Pain in the right side: what hurts in the abdomen on the right will be shown by ultrasound

There is probably no person who, at least once in his life, has not felt pain in his chest on the right. For some reason, this symptom is not considered alarming: many people are guided by the fact that the “motor” of our body - the heart - is located on the left, which means there is no danger to life. Some people completely ignore the problem until the symptoms expand, preferring to relieve pain with medications available at home. Medical experts strongly disagree with such an irresponsible approach - after all, sharp, severe pain in the chest on the right is often a very alarming signal.

What is on the right side of the abdominal cavity?

The content of the article

The abdominal cavity contains many internal organs, the stomach, intestines, pancreas, kidneys, adrenal gland, spleen, liver, pancreas, gall bladder. They are not protected, unlike the heart or lungs, by ribs. They are protected only by the muscles of the abdominal wall (abs).

Problems with any of the organs manifest themselves in the form of tingling, nagging pain and discomfort in various areas of the abdomen. If you experience periodic pain in your right side, you should consult a doctor to determine which organ has problems.

The abdominal cavity consists of 9 parts and is divided into 3 sections:

1. Epigastrium
   . The epigastrium itself is located directly above the navel. On the right is the subcostal region.
2. Mesogastrium
   . Consists of the peri-umbilical and right lateral regions.
3. Hypogastrium
   . Includes the suprapubic and right iliac region.

Due to the different anatomical structure, pain of the same nature and intensity, localized in the same place, in men and women indicates different diseases.

The following organs are located in the area of ​​the right hypochondrium:

• flexure of the colon of the large intestine;
• right kidney (from the back);
• liver;
• gallbladder;
• right adrenal gland;
• the right half of the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the peritoneum and sternum).

Sometimes pain radiates from organs located elsewhere, for example, from the pancreas or inferior vena cava. In this case, it seems to the person that it hurts on the right side, but in fact the true cause of the pain is in another area.

Do infections and viruses cause pain symptoms?

Yes, first of all, it is a streptococcal infection, which causes complications in the heart, and in addition can provoke the rapid development of rheumatism.

Viral myocarditis is provoked by pathogenic cells and can manifest itself as a consequence of influenza or ARVI. If 2-3 weeks ago a child suffered from a sore throat or scarlet fever and after that began to complain of chest pain in the front or back, it is urgently necessary to consult a specialist to exclude negative reactions.

If pain symptoms actively manifest themselves while running, this may indicate excessive strain or cardiac dysfunction:

• cannot cope with blood volume;
• does not correspond to size according to age standards.

Having rested after running, did the child stop experiencing pain? – Still, you shouldn’t hesitate, and you need to show him to a cardiologist for consultation. To obtain an accurate diagnosis, blood tests, cardiogram, and ultrasound of the heart are prescribed.

The main causes of pain associated with dysfunction of the heart muscle:

• the vessels do not keep up with the growth of bone and cartilage tissues;
• development of vegetative-vascular dystonia, which is especially important in adolescence;
• dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system.

When a child is too small and something hurts, parents ask to point with their finger exactly where. Sometimes babies can point to the left side of the chest area, but their stomach hurts. “Not real” pain in the heart area is caused by osteochondrosis, gastrointestinal disorders, and scoliosis.

Sometimes a child may feign pain. You can understand this by his behavior, and besides this, if by switching his attention to something else, the pain goes away, we can say that the baby is capricious and simply requires attention.

If pain is observed during coughing or taking a deep breath, and does not go away quickly when changing position or resting, this may indicate pleurisy or tachycardia. During the appointment, the cardiologist will listen to the heart, determine the heart rate and, if necessary, may prescribe other tests in order to obtain the most accurate result and prescribe treatment in a timely manner.

Observe the nature of the pain: pleural - during movement, deep inspiration, coughing. The second type is pressing pain behind the sternum. In any case, it is necessary to show the child to a specialist as quickly as possible.

When the baby is already able to speak and describe the nature of the pain, ask him to describe in detail where exactly he feels discomfort, what type of pain he feels, monitor its intensity and, possibly, determine the associated factors:

• active sports;
• strong emotional reactions;
• reaction to certain foods.

If the baby has undergone open heart surgery, then regular consultations with a pediatric cardiologist, compliance with the course of treatment and recommendations are mandatory.

Attentive parents not only pay attention in a timely manner to what may be bothering their child, but also constantly consult with professional medical staff to prevent the disease from worsening and resolve the problem at an early stage.

The health of your child should be entrusted to professionals. If the first symptoms occur, consult a doctor! At the First Children's Medical Center, experienced doctors will quickly recognize the signs of the disease, conduct a full examination using modern medical equipment and provide qualified medical care. We work seven days a week and are waiting for you at any time from 8.00 to 20.00.

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Causes of pain in the right hypochondrium

Pain in the right side of the abdomen does not always indicate any disease. At times they are caused by physiological changes that also happen to completely healthy people.

1. Stitches in the side after jogging
   or other physical activity. This is typical for unprepared people who are not used to playing sports. Physical activity is stressful for their body, and it reacts with a sharp release of adrenaline. The hormone provokes a spasm of the bile ducts, which stretch from the bile overflowing them. At the same time, the liver fills with blood, increases in size, and the organs press on each other, causing pinpoint pain and tingling.
2. Tingling in the right side
   after a heavy meal. On a full stomach you don’t want to move or move. Under the influence of adrenaline, the inferior vena cava expands and puts pressure on the liver, which is also under pressure from a full stomach. This is why you should not exercise immediately after eating.
3. Sharp pain in the right side
   , radiating to the back. This happens in women shortly before the start of menstruation. Hormonal imbalance causes spasm of the bile ducts, resulting in sharp pain that radiates to the back. It goes away on its own, but causes significant discomfort to the woman.
4. Pain in the right side during pregnancy
   . The uterus, stretched under the influence of the growing fetus, puts pressure on neighboring organs. Also, the hormone progesterone, secreted to relax smooth muscles and prevent miscarriage, provokes stagnation of bile (cholestasis in pregnant women). Many pregnant women experience pain in the right hypochondrium, which intensifies with movement. Therefore, women need to limit their loads and walk more at a slow pace.
5. Cramps in the lower abdomen (not menstrual)
   . Hepatic, renal, and intestinal colic are characterized by irradiation—reflection of the pain signal to another part of the body.

Causes of chest pain on the right

Respiratory diseases

Pathological processes in the lung and bronchi are the most common causes of pain on the right side of the chest.
In acute simple or obstructive bronchitis, the patient experiences moderate pain and a feeling of heaviness in the chest, which intensifies during coughing attacks. The pain has no clear localization and is accompanied by shortness of breath and hoarseness. In chronic bronchitis, periodic discomfort and dull pain on the right side of the chest predominate, which are provoked by hypothermia and inhalation of polluted air. With right-sided lobar pneumonia, the pain syndrome is very strong, diffuse, the nature of the pain is sharp, burning. Symptoms intensify with deep breaths and coughing, so patients avoid breathing deeply. In the case of focal pneumonia on the right, heaviness and discomfort in the chest are observed. The pain is combined with febrile body temperature, cough with purulent sputum, and chills. Less commonly, interstitial pneumonia begins, which is characterized by painful sensations in the chest and severe shortness of breath, occurring without pronounced catarrhal symptoms.

Pleurisy

Patients with dry pleurisy are bothered by constant severe pain along the anterolateral surface of the chest. With deep breathing, coughing, talking, the pain syndrome worsens and becomes unbearable. To alleviate the condition, patients prefer to lie on the sore side, slightly bent, to reduce friction on the inflamed pleura. The appearance of effusion with the development of exudative pleurisy is accompanied by a shift of painful sensations to the lower parts of the chest. The pain is dull, constant, difficulty breathing and chest asymmetry are also observed.

Chest injuries

Most often, soft tissue contusions and bruises occur, which are characterized by moderate chest pain. The sensations intensify when bending the body, wearing tight clothes, and physical activity. Normally, the pain disappears after a few days. Traumatic causes can cause rib fractures, which is manifested by sharp pain in the chest. The pain is intense and worsens when talking, taking deep breaths, or moving the body. On the right side of the chest there is swelling and hyperemia of the skin. When palpating the damaged area, acute pain and crepitus are felt.

Pneumothorax

Spontaneous rupture of the pulmonary parenchyma on the right with the release of air into the pleural cavity usually occurs against the background of constant moderate chest pain in chronic diseases. At the moment of pneumothorax formation, there is a lot of pain in the chest on the right, and it becomes difficult for the person to breathe. With severe pain, pale skin, cold sweat, and decreased blood pressure are noted. Valvular pneumothorax of traumatic etiology is more dangerous, in which sharp pain is combined with increasing shortness of breath and cyanosis of the skin.

Intercostal neuralgia

The pathology of the intercostal nerve endings is manifested by sharp stabbing or burning pains along the anterior and lateral surface of the chest on the right. Pain syndrome with intercostal neuralgia is often paroxysmal in nature; unpleasant sensations are provoked by reasons such as touching the affected area, loud laughter or coughing, or taking a deep breath. In addition to painful sensations, the patient is bothered by tingling and twitching of the pectoral muscles, numbness in certain areas of the skin. Often the pain radiates to the collarbone or scapula on the right, sometimes the pathological process spreads to the lumbar nerves.

Biliary system diseases

Inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) and peri-vesical tissue is accompanied by irritation of the nerve endings of the phrenic nerve. This causes pain to radiate from the right hypochondrium to the chest and clavicle area. The pain is acute, paroxysmal, and resembles neuralgia in nature. With biliary colic, excruciating, unbearable pain occurs in the upper abdomen and chest on the right, which forces a person to constantly change body position. For biliary dyskinesia as the cause of the symptom, a dull pain in the lower part of the chest on the right is typical.

Liver pathology

Liver damage leads to thoracalgia much less frequently; pain only occurs in cases of extensive organic damage to the organ with distension of the capsule. Visceral sensations do not have a clear localization, so they can be perceived as pain in the chest on the right. With hepatitis A and E, symptoms persist for several weeks; for hepatitis B and C, chronic pain syndrome is typical, lasting at least 2-3 months. Painful sensations are also caused by the formation of space-occupying formations in the liver tissue: echinococcal cysts, hemangiomas, malignant tumors.

Rare causes

• “Pulmonary heart”:
  for primary pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive processes in the bronchi, polycystic pulmonary disease.
• Shingles.
• Pulmonary embolism
  .
• Gastroduodenal pathology
  : hyperacid gastritis, peptic ulcer, achalasia cardia.
• Malignant tumors
  : bronchial cancer, central and peripheral lung cancer.
• Tuberculosis
  .

Pain in the right side not associated with internal organs

Abdominal pain with depression

. Depression is accompanied by increased anxiety and increased levels of norepinephrine and cortisol. They cause spasms of smooth muscles, including the intestines. The person experiences symptoms characteristic of indigestion. Moreover, this is not associated with eating low-quality food. Abdominal pain cannot be relieved by medications because it is psychosomatic in nature.

A severe and persistent cough also causes abdominal pain

. This is due to the increased load on the abdominals, which not everyone has trained and strong. Often coughing, the patient strains the muscles, they stretch and put pressure on the diaphragm, causing a dull pain. It goes away on its own after the cough is cured.

Diseases of the urinary system

Often the side on the right side hurts due to the organs of the excretory system. “These include urolithiasis and pyelonephritis,” says Bulat Yunusov.

Pyelonephritis is an inflammatory disease of the kidneys, in which, in addition to pain in the right side, weakness, nausea, vomiting, “jumping” pulse, dry mouth, and high temperature may also occur.

Pain in the side due to urolithiasis can be constant or wave-like, dull or sharp, it can only bother you at rest or intensifies when walking. It depends on the location of the stone, but sometimes the pain may first be felt in the lumbar region (so-called “renal colic”), and only then “settle” in the right side.

What can hurt in the stomach on the right?

The causes of pain under the right rib can also be diseases in various organs:

1. Liver diseases
   : hepatitis (inflammation), hepatosis (metabolic disorders), cirrhosis (replacement of parenchymal cells with connective tissue), liver parasites, metastases as a result of malignant tumors of other organs.
2. Heart diseases
   (they cause circulatory disorders): myocarditis, endocarditis, coronary heart disease, abdominal myocardial infarction.
3. Gallbladder diseases
   : cholecystitis (inflammation), cancerous tumors.
4. Intestinal diseases: colitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine), Crohn's disease (severe damage to the entire gastrointestinal tract from the throat to the anus), diarrhea, diverticulosis (protrusion of the intestinal mucosa through the muscle wall), irritable bowel syndrome, intestinal infections.
5. Diseases of the right kidney
   : abscess (purulent inflammation), pyelonephritis (bacterial inflammation), cysts, kidney stones, echinococcosis (presence of helminths in the kidney), tuberculosis (drying) of the kidney, malignant tumor.
6. Diaphragmatitis (inflammation of the pleura covering the diaphragm).
7. Adrenal tumors.
8. Intercostal neuralgia (irritation of the intercostal nerves).
9. Formation of blood clots in the inferior vena cava.

Treatment

It can be conservative or surgical, depending on the diagnosis. Some types of pathologies - for example, hepatitis - require long-term use of antibiotics and strong antiviral drugs, others are based on normalizing the diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The specialists of the Energo clinic, who are true professionals in their field, will definitely identify the causes of back and chest pain, select a method that is suitable for you to solve the problem, and give useful recommendations regarding the period of recovery or remission in the case of a chronic illness.

Pain in the right side of the lower abdomen

Often pain in the lower abdomen in women

associated with the onset of menstruation. They are caused by the fact that the uterus is poorly supplied with blood these days, and a situation similar to a myocardial infarction arises. Only in this case does a spasm of the uterine muscle occur.

The intensity of the pain is similar to the cardiac pain during a heart attack. Every sexually mature woman has experienced these sensations at least once in her life, and will not confuse them with anything. The source of pain is localized above the pubic bone, sometimes radiating to the side. This should not cause concern, but the painful sensations should not be tolerated. It is better to take an antispasmodic and be sure to go for an ultrasound. In some cases, too much pain, accompanied by nausea and loss of creation, indicates pathologies of the uterus and ovaries, and requires a mandatory consultation with a gynecologist.

• Pain to the right of the navel
  indicates possible appendicitis (inflammation of the appendix - an appendage of the cecum).
• Acute cramping pain on the right side
  just below the navel indicates inflammation of the fallopian tubes and ovaries (adnexitis) or inflammation of the ovaries (oophoritis), rupture of an ovarian cyst, torsion of a cyst, ectopic pregnancy, urolithiasis and cholelithiasis. The same symptoms indicate a pinched inguinal hernia (protrusion of the peritoneum in the inguinal canal). If you are predisposed to the disease (it occurs in 3% of women and 27% of men), you should immediately call an ambulance. There is a danger of necrosis of the hernial sac.
• Aching pain in the right side at the level of the navel indicates inflammation of the small intestine (enteritis), appendicitis, and in the projection of the navel from the back indicates pleurisy - inflammation of the pleura (the serous membrane covering the diaphragm).

What to do if you have pain in the heart?

1. Calm down. At rest, the heart consumes less oxygen, so if there is damage to the heart muscle, there will be less chance of developing serious complications.
2. Stop the provoking load - stop, if you are walking, sit down. If you are in a noisy, stuffy room, go outside if the exit is close and you don’t need to go up/down the stairs.
3. Take any sedative at hand: phenazepam, Corvalol, motherwort, valerian, etc.
4. Think about the nature of the pain. If the pain is stabbing, intensifies with a deep breath or turning the body, as well as when pressing with a finger, then most likely the pain is not of cardiac origin. If the pain is dull, compressive, localized behind the sternum, and not in the armpit, then there is a possibility of developing an attack of angina.
5. If there are signs of developing an angina attack - dull, squeezing, pressing pain behind the sternum, then it is better to call an ambulance. Waiting out an angina attack is unacceptable negligence towards your health, which can lead to the development of myocardial infarction, especially if you have never experienced chest pain before.
6. If you suspect the development of an angina attack, you must:
   stop working immediately, try to sit down or lie down;
7. unfasten the collar, loosen the belt;
8. put a nitroglycerin tablet or a validol tablet under your tongue, take 30 drops of valocordin or corvalol;
9. if after this the pain persists for 5 minutes, put a second nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue, ask your family or colleagues to immediately call an ambulance.
10. When calling an ambulance, provide the operator with the most detailed description of the pain: nature, localization (place), where it radiates, duration of the attack, whether the patient has heart disease, what medications he is taking.
11. If there is no suspicion of angina pectoris - the pain in the chest is not intense, stabbing, intensifies with a deep breath, turns, bends the body, radiates to the back, then take a painkiller and call a doctor at home.

What to do if there is pain in the right side

For pain in the side, if the doctor cannot “by eye” determine the cause of the ailment, he sends the patient for an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, ultrasound of the kidneys or ultrasound of the pelvis. Ultrasound waves with a frequency of over 20,000 Hz penetrate the skin into the abdominal cavity, where they are either absorbed by internal organs or reflected back. Special sensors (with abdominal ultrasound) analyze the reflected sound, and based on it, conclusions are drawn about the patient’s condition.

1. When tissues become inflamed, they soften and absorb ultrasound more than healthy areas.
2. Various lumps, tumors, and stones reflect radiation better, and it can be reliably stated that the cause of the pain is a stone or neoplasm.
3. Doppler ultrasound allows you to evaluate the speed of blood flow to exclude compression of the inferior vena cava.

How to understand what exactly hurts in a child’s chest

First of all, this is not just a whim, but crying, screaming and even hysteria. At this time, the child can clench his fists and pull them to the chest, or he can simply hit himself in this area. Additional symptoms include:

• shortness of breath;
• cardiopalmus;
• difficulty breathing or swallowing;
• less often elevated temperature.

Since there is strong pain in this area, the baby rarely turns over on his stomach, but will lie on his back or side, although he previously loved this position.

The key symptom of compressive pain is a sudden change in mood, and in addition, the child shrinks, taking the fetal position, thus helping himself to cope with such severe pain at the level of instincts. Sometimes sharp redness of the whites of the eyes, red spots on the body in the chest area and face are noticeable.

Pressing pain can make itself felt progressively. One moment everything is fine, the next it’s hard to breathe. In order to exclude all possible causes, and in case of diagnosis and treatment, return to its former healthy state, it is necessary to regularly visit a pediatric cardiologist in Saratov. The first dose is appropriate at the age of 1–2 months, and then every six months, if there are no visible pain syndromes.

Explanation: ultrasound diagnostic results and diseases in the images

If abdominal pain is accompanied by flatulence, ultrasound becomes ineffective.

If inflammation is suspected, the patient undergoes blood tests, and the level of platelets and eosinophils can be used to determine whether there is an inflammatory process in the body.