Why does the right side hurt and what to do about it

Any pain in the right side is a reason to visit a doctor: too many serious diseases can be associated with it. During an attack, you can guess the source of the pain by the location of the organs. But you yourself will not find out the exact reason: sometimes it hurts in one place, but gives in another.

Only a doctor can determine what caused the pain in the right side. There are the gallbladder, pancreas, ascending colon, liver. So you need to check in any case, even if you think that you have nothing serious.

When to call an ambulance

Seek medical attention immediately if you experience sudden and severe pain. Do not wait for other dangerous symptoms to appear, in some cases it can end in death.

Also call an ambulance if the pain is not severe, but there are these signs:

the temperature rises;
blood appeared in the stool;
the pain gets worse;
you feel sick or vomit.

Why does the right side hurt

1. Appendicitis

This is the name of the inflammation of the appendix - a small process of the large intestine. The first sign of appendicitis is a dull pain near the navel or in the upper abdomen, which descends along its right lateral surface and becomes acute.

Pain may be accompanied by loss of appetite and fever up to 37–39 ° C, nausea and vomiting, and bloating.

What to do

There is an urgent need for medical attention and an operation. Therefore, immediately go to the hospital to see the surgeon or call an ambulance.

Your appendix will most likely be cut out laparoscopically through small incisions in the abdominal wall.

Anna Yurkevich Gastroenterologist. The author is about proper nutrition and the health of the digestive system.

Scientists do not have convincing evidence of the negative impact of appendectomy (removal of the appendix) on human health. It is much worse not to have surgery because the appendix can burst. Then peritonitis will begin - an inflammation of the tissue that covers most of the organs of the abdominal cavity.

2. Stones in the gallbladder

When there are stones in the gallbladder, we may feel sudden and rapidly increasing pain in the upper right abdomen, under the chest, in the back between the shoulder blades, and even in the right shoulder. And nausea or vomiting may also begin.

The duration of the pain varies from a couple of minutes to several hours.

What to do

When these symptoms appear, you need to either immediately go to a therapist or call an ambulance. Stones can cause inflammation of the gallbladder - cholecystitis, blockage of the pancreatic duct and, as a result, pancreatitis.

Frequent attacks of colic is an indication for removal of the gallbladder. This operation is called cholecystectomy. It is usually carried out through small incisions in the abdominal wall.

Anna Yurkevich

In the early stages, when the stones are still small, you may be prescribed medications to dissolve them.

3. Kidney stones

They cause sudden excruciating pain in the lower and side of the abdomen, but more often from the back. It increases and decreases.

What to do

A nephrologist will help deal with the problem, so go to him immediately. He will prescribe medication for small stones.

Severe pain and large kidney stones may require hospitalization and surgery.

4. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Gases collecting in the intestines stretch its walls and cause pain in various parts of the abdomen, including the right side.

Usually there is nothing serious about this. But this is a chronic disease, which means that it will disappear and then appear again.

What to do

To relieve symptoms, you need to drink prebiotics, possibly laxatives or antibiotics. They should be prescribed by a gastroenterologist.

5. Inflammatory bowel disease

The most common are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

If your intestines are inflamed, you will feel pain, cramps, and swelling in your abdomen. Other symptoms are bloody diarrhea, weight loss, and weakness.

The causes of the inflammation are not exactly known, but experts suggest genetics and problems with the immune system.

What to do

Visit a gastroenterologist. For diagnosis, he will refer you to a stool test or colonoscopy. And as a treatment, he will write out something from this list: aminosalicylates or mesalazines, antibiotics, immunosuppressants, biological products.

6. Constipation

If you can't go to the toilet, you feel discomfort and heaviness in your stomach, this is constipation.

What to do

A laxative will help here. For persistent constipation, consult a physician or gastroenterologist.

7. Duodenal ulcer

An ulcer is a deep defect in the mucous membrane. In most cases, it occurs when the bacterium Helicobacter pylori enters the duodenum. In addition to pain in the right side, bloating, a feeling of heaviness, heartburn, belching, and nausea may appear.

What to do

First, diagnose the ulcer. As soon as possible, contact your gastroenterologist for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy - examination of the intestinal walls. People call it "swallowing the probe".

Most often, treatment includes only medications, surgery is rarely required.

8. Periods

A pulling pain can be felt in the right side from below before and during menstruation. This is usually not dangerous, but very unpleasant.

What to do

Endure or drink a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. If the pain is very severe, you need to be examined by a gynecologist. He will prescribe you hormonal oral contraceptives or strong pain relievers.

9. Ovarian cyst

A twisting or ruptured cyst causes pelvic pain, ranging from dull and moderate to acute and sudden. Specific symptoms are painful sensations during sex, irregular and heavy periods, frequent urination.

What to do

A cyst can be malignant or benign. In the first case, you will have to carry out an operation and remove the formation. In the second - to be observed by a gynecologist. If the cyst resolves on its own, the doctor will not prescribe treatment.

10. Urinary tract infection

Bacterial inflammation can cause burning during urination, cramps, and pain in the lower abdomen.

What to do

Do not try to let the disease take its course. If the infection is left untreated, it can cause permanent damage to the bladder and kidneys. As soon as you feel the symptoms described above, go to a nephrologist or urologist. You will be prescribed antibiotics to relieve inflammation.

11. Ectopic pregnancy

This is the name of a pathology in which fertilization does not take place in the uterus, but in the fallopian tube, cervix, ovary or other place of the abdominal cavity.

The fetus grows, it becomes cramped, it presses on the walls of the organ to which it is attached, and can break it. This causes sharp or stabbing pain and internal bleeding.

What to do

You can die if you do not seek immediate medical attention. There are no options - call an ambulance.

12. Liver diseases

There are no pain receptors in the liver itself. Therefore, pain can appear only in advanced cases, when the organ greatly increases in size, and its capsule is stretched.

Liver disease can be either hereditary or acquired. The latter are caused by the impact of harmful factors on the body. For example, viruses, alcohol, obesity.

What to do

Anna Yurkevich says that organ enlargement can be detected by palpation (when the doctor probes the patient's abdomen) or during ultrasound of the abdominal organs. Therefore, the first thing to do is go to the doctor for examination. And in order to make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe you a biochemical blood test.

To get rid of discomfort, you need to treat the underlying disease, which the doctor diagnoses after examination and testing.

13. Diseases of the lungs

If you feel pain in your side when you breathe or cough, you need to rule out lung pathology. For example, complications after pneumonia, pleurisy, swelling.

What to do

Do not ignore the pain. Have your therapist listen to you and, if necessary, refer you for a chest x-ray.

14. Injury to muscles or ribs

If the pain is not very severe, you may have just pulled a muscle or hurt yourself. It is less likely, but possible, that you have myositis, an inflammation of muscle tissue. Broken ribs can cause unbearable pain.

What to do

If you know for sure that you pulled a muscle or hurt yourself, try to rest more and apply cold to the damaged area. If a fracture occurs, call an ambulance immediately and do not move. If you do not understand what caused the pain, go to the therapist: suddenly it’s inflammation.