What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

Most people are conscious that if you feel pain on the left side of your chest, it might have something to do with your heart. However, what should you do if you experience sudden, sharp pain under your rib cage on the right side of your body?

In this post, we’ll discuss some of the reasons you can experience pain under your right rib cage. Along with this, we’ll tell you about when you should seek medical treatment.

Just under the right side of your rib cage lie several important organs, such as the pancreas, gallbladder, right kidney, and parts of your liver, and small and large intestines. Experts divide the abdomen into four quadrants, and the upper quarter on the right-hand side is the RUQ or right upper quadrant.

Sudden, sharp pain in the RUQ is not usually a cause for concern – some individuals may suffer from gas accumulating in the large intestine where it bends under the rib cage, called a hepatic flexure. This is especially true if you suffer from bowel disorders or gastrointestinal discomfort regularly.

Another reason for pain under the right rib cage is if you’ve strained or injured your intercostal muscles. These muscles line the rib cage and facilitate its movement. So, for example, if you’ve twisted or turned your body or sat at your desk for too long before getting up, you could have pulled one of these muscles. Allowing the body to rest should alleviate symptoms.

When Should I Go To The Hospital?

Crucially, sudden sharp pain in the RUQ can be a sign that something is wrong. Most commonly, especially if the pain is excruciating, happens after you eat a large meal or lasts a long time, you may have developed gallstones. These are formed when there is too much cholesterol in your bile, a substance the gallbladder stores to aid digestion.

Liver problems can also lead to pain under the right rib cage. This can be due to hepatitis, the development of an abscess, or more rarely, a cancerous growth. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, tenderness in the area, fever, and dark urine.

The kidney is also susceptible to infection, cancer, or the development of kidney stones. Symptoms of kidney issues may involve fever, fatigue, and nausea. But if your urine is bloody or smells bad, it is a serious sign, as is painful or frequent urination.

If your symptoms coincide with any of the above, you should see a doctor as soon as you can.

Conclusion

If you’re facing sudden, sharp pain under the right rib cage, it’s wise to visit a qualified health professional. They can diagnose your issues and tell you whether they signal a condition that requires treatment.

At the Northwest Cardiovascular Clinic in Houston, TX, we listen to all of our patients and keep you confident and comfortable through our high-quality care practices. We’re equipped to perform a comprehensive suite of tests to diagnose any potential heart problems. These include electrocardiography, heart rhythm monitoring, and blood tests. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach us at (281) 807-5253.

Most cases of liver cancer are detected before symptoms arise, but high-risk individuals should be vigilant.

What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

By Norra MacReadyMedically Reviewed by Conor Steuer, MD

Reviewed: December 19, 2022

Medically Reviewed

What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

Abdominal pain and jaundice are two symptoms of liver cancer.iStock (2); Canva

Liver cancer has been called a “silent disease” because very often, symptoms do not occur until the illness is in its later stages.

“Usually the disease is picked up on screening, before symptoms appear,” says Eugene R. Schiff, MD, a professor of medicine and executive director of the Schiff Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Health System in Florida. As with many forms of cancer, it’s easier to treat liver cancer when it’s diagnosed early, so he recommends that people at high risk be screened every six months.

High-risk individuals include people with hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or cirrhosis from any cause. Liver cancer screening usually involves a physical exam, blood tests to look for a protein made by liver cancer and other abnormalities, and possibly imaging tests such as an ultrasound or CT scan of the abdomen.

Liver Cancer: The Liver’s Role

Roughly the size of a football, the liver is the body’s largest internal organ. It has four lobes and fills the right side of the abdomen, inside the rib cage.

A critical part of liver function is the role it plays in many metabolic processes, including digestion, regulation of blood sugar levels, and breaking down drugs and alcohol so they can be excreted from the body.

It also:

  • Stores vitamins and minerals
  • Controls cholesterol production and excretion
  • Produces substances essential for normal digestion and absorption of nutrients
  • Helps convert food into energy, protein, hormones, and immune factors
  • Plays a role in fighting infection by removing bacteria from the bloodstream

It may take a while before liver cancer symptoms occur, but when they do arise it’s often because some of the vital functions that the liver performs are diminished or lost.

What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

Liver Cancer: Early Symptoms

Most liver cancer symptoms are caused by physical changes in the liver — such as swelling — and changes in organ function that the cancer produces. Abdomen pain is probably the most common symptom of liver cancer, Dr. Schiff says. Other symptoms include:

  • A hard lump just below the rib cage on the right
  • Unintentional weight loss
  • Nausea or loss of appetite
  • Fatigue

Liver Cancer: Later Symptoms

As the disease progresses, later symptoms may include:

  • Ascites, or accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, which may lead to abdominal swelling
  • Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes

Jaundice results when a substance called bilirubin accumulates in the blood. Bilirubin is a waste product formed by the breakdown of red blood cells. Normally, the liver removes bilirubin from the blood and processes it for excretion in the stool, but when a disease like cancer impairs the liver’s ability to perform this function, bilirubin can build up in the blood and impart its yellowish-orange tinge to the skin or eyes.

Finally, if liver cancer diagnosis is delayed long enough, bleeding into the digestive tract could occur, warns Schiff.

Keep in mind that these symptoms occur in many other diseases of the liver and other organs, so none of them is a sure sign of cancer. They are, however, signals to see your doctor as soon as possible so they can perform the necessary tests and make an accurate diagnosis.

As Schiff says, “early detection is best, because it increases the chance of [a] cure.”

What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

What organ is on the right side between ribs and hip

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When should I be worried about right side pain?

If you have severe abdominal pain,especially on the right side, it's a good idea to consult a physician and rule out causes that need immediate attention, such as appendicitis, an ectopic pregnancy, ulcer or kidney stones.

What organ is near your right hip?

Organs found in the right lower quadrant include the appendix, the upper portion of the colon, and the right ovary and the Fallopian tube in women. The right lower quadrant may be assessed when diagnosing appendicitis, in which case, this quadrant would be tender and painful.

What organ is right under the rib on the right side?

Just under the right side of your rib cage lie several important organs, such as the pancreas, gallbladder, right kidney, and parts of your liver, and small and large intestines.

Why do I have a pain in my right side near my ribs?

Gallbladder disease Conditions that affect the gallbladder cause pain under the ribs on your right side because that is where the gallbladder is located. The gallbladder stores bile, which is necessary for digestion. Gallstones are a common cause of gallbladder pain.