severe chest pain can be severe and is considered urgent medical help... You can try these useful tipsto see if it has improved.
- Have some warm tea and honey.
- Humidify the air in your home.
- Suck on your cough.
- Drink extra fluids while you are sick.
Dry pericarditis
Inflammation of the pericardial sac (pericardium) may be the answer to why your heart hurts when you cough. Trauma to the chest in this place or postoperative sutures can cause pathology. Painful sensations are pronounced and are accompanied by shortness of breath and inability to breathe deeply.
Fever above 4 Moderate to large amounts of blood in the mucus Cough for more than 3 weeks If you have other health problems, such as heart disease or a weak immune system. Developing a cough after recovering from a viral infection may mean that you have developed a secondary bacterial infection. Pneumonia is especially common after the flu. One of the main symptoms is chest pain when coughing. This needs to be dealt with quickly and can be serious. If you recently had the flu and had chest pain when coughing, see your doctor right away.
Pericarditis
Diagnostics and treatment
If the chest hurts for a long time when coughing, in addition:
- increased temperature indicators;
- there is an increase in cough lasting more than a week;
- weakness is noted;
- sputum contains bloody components;
- when coughing, the heart hurts and / or the face turns blue;
- breathing becomes difficult, or one half of the sternum lags behind.
All these are the reasons for an immediate appeal to the doctor, who will tell you what to do to relieve the pain effect, and determine and treat the disease.
Doctors may do a chest x-ray to see if there is fluid in the lungs or pneumothorax. You may also need laboratory testing to check for a bacterial infection. They can make you cough up some mucus for the culture to see which organism is causing the cough.
Prolonged cough without fever with allergic reactions
Treatment usually includes the following. If you have a bacterial infection, your doctor will put you on antibiotics to clear up the infection. They can also give steroid inhalers to relieve inflammation in the lung tissue. Pain Management - If the chest pain when coughing is severe and you have trouble resting, your doctor may prescribe a narcotic pain reliever.
- Antibiotics.
- One of the common antibiotics is azithromycin.
- Respiration treatment.
- You may be prescribed an inhaler to help open your airways.
You can decide on the necessary specialized specialist by visiting a therapist (for children - a pediatrician), who will refer you to a highly specialized doctor according to the nature of the disease:
- with infectious, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis and tracheitis, treatment will be prescribed by a therapist or pulmonologist, and for a child - by a pediatrician;
- when the chest hurts when coughing, which was injured earlier, how to treat - the traumatologist or surgeon will recommend;
- intercostal neuralgia will be cured by a neurologist;
- heart pain when coughing and concomitant diseases will be diagnosed by a cardiologist.
To accurately determine the disease and prescribe the necessary treatment, the doctor will carry out the following diagnostic measures:
- complete, biochemical and clinical analysis blood, sputum, urine;
- x-ray of the lungs in four projections;
- test for tuberculosis;
If there is a suspicion that the reasons lie in oncology, it is necessary to make a histological analysis of part of the lung tissue.
Effective treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor, based on the results of the examination. But if the pain syndrome is strong, it will help to reduce the intensity:
- warming ointments, compresses or mustard plasters, but only at normal body temperature;
- taking drugs that block the center of the cough, but if there is no need for sputum discharge, that is, with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract (laryngitis, pharyngitis, ARVI);
- taking expectorant drugs with damage to the trachea and bronchi, if it is necessary to remove the bactericidal flora with sputum.
If the disease is infectious, you need to additionally take antiviral or antibacterial agents. But if the child develops a disease, it is better to refrain from an excess of medications, and to produce coughing, consume more liquid with a minimal alkaline reaction (milk, mineral water).
Important! Treatment of oncology, cardiovascular diseases, pneumonia and injuries should be prescribed only by a doctor and on an individual basis, according to the characteristics of the course of the disease and the body.
Cough does not pose a serious threat to human life, but it can serve as an indicator of a complex illness. What to do if your chest hurts when you cough?
The coughing process
The cough itself is a protective function of the body, which is activated when irritants hit the cough receptors - pungent odors, viruses, bacteria, foreign bodies, dust, animal hair and other things. During an act of cough, the human brain receives a signal from irritated receptors and sends a message to the muscles of the larynx, trachea, bronchi, back, neck and abdominal cavity to go into active action. The muscles contract, there is a short deep breath, narrowing of the trachea and a sharp rapid exhalation of the air stream, with which the irritant that caused the cough should come out.
What can cause pain?
The synchronous interaction of so many muscles can provoke small contractions in the mating regions of the body. And if they have pathology, then the person has chest pain after coughing. However, if the pain is one-time and does not recur, then most likely there is nothing to worry about, since a single spasm can be caused by improper body position, lifting weights, or active sports.
A possible etiology, why the chest hurts when coughing, can be diseases of the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, spine, various neuralgias, tumor processes and neoplasms of the chest, including in the mammary glands in women, inflammatory processes in the muscles ...
Determination of the etiology of pain
When at severe cough the chest hurts for more than 5 days (7 days after a cold and SARS), or the pain is very sharp, stabbing, unbearable, then you should immediately consult a specialist in order to exclude dangerous diseases that pose a threat to life.
Doctors prescribe diagnostic procedures for the heart muscle and blood vessels, then the lungs and stomach and other internal organs in the chest area for neoplasms.
After a thorough study of the functional state of internal organs, specialists will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe a comprehensive treatment of pathology. How to treat a patient whose chest hurts for a long time from a cough must be decided by a doctor, self-medication can lead to negative health consequences. The most positive and quickest results are obtained with treatment early stages and the initial forms of diseases.
Attention! With great concern, you should treat the situation if the child has chest pain when coughing - immediately contact the pediatrician.
Clinical analyzes of biomaterials
At the first visit to a general practitioner or family doctor, the specialist prescribes a clinical and detailed biochemical blood test. We need such indicators as an expanded leukocyte formula, bilirubin, ALT, AST, antistreptolysin O, rheumatoid factor; urinalysis and heart electrocardiography. After receiving the results, the doctor will have a working hypothesis and the direction of further procedures for making a diagnosis.
Diagnostics of the heart condition
Suspecting heart problems (when it hurts under the right chest when coughing), the cardiologist conducts an ultrasound examination of the heart and a "stress test" - a cardiogram of the heart after a sports load in the form of running on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike, and compares the results with the lines of the cardiogram at rest ... Having checked a person's heart for the state of blood vessels, valves, wall thickness and volume of cavities, as well as a reaction to cardiac loads, we can say with confidence whether the pain is associated with the heart and whether the patient has anything to worry about.
Respiratory examination
If it hurts when coughing under the left breast (or in both), and heart studies have shown the state of the norm, pulmonologists take up the research. An X-ray of the lungs is prescribed with the study of the pattern of the lung tissue, vessels and ducts. Often, these studies end with the diagnosis of bronchial vasospasm after an illness with severe coughing fits. In such cases, the patients of the clinics complain that the cough has passed, and the chest hurts. After the appointment of antispasmodics and sometimes bronchodilators, the pain disappears within a few days. Untreated bronchitis and obstructive cough can also cause mild burning chest pain when coughing. Pulmonologists prescribe inhalations with bronchodilators and intake of mucolytic agents in combination.
The situation is worse if, with any slightest cough, the chest hurts so badly that a person cannot swallow and breathe, and inhalation and exhalation are accompanied by wheezing and shortness of breath. Another alarming symptom is the release of blood with phlegm when coughing and at the same time it hurts very much in the breasts. This symptom is often characteristic of tuberculosis and requires early diagnosis by doctors. In such cases, after the results of X-ray and according to indications, pulmonologists prescribe a bacteriological examination of mucus (smear from the throat) to determine the sensitivity of microorganisms to antibiotics, bronchoscopy, less often spirometry and plethysmography. Bronchoscopy allows the doctor to see the state of the bronchi, examine the trachea and ducts for physiological changes and the presence of neoplasms, take biological material to study the state of the mucous membrane and sputum clots.
On a note! In medical practice, there are cases when allergic edema of the bronchial mucosa when coughing caused severe acute pain in the chest area, and less than an hour after taking the antihistamines, the pain went away.
Study of the condition of the stomach
A cough act, causing a sharp sharp pain in the center of the chest under the ribs (closer to the solar plexus) may be a symptom of an exacerbation of intestinal ulcer and duodenal ulcer.
People suffering from chronic gastric reflux (regurgitation of part of the food taken), often experience chest pain when coughing. Reflux itself is the norm of the digestive process in children, in adults it is more common with spasms of the pharynx in psychosomatics and anorexia and is treated by a psychotherapist with ataractic medications.
Breast diseases in women
Painful sensations in the chest in women with coughing can be observed in the initial stages of cancer or the presence of neoplasms. If you suspect breast disease symptoms, palpate the breast and armpits for the presence of nodules and seals. If detected, consult a gynecologist or mammologist for an examination (ultrasound of the breast, mammography)
Neuralgia
Prolonged exposure to stressful situations and mental stress in combination with a long stay in an unchanged sitting position, disturbed sleep and wakefulness, unbalanced nutrition and oxygen starvation lead to neuralgic consequences:
- damage to individual nerves;
- pinching of the nerve plexuses and roots;
- spasm of the muscles of the chest.
A normal cough act involving a specific muscle group provokes an increase in the tone of adjacent muscles and nerve endings - this becomes the cause of pain. At the same time, it hurts inside the chest under the right chest from coughing, it is often impossible to inhale sharply. The condition is similar to pain with a heart attack, intercostal colic. But with neuralgia, there are no disturbances in the work of the heart, and after the echo and electrocardiogram, the patient is sent to a neurologist. Therapy for such diseases of the nervous system is as follows:
- the appointment of B vitamins and magnesium (for example, Neuromultivitis, Magnesium B6, Magneliz B6);
- prescribing drugs based on the herbal component of ginkgo biloba, which stimulates the central nervous system;
- massage courses, reflexology to relieve muscle hypertonicity (in more severe cases - osteopathy sessions);
- local pain relief by rubbing in ointments and gels based on NSAIDs (indomethacin, diclofenac, nimesulide);
- normalization of work and rest, nutritional balance.
Traumatology and neurosurgery
Pain in the chest when coughing, playing sports, sudden movements can sometimes be associated with previous injuries of the spine or ribs, as well as with an inflammatory process in the paravertebral tissues. Ointments from the number of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethocin, diclofenac, nimesulide) help to quickly reduce pain and spasms. This group of medicines is also available in the form of tablets, rectal suppositories. But in the presence of diseases of the digestive tract, you should refrain from taking them without consulting a doctor. It is also not recommended to make warming compresses. Heat exposure provokes growth of neoplastic cells and progression inflammatory process, and this can lead to serious complications.
Important! If the pain persists for more than 2 months after the injury or develops into pain in the legs and arms, then clinical studies are needed.
A number of serious vertebral diseases that cause pain are not diagnosed on x-rays. For example, hemangioma of the vertebral body is a genetic disease that requires urgent surgical treatment when it aggravates and increases in size. To obtain a complete picture of the state of the bone tissue, the method of computed or magnetic resonance imaging is used.