Understanding The Causes of Chest Pain on the Right Side

There are many reasons which could cause pain in the right side of the chest. This symptom covers a wide range of health concerns, from simple ones that should cause no worry to more complex problems which need immediate medical attention. If you are experiencing chest pain on the right side, do not be too distressed right away. However, you need to discover the truth as to why you are feeling pain.

There are many organs that are located within the chest which includes the heart, lungs, esophagus and even sheets of muscles. The pain may be caused by distress in any of these. Aside from that, there are also cases when chest pain is a symptom of problems with the gallbladder or liver.

Here are some of the possible causes of chest pain:

• Overuse of Muscle-Most individuals are right handed. Hence, when they need to lift things and perform strenuous activities, it is often the right hand that exerts more effort. Of course, the chest muscles are involved in such activities. When the muscles on the right area of the chest or right pectoralis have torn tissues, this could cause pain. For minor issues, you just need to rest and let it repair itself. For badly torn muscle, it is necessary to seek help from a doctor.

• Gallbladder Disease-When your gallbladder is performing badly, this often results to pain on the right side of the chest. This illness is usually experienced by people who eat too much fatty food.

• Liver Inflammation-When the liver is swollen, the right side of the chest is affected too. However, the ache is not only on the chest but also reaches the shoulders and back. Liver inflammation is detected through various medical procedures.

• Pancreatic Dysfunction-For intense chest pain, the pancreas have to be checked too. If this organ does not perform well, the pain can really be manifested on other parts of the body, particularly the chest.

• Swelling of the Lung Tissue-Since the lungs are situated within the chest, damaged right lung will also result to pain. It is the pleura which protects the lung area. When this contracts infection, the pain that comes with it can be quite intolerable.

• Stuck Food in the Esophagus-This is easy to determine since you will know immediately if the food you swallowed would not pass smoothly in your esophagus. Mild cases can be resolved by drinking water or a good Heimlich maneuver. Serious blockage has to be dealt with in the emergency room.

• Effects of Smoking-For smokers, there is a high risk of chest pain. This could be an early symptom of various lung diseases, particularly emphysema or lung cancer.

• Viral Infection-When there is an infection or illness like cough, cold or flu, chest pain is also very common. This is the case especially for those who cough incessantly.

If you are not sure what is triggering the pain, do not self-medicate. This may just make the problem worse or result to a longer period of illness.