Intercostal muscle pain or Intercostal retractions involves the movement of the muscles in the chest between the ribs which often results to less pressure in the chest cavity. It usually results to having difficulty in breathing.
Chest walls are flexible and it expands and contract when one breathes. When breathing the intercostals muscles contract and drag the rib cage up as the diaphragm moves down hence the volume of the chest cavity increases which resulted to air drawn to the lungs.
If the upper airway or the small airways of the lungs are blocked then the flow of air is also limited and so the normal increase of chest cavity also lessens the pressure in the chest and because of this the intercostal muscle are strained inward, between the ribs. Conditions or diseases that causes restriction in the airway is usually the cause of intercostals muscle pain.
Common causes of intercostal muscles pain may include respiratory disease syndrome, retropharyngeal abscess, anaphylaxis, asthma, epiglottitis, foreign body in the trachea, bronchiolitis, pneumonia and croup.
Be warned though whenever intercostals retractions occurs for this can be a sign of airway obstruction and this situation can turn out to be life threatening. So do not ignore it but go see your doctor. Other symptoms that you need to take note too is when the lips, skin or nail beds turns blue or if the person suddenly becomes drowsy, confused and hard to awaken. This kind of symptoms calls for an emergency so do not waste time at all and rush the patient to the nearest hospital.
In emergency cases, patients will be dealt with accordingly to regain consciousness by giving medications and oxygen to help with the breathing or other measures. When the condition is stable then doctors usually perform physical examination and other tests to determine the cause of the obstruction.
Detailed information of intercostals retractions as discuss at Health Central, can definitely make individuals aware of how serious this diseases can be and should not be ignored at all. It can turn out to be a life threatening one so make sure to consult your doctor whenever you experience the symptoms like intercostal pain.