Right-Side Chest Pain

What is right-side chest pain?

Pain on the right side of your chest often happens because of an issue in your lungs. Right-side chest pain can be sharp. It can get worse when you inhale. You may have other symptoms along with right-side chest pain, like tightness or difficulty breathing.

Medicines help many causes of right-side chest pain. But some need treatment that includes a procedure.

What are the most common causes of right-side chest pain?

Right-side chest pain can come from a number of issues in your lungs, muscles, bones or digestive system, to name a few. With many causes, you can’t get enough air in your lungs.

Pulmonary embolism

A blood clot from another part of your body can get stuck in a pulmonary artery inside your lung. People with a pulmonary embolism (PE) often describe sharp pain that worsens when they breathe in. You may have shortness of breath, too, or a fast/racing heart rate.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Issues with your air sacs and/or airway lining make it difficult for you to breathe. Your chest may feel tight and you may have shortness of breath and/or wheezing.

Pneumonia

Sometimes, you can get an infection in your lungs. In addition to chest pain, you’ll also have a fever, chills and a cough with mucus.

Pleurisy or pleuritis

An infection and/or inflammation of the membrane around your lungs gives you sharp chest pain. This kind of pain gets worse when you cough or breathe deeply. You may also have pain in your shoulder.

Pneumothorax (collapsed lung)

Air can get between the layers of a tissue that covers your lungs. This causes part or all of your lung to collapse. With no warning, you may feel a sharp pain in your chest and possibly your neck and shoulder.

Pulmonary hypertension

Several disorders can cause high blood pressure in your pulmonary arteries. These are the blood vessels that take blood to your lungs to trade carbon dioxide for oxygen. You get chest pain because it’s harder for your heart to push blood through blood vessels when hypertension adds resistance to blood flow. You can have shortness of breath with this condition.

Asthma

Allergens or irritants can narrow your airways, making it hard to breathe. You may cough or wheeze and feel tightness in your chest.

Lung cancer

Chest pain from lung cancer gets worse when you cough, laugh or take a deep breath.

Broken rib

Accidents can break the ribs that protect your chest. This hurts a lot, especially when you breathe deeply. The pain lasts for several weeks.

Sprained chest muscle

When you injure your muscle, it can tear and cause pain, especially when you move. You may also have swelling and bruising.

Shingles

The virus that gave you chickenpox as a child can become active again later, usually in people older than 50. As shingles, this virus causes a painful rash on your upper body. It usually develops in part of your chest, and typically only on one side.

Gallstones

With cholesterol as their main ingredient, gallstones can block ducts where a fluid (bile) that helps digestion needs to go to reach your small intestine. Swelling in your gallbladder causes pain under your ribs on your right side. This extreme pain can last for many hours.

How is right-side chest pain treated?

Treatment will vary based on what’s causing your right-side chest pain.

Medicine helps many causes of right-side chest pain, like:

• A pulmonary embolism.
• Asthma.
• COPD.
• Pneumonia.
• Pleurisy.
• Pulmonary hypertension.
• Broken ribs.
• Sprained chest muscle.
• Shingles.
• Gallstones.

You may need a procedure or surgery for:

• A pulmonary embolism.
• Pneumothorax.
• Pleurisy.
• Gallstones.

You may need radiation, surgery and chemotherapy for lung cancer.

What can I do at home to treat right-side chest pain?

You can’t treat most causes of right-side chest pain at home. You can treat a sprained muscle conservatively at home with heat packs. You should see a provider if it’s worsening or not getting better. After you see a healthcare provider, they can give you medicine to take at home.

What are the possible complications or risks of not treating right-side chest pain?

The risk of not treating asthma, COPD and pulmonary embolism is that you may not get enough oxygen to your body’s organs and tissues. This can be life-threatening.

Without treatment, lung cancer is fatal.

Can right-side chest pain be prevented?

It’s unlikely that you can prevent most causes of right-side chest pain. But there are some things you can do, like:

• Avoiding triggers that set off your asthma.
• Avoiding tobacco products that cause or aggravate lung cancer, COPD, pneumothorax, pneumonia and blood clots.
• Getting the shingles or chickenpox vaccine to prevent shingles.
• Getting prompt treatment for respiratory infections to prevent pleurisy.

To prevent blood clots that cause a pulmonary embolism, you can:

• Live an active lifestyle.
• Take blood thinners, if prescribed.
• Avoid tobacco products.
• Stretch your legs often during long car trips and plane rides.

When should right-side chest pain be treated by a doctor or healthcare provider?

You should seek treatment for any cause of right-side chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes.

Should I go to the ER for right-side chest pain?

Yes, you need immediate treatment for certain issues, like:

• Trouble breathing.
• A pulmonary embolism.
• A severe asthma attack or COPD flare-up that keeps you from getting more than a few words out.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Chest pain on the right side can make you feel uneasy. In many cases, a lung issue is causing your pain. But your best bet is to have a healthcare provider check it out. That way, you can rest easy knowing they’ll figure out what’s going on and care for you. Once you have a diagnosis, be sure to follow your provider’s instructions and go to all your follow-up appointments.