Have I pulled a muscle or could it be something else?

[WussyMum]

People in our area have all received a text message from our doctors surgery asking us not to make any non-urgent enquiries or appointments as they're overwhelmed at the moment.

I think I've pulled a muscle in my ribs from coughing (covid negative) - the pain feels like it's underneath my lowest rib on my right side. The pain peaks when I cough, but I can still feel something there even if I'm still.

The pain started suddenly yesterday and is worse today. Could this be something else, or do I just need to take ibuprofen and wait it out? Any advice would be appreciated!

It could be a pulled muscle. I had costochondritis once following a virus which caused rib pain for quite a few weeks.

My rule of thumb is give it three days then go and get it checked out. But if the pain is severe and keeping you awake at night then you need to be seen sooner.

Sounds like it could just be a pulled muscle from coughing

Or gallstones. My dp thought he'd pulled a muscle coughing in the same place. Turns out he had his first gallstone attack. Either way get yourself to the docs to rule anything out.

If its excruciating then a and e

How on earth can they be overwhelmed?!

I also think if pain is getting worse you should go get it checked out. A pulled muscle would likely ease off over time.

I had a very similar pain last week and was started to get a bit concerned as it lasted a good 5 days. I didn't go to GP as it was not really severe but it has settled now

None of us know the answer to this.

Define Urgent....

When i ring my partners the receptionist says
‘We are only dealing with life threatening’

Since when do Doctors deal with loss of limb, stroke, Heart attack etc,
Its just a ploy to make you think you not ‘Important’ enough

Try ringing your surgery, they may let you have a telephone call,
If not,
You could always ring 111 and speak to a nurse / doctor through that system

I had a pain below my shoulder on the right side last week, hurt when I breathed in as well and felt like it was inside the back/lungs. Doctor prescribed naproxen as he said it sounded either like pleurisy or a pulled muscle, where the treatment was the same either way. Within a day they helped massively.

I've attached a screenshot of the message below - maybe "overwhelmed" was the wrong choice of word, but they certainly are struggling.

I'll give it another couple of days - the pain only woke me a couple of times last night as I was rolling over and it's not stopping me from working or anything. If it's not improving I'll seek medical advice.

Thanks everyone . . . I'm just finding it really difficult to judge when I should ask for help at the minute

Oh - sorry, the screenshot!

I think I smashed a rib recently (fell off a bed & hard at a bookcase) & didn't seek medical advice for pain afterwards. Don't know what they would have done about it. My ache took almost 3 weeks to get better. I didn't have any signs of fever (if I had punctured a lung). That was my threshold to seek help.

What do you think your pain means, OP? What would fix it?

I pulled a rib muscle by turning over in bed. Initially it was a sharp sudden pain, and from then on it hurt to breathe deeply or laugh. It took about 3 weeks to get better, we rich is apparently the normal time

Strange questions, @lljkk - what does my pain mean? What would fix it?! I have no idea, I'm not medically trained, that's why I was wondering what it could be, but I accept that the most likely explanation is a pulled muscle.

I was debating speaking to a doctor because I don't know if I've pulled a muscle or whether it's something else that might need treating. There are other things that can cause pain in this area - gallstones, liver issues etc.

The simplest explanation is often the correct one so as mentioned before I'll give it a few days and see if it eases. Thank you to everyone who commented.

Would you routinely go see a doctor about a minor body pain, with very likely origin you know about, when it got slightly worse after 24 hours?

I don't routinely have body pain, @lljkk - I'm a very healthy, hardy person. I've not seen a doctor since I gave birth.

I think you might be implying I have health anxiety. Incorrect