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The changes that a pregnancy brings can affect the woman’s body in several ways, including causing certain pains to appear. However, having pain is never a good thing, especially when you have so many other concerns not only about your health and that of the baby, but also everything that involves pregnancy and what will come after it. Understanding this concern of many women, we decided to address today a subject that is often overlooked, the pain in the rib during pregnancy . Is this something serious or peaceful and common in such a troubled period in your body? Find out now!
Is Rib Pain in Pregnancy Normal?
First of all, it is important to explain that there are no fixed rules when it comes to pregnancy. Each woman’s body works differently. For this reason, many have pains that others do not even know exist. By “normal” here, we mean, therefore, that it happens in several cases and that they do not present any type of exceptional danger.
With these explanations given, we can affirm that yes, it is normal to have pain in the ribs , at the end of pregnancy, mainly, which does not mean that they should not be treated or that they should not be taken seriously. On the contrary, it is precisely because they are so recurrent that treatments have to be done in the best possible way. It is not uncommon to hear a woman complain of pain in the right rib, on the left side or even on both sides. But in order to understand exactly the reasons and how it can be treated, we have to talk about intercostal neuralgia.
What is Intercostal Neuralgia?
Also called intercostal neuralgia, this is a condition that can arise for various reasons in both men and women and that indicates irritation or even inflammation in some nerve in the ribs. In the case of pregnancy women, it can be characterized by a pain under the rib , intense and continuous. Intercostal neuralgia is a disease that can cause a lot of discomfort for women at a time in their life when health care needs to be redoubled. In order for you to better understand the subject, we have separated some important topics that will make you better understand what intercostal neuralgia is. They are:
- Causes of rib pain in pregnancy
- Main Symptoms
- Treatment of Intercostal Neuralgia
We will talk about each one separately so that we can approach them in a deep and simple way to be understood.
Causes of rib pain in pregnancy
Intercostal neuralgia is the complication of rib pain during pregnancy, but what makes it happen? There are many possible causes, such as:
- Hormonal changes – Due to the large manifestation of hormones that occurs during pregnancy, certain muscles can become very swollen and end up compressing the nerves of a woman’s rib, which causes this disease to arise.
- Enlargement of the uterus – Enlargement of the uterus requires that all the organs around it reorganize in a much smaller space, which makes the space between the woman’s ribs also smaller. This causes certain nerves to be compressed too much, causing inflammation.
- Lack of vitamin B – It may not seem like it, but vitamin B is essential for a woman to avoid problems like intercostal neuralgia.
- Virus infections – Another thing that can cause the nerves in a pregnant woman’s ribs to inflame are infections caused by viruses. In this case, it is essential to consult a specialist so that the correct treatment is indicated.
Main Symptoms
Although rib pain is the most obvious symptom, there are many other things a woman should also pay attention to, even in the type of pain. When there is intercostal neuralgia, the pain is usually severe , acute and located at a specific point, which is where the damaged nerve is. In addition, reflexes of this pain can be felt in other organs, such as the stomach and even the shoulders. Another very characteristic symptom of this condition is that the pain tends to worsen when the woman takes certain postures or lies down in certain positions.
Treatment of Intercostal Neuralgia
Now that you have understood what this disease is, what are its causes and the main symptoms, we can finally talk about treatment. As we said before, there are some cases that need to be analyzed separately , such as when the pain in the rib in pregnancy is caused by a virus, for example. However, it is possible to find out what doctors usually indicate in general. The use of medication is usually contraindicated, but the doctor may end up prescribing an acceptable dose if your case requires it.
There are also some things you can do to relieve these pains, such as using hot compresses on the inflamed nerve, as well as specific exercises that help to make the pain less harmful.
It is worth mentioning that self-medication is never recommended , but this is especially dangerous when you are pregnant, since not only your health may be at risk, but that of the baby as well. Whenever you have such a problem, seek out a specialist to diagnose and indicate the most correct treatment for you. This is the only way to ensure good health intact for you and your child.
No one likes to feel pain, especially if it comes at such a delicate time as pregnancy. But the truth is that many things can happen and understanding the reason is essential for you to also understand how to treat this problem and prevent it from bothering you again. Pregnancy is a time when you have a lot of worries. So getting rid of one of them and preventing it from bothering you again allows you to focus on what really matters, which is your child’s arrival in the world.
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
