If the lungs hurt when coughing, a person is worried about why this is happening and what it is. Many people mistakenly think that this is a sure sign of pneumonia. But in fact, with pneumonia, such a symptom is extremely rare.

This symptom is characteristic of many serious pathologies of the respiratory, digestive and even skeletal systems. Only a doctor can differentiate and interpret it correctly. Therefore, you should not delay contacting a medical institution.

Do your lungs hurt?

From a scientific point of view, there is no pain in the lungs, as such, since this organ is not equipped with nerve endings that could respond to a pain impulse. But everyone has experienced these unpleasant sensations at least once in their life. In fact, the source of unpleasant symptoms, which we mistake for pulmonary pain, is either in the pleura, or in the trachea, or in the bronchi themselves, or in any other anatomical structure of the mediastinum.

Why does pain occur when coughing?

Pain in the lungs when coughing can vary in intensity: from mild to very strong. Its duration is also important: it stops quickly or does not go away at all.

Unpleasant sensations may be accompanied by shortness of breath or pass without it. They often appear when walking, exercising, or at rest.

To make it easier for the doctor to understand - if your lungs hurt when you cough, why this is happening - you need to pay attention to the cough itself: is it dry or wet, paroxysmal or is it a single cough. If at the same time it is released, then it matters what it is: mucous or purulent, with or without an admixture of blood. The general condition or well-being of the patient is also important: weakness, sweating, fever, headaches. All these signs indicate the presence of a particular disease.

The lungs can hurt with bronchitis, and there is no need to be afraid of this. This phenomenon is quite natural. But you shouldn’t accept this fact as the norm either. You must report your suspicions to your doctor. And he will decide how to interpret this sign. Naturally, it’s not the lungs that hurt, but the bronchi themselves. In any case, it is impossible to cure such a pathology without consequences on your own. The result of such actions can be a chronic process that will remind itself at least twice a year.

The therapist will prescribe the necessary set of therapeutic measures that will help you forget about the pain once and for all. And after several days of taking antibiotics and expectorants, the soreness in the lungs usually goes away.

Bronchitis, as a rule, is also accompanied by fever and malaise.

Often, a patient suffering from pneumonia asks the doctor a question: “why do my lungs hurt when I cough.” But since we know that this organ cannot hurt, this often indicates the addition of pleurisy, or inflammation of the pleura. There are dry and exudative pleurisy.

Dry pleurisy occurs most often:

• during the tuberculosis process;
• heart attack and lung abscess;
• collagenosis;
• uremia;
• rheumatism;
• blood diseases.

Dry pleurisy is characterized by sharp and stabbing pain in the lungs when coughing. The most interesting thing is that the affected side bothers less if the patient lies on it. Therefore, he instinctively takes a forced position.

Exudative pleurisy also often occurs with, but can also appear with other pathologies of the respiratory tract.

The more effusion accumulates, the less intense the pain in the lungs when coughing, which was very painful at first, becomes. Gradually it is replaced by painful heaviness.

Tracheobronchial tuberculosis

Tracheobronchial tuberculosis is a specific bacterial process that affects the walls of the bronchi and trachea. Patients may complain that their lungs hurt from coughing. This process is characterized by a paroxysmal cough with a small amount of bloody sputum, accompanied by shortness of breath. To establish a diagnosis, the patient will have to undergo a number of diagnostic procedures, including chest radiography, clinical and biochemical laboratory tests.

Other causes not related to the respiratory system

When your lungs hurt when you cough, what does it mean if the respiratory system is in perfect order? There can be many reasons. Here are the main ones:

• injuries;
• muscle pain;
• problems with the spine, neuralgia;
• problems with blood vessels.

Each of these pathologies can cause discomfort, which can often be confused with pain in the lungs.

Rib injuries

Fractured and bruised ribs are a common type of injury that can cause lung pain when coughing. This damage causes swelling and inflammation. Moreover, even the slightest cough causes severe and acute pain.

Injured ribs can damage muscles and ligaments, as well as the pleura, blood vessels and ligaments. This is what causes the pain in which one might mistakenly think that coughing hurts the lungs. Why this happens and what to do in such cases - only a doctor can answer.

Muscle pain

If the muscles in the chest area are damaged, the lungs often hurt when coughing. Why is this happening? Muscle strains and damage can occur when playing sports, making sudden movements, or lifting and moving heavy objects.

A very prolonged, intense cough can cause microscopic injuries to muscle fibers and, consequently, pain.

Neuralgia, osteochondrosis

If your lungs hurt when you cough, this worries everyone who has encountered such a problem. One of the common causes of this phenomenon is called intercostal neuralgia. With this pathology, the nerve endings located in the intercostal space are deformed.

Pain in the lungs when coughing is often accompanied by a feeling of numbness in the chest.

Osteochondrosis is also one of the reasons why the lungs may hurt when coughing. Why and what it is in this case - a neurologist can answer. Initially, this disease affects the intervertebral discs, and then other parts of the spine. The symptoms of this process are very diverse; pain in the lungs may also be felt during coughing.

Vascular problems

People who actually suffer from vascular problems - ischemic heart disease, aortic aneurysm, often believe that their lungs hurt when they cough. During the cough reflex, a sharp compression of the chest occurs, which in some cases can lead to a painful tingling in the chest, usually in the center or with a slight shift to the left. Pulmonary embolism in most cases is accompanied by cough, shortness of breath, and pain.

Useful video

When is chest pain when coughing a reason to see a doctor? Find out useful information in the following video:

Conclusion

1. If your lungs hurt from coughing, then the cause should be sought in other problems, because this organ does not have nerve endings and cannot cause pain.
2. These unpleasant sensations can be caused by many diseases, such as tuberculosis, lung cancer, vascular pathologies, neuralgia, osteochondrosis and other diseases.

Pain in the lungs is a dangerous symptom, in which it is necessary to seek medical help as soon as possible. If a person feels pain when sighing, trying to change body position, or coughing severely, there is a high probability of acute and chronic diseases. Some of them can be quite serious. For example, severe stabbing pain when breathing is a symptom characteristic of lung cancer.

When diagnosing, it is important to determine exactly where the main source of pain is located. By the way, it is worth noting that the lungs themselves cannot hurt, since they have no pain receptors. Pain syndrome can occur in certain areas of the lung and surrounding organs, for example, the pleura (the membrane lining the lungs from the inside), bronchi and trachea.

The main causes of pain in the lungs

Pneumonia

Pneumonia (pneumonia) is the most common cause of pain in certain areas of this organ. Pneumonia can be unilateral - in this case the pain is most often localized on only one side. Often there is a bilateral lesion, in which the pain syndrome affects both the left and right lungs.

Pneumonia is an infectious disease, the causative agent of which can be completely different types of bacteria (pneumococcus, streptococcus, staphylococcus, E. coli, etc.). The disease is accompanied by a strong dry cough, which after a few days becomes wet with thick bloody sputum. Pneumonia can also be suspected based on other signs characteristic of this disease:

• fever, chills;
• high body temperature (up to 40.5 degrees);
• blue lips;
• swelling of the face;
• coughing up blood.

Inflammation of the pleura (dry pleurisy)

This pathology has a characteristic feature - a patient with pleural damage goes to sleep on the affected side, since in this position the pain reduces its intensity. This happens because the pleura loses its mobility in this position, which significantly reduces the severity of pain.

Dry pleurisy is usually accompanied by cough and shortness of breath. A person with this diagnosis experiences pain in the lower and lateral parts of the lung, only on one side.

Tuberculosis

Initially (at the very early stage of the disease), the patient notices pain on the side. As the pathology progresses and exudate accumulates in the lungs, a painful feeling of squeezing occurs. Upon visual inspection, small bulges can be noted in the spaces between the ribs.

With tuberculosis, a person suffers from a dry cough and pain when trying to take a breath. You may also notice severe shortness of breath with characteristic wheezing.

Lung cancer

The most serious cause of pain in the lung area. The nature and localization of pain depend on the location of the tumor, the presence of metastases, and the stage of the disease. Pain in the lungs with malignant lesions often occurs only when the disease progresses to stage 3 or 4, at which recovery is almost impossible.

In order to diagnose malignant lung diseases in a timely manner, the following rules must be followed:

• undergo fluorography once every 1-2 years;
• treat all infectious diseases in a timely manner (especially for respiratory diseases);
• If even a slight cough appears, you must go to the hospital to exclude pathologies or diagnose them at an early stage.

Other causes of pain in the lungs

In addition to the reasons listed above, there are many conditions in which the lungs can hurt. You need to know them so that if this symptom occurs you do not waste time and undergo the necessary examinations on time. Pain in the lung area can be caused by:

• pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and joints (rheumatoid arthritis, arthrosis);
• muscle disorders;
• osteomyelitis;
• gout;
• infectious diseases (flu, typhus, measles, etc.);
• flatulence;
• spontaneous pneumothorax;
• heart and kidney diseases;
• stomach diseases (for example, peptic ulcer);
• aortic pathology;
• thromboembolism;
• diabetes.

Important! There are many reasons for pain in the lungs. It is impossible to figure out on your own what exactly caused the pain in the organ.

To diagnose the disease and prescribe an infection, you can contact one of these specialists:

• pulmonologist;
• surgeon;
• traumatologist;
• oncologist;
• therapist;
• cardiologist.

Pain when coughing

Pain when coughing is characteristic of pleurisy, an inflammatory process affecting the pleura. This condition often accompanies infectious diseases. For example, a dry cough with the flu or pneumonia almost always causes pain in the chest area (mainly in the front). Tuberculosis is also characterized by a painful cough that produces bloody sputum.

In some cases, the chest pain that occurs when coughing becomes so severe that the person cannot breathe. The pain syndrome is intense and difficult to relieve with medications. If such pain takes on a girdling form and becomes stabbing, there is a possibility of the presence of malignant tumors. In some cases, such pain may radiate to the heart area - in this case, the patient may mistake the symptom for heart pain.

Important! Self-prescribing medications (even painkillers) is a big mistake. Some formidable pathologies are “masked” under the guise of conditions familiar to humans. While the patient is treating an imaginary disease, time is running out, and the underlying disease is rapidly progressing. Therefore, in case of pain of any nature, it is necessary to consult a doctor and not self-medicate.

Lung pain in a child

Muscle fatigue. If the pain is moderate, appears only a few times a day, and the child remains active and calm, it may be due to costochondritis. This is inflammation of the intercostal cartilaginous joints. This condition does not require treatment; it is only necessary to limit the child’s physical activity for 3-5 days.

Pneumonia. The signs of pneumonia in young children are the same as in adults. If a cough appears, accompanied by high fever, shortness of breath and wheezing, the child should be seen immediately by a doctor.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and digestion. Chest pain with such pathologies appears mainly at night or during daytime sleep. The child has bad breath, a sour taste, and digestive problems (constipation, bloating). A complete examination of the child with these symptoms is mandatory!

Heart pathologies. In childhood, pain in the lungs, indicating heart problems, usually occurs after physical activity. In this case, there is increased pallor and blue discoloration of the skin. In some cases, pain may bother the baby at rest.

Rheumatoid arthritis (juvenile type). Pain usually appears at rest and is accompanied by swelling of the affected joints.

Pain in the lungs when inhaling

In addition to the main causes of pain in the chest when inhaling (pneumonia, tuberculosis, pleurisy), several diseases that are uncharacteristic for this organ can be identified, for example:

• pericarditis;
• osteochondrosis;
• intercostal neuralgia, etc.

Severe, dull pain in the center of the chest may indicate a bruise or injury. To exclude the possibility of damage to the ribs or vertebrae, you need to contact a traumatologist and take an X-ray of the chest organs.

A stabbing pain that prevents you from breathing fully appears as cancer progresses.

If the pain is felt from behind

Pain in the sternum, localized on the posterior side, most often occurs with urological diseases. Kidney pathologies (pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis), cystitis, urinary tract infections can lead to such a symptom. You can understand that the problem is in the kidneys by the duration and location of the source of pain. As a rule, during inflammatory processes in the genitourinary organs, after 2-3 days, pain appears in the area of ​​the affected organs.

A similar picture can be observed with injuries and bruises of the spine, as well as attacks of osteochondrosis. Pain usually appears during recumbent rest, when the patient spends a lot of time on his side or lying on his back.

Listed above are the most common causes of pain in or around the lungs. Today, more than 100 of them are known, so you should not waste time on self-diagnosis. Only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment.

If a person's lungs hurt when they cough, this is a very warning sign that never means anything good. You should first consult a doctor if this has not already been done. If there is already a doctor and the disease is already being treated, but the pain appeared during the process, all the more you need to call him at home or go to the clinic to adjust the plan and, possibly, prescribe new medications.

It is interesting, however, that the lungs themselves cannot hurt even with the strongest cough. Lung tissue is designed in such a way that there are no nerve endings in it - but they are in the pleura that surrounds them, in the muscles of the chest, even in the bones. They are the ones who most often send pain signals. And the reasons can be very different.

Bronchitis

Perhaps one of the most common reasons why pain occurs in the lungs when coughing. Inflammation affects the bronchial tree and can either occur after contact with an infection, or develop as a result of long-term respiratory diseases and their improper treatment. In this case, there are two forms.

The acute form of bronchitis is a reaction to contact with an infection. The patient breathed the air that people with bronchitis had breathed before him, he was given an infection during lung surgery, he used someone else's towel or drank from someone else's mug. At the same time, he experienced a decline in immunity - and the result was not long in coming - acute bronchitis appeared. It is characterized by the following symptoms:

• Pain. Weak, aching, localized at the back, from the back. Worsened by coughing.
• Cough. At first dry, unpleasant, but not causing any particular discomfort. Then - wet, with green or yellowish sputum, sometimes even with blood.
• Temperature. Usually it does not rise high, it stays at low-grade levels, but constantly. The patient suffers from it due to chills and weakness.
• General depressed state. Headaches, drowsiness, difficulties with work.

The acute form lasts about two weeks, and then gradually fades away, leaving no particular traces. However, the patient’s immunity decreases and inflammatory processes continue to occur in the lungs. Gradually they can lead to the development of bronchial asthma or chronic form.

Interestingly, the chronic form does not always develop after acute bronchitis. Sometimes it is caused by a decrease in local immunity in the lungs and sluggish inflammation caused by some pathogenic microorganisms. Smoking (almost all pulmonary diseases are more common among smokers), working in hazardous enterprises, working with chemicals, and problematic ecology in the region of residence increase the chances of decreased immunity. Chronic bronchitis begins gradually, the symptoms are unpleasant:

• Dyspnea. Its presence makes bronchitis similar to COPD - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient first suffers from shortness of breath when he tries to engage in physical activity, at least in the format of jogging after the bus, and then at rest, when he gets out of bed, gets dressed, and walks down the street. Shortness of breath is one of the classic symptoms.
• Cough. Wet, but not too disturbing. For smokers who are accustomed to morning attacks, it often goes unnoticed. The sputum is either clear or whitish. If the disease is started, blood may appear in it.
• General depressed state. Weakness, lethargy. The patient's appetite becomes worse, it is difficult for him to concentrate on something for a long time, depression and headache attacks are possible. This is due to a lack of oxygen.
• Pain. They usually appear when coughing. Weak, aching, then cutting.

If you start chronic bronchitis, problems with the cardiovascular system will gradually become noticeable. During coughing attacks, the heart will begin to beat faster, pain will appear in the left side of the chest, and the patient will have difficulty breathing. It is possible to develop heart disease as a response to a constant lack of oxygen.

With chronic bronchitis, there is no temperature - except that a low-grade fever may rise, which patients usually do not track at all.

Treatment of bronchitis involves a whole range of procedures and medications:

• Antibiotics. Their use is not always justified, but if bronchitis is bacterial in nature, the doctor may prescribe them.
• Anti-inflammatory. Always used, they reduce swelling and the rate of disease progression. Improves overall condition.
• Mucolytics. They have a positive effect on the consistency of sputum - it becomes more liquid and, accordingly, easier to expectorate.
• Physiotherapy. As a rule, these are inhalations with a variety of softening and inflammation-reducing compounds. They are usually carried out using a nebulizer, with caution, at least four times a day.

A treatment regimen with a gentle exercise regime is added - no sports, no special physical activity, except for leisurely walks in the park - proper nutrition, normalization of sleep patterns, giving up bad habits. Patients are also recommended to drink herbal teas from mint, lemon balm, elderberry, coltsfoot. They are usually drunk instead of tea.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia, also known as pneumonia, is somewhat similar to bronchitis, but covers a noticeably larger area - not only the mucous membranes, but also the bronchi themselves. This disease was previously considered unambiguously fatal, now it is being treated, but if the process is started, it may no longer help. Pneumonia can be infected; it often affects people who, due to another illness, are forced to stay in bed because blood stagnates in their lungs. There are atypical pneumonias, which develop differently than the classical form, and there are hospital-acquired pneumonias, which appear against the background of other diseases.

The symptoms of the classic form of pneumonia are such that it is hard to miss:

• Temperature. A sharp jump in temperature - from normal values ​​to thirty-eight and above. It is usually experienced by patients with great difficulty and is accompanied by chills, fever, sweating, and weakness.
• Cough. Appears along with the temperature, usually quickly turning into a wet form. At first the sputum is clear, but in just a couple of days it can turn green, yellow or even bloody.
• Pain. Acute pain in the lungs is observed precisely with pneumonia - severe, exhausting, accompanying all coughing attacks. Often localized on the left side of the chest, it forces the patient to take a characteristic position - sitting, bent over, holding his chest with his hand, trying to clear his throat.
• Standard symptoms of inflammation. This includes weakness, lethargy, aching muscles and bones. Drowsiness, despite the fact that a person usually cannot sleep - he is woken up by coughing attacks.

If symptoms of pneumonia are detected in a child, you don’t have to make an appointment with a pediatrician or even wait for a doctor to be called to your home - just call an ambulance with a description of the symptoms. The younger the child, the higher the likelihood that delay will cost him his life.

Pneumonia is usually treated in a hospital because it is easier to monitor the patient’s condition. Apply:

• Antibiotics. They destroy the pathogen, but they are usually prescribed with great caution, since they have many side effects, and if they are chosen incorrectly, pathogenic microorganisms will not suffer from them at all.
• Anti-inflammatory. Facilitate the course of the disease and slow down its development.
• Mucolytics. Help the patient cough up sputum.
• Painkillers and antipyretics. Relieves symptoms and alleviates the condition.

This also includes warming up, if the disease has not turned into a purulent form, and very active inhalations, which are considered very useful.

After pneumonia, immunity drops significantly, so the patient is usually advised to take care. Ventilate the room, spend time in the fresh air, eat right, dress for the weather, get as much sleep as you need, and avoid stress.

Tumor

A tumor in the lungs may be benign, but if it begins to cause discomfort to the patient, this is unlikely. Most often, a tumor means cancer, and if a person’s lungs hurt after coughing, this means that this cancer is not in the first stage.

At the first stage, symptoms are easy to miss. Blame it on overwork or simply ignore it. It includes:

• General malaise. It becomes harder for a person to get up in the morning. He feels sluggish and sleepy, finds it difficult to concentrate on business, and becomes less emotional. Depressive thoughts may appear.
• Decreased appetite. A person wants to eat less for no apparent reason.
• Dramatic weight loss. Caused, firstly, by a decrease in appetite, and secondly, by the fact that the body spends a lot of energy fighting the tumor.

Naturally, all this is very vague. The malaise is attributed to fatigue, and the weight loss is celebrated. The second stage is less noticeable. Appears:

• Dyspnea. For now – exclusively with physical activity. When trying to run up the stairs or run a hundred meters. A person thinks that he is tired or his form has deteriorated - only rare people begin to worry about their health.
• Cough. For now it is a dry cough, unpleasant, but not fatal. If a person smokes (and about ninety percent of those with lung cancer smoke), he does not notice anything new.
• Pain. Usually weak, accompanying cough.

The third stage is much more obvious:

• Dyspnea. It's getting worse. Now it’s already difficult to climb the stairs on foot; there’s no question of walking a hundred meters. A person begins to feel out of breath when performing normal daily activities.
• Cough. It gets wet. The sputum is most often glassy, ​​mixed with blood.
• Pain. Getting stronger. Now the cough is spreading into the lungs, cutting. The person takes the same position as with pneumonia - sits down, rests his elbows on his knees, presses his hand to his chest.

Depending on what other organs are affected by the tumor, other symptoms appear - from diarrhea to heart rhythm disturbances.

Treatment for cancer is long and difficult. The deeper the stage, the lower the chances. Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and maintenance medications are used. They can cut out part of the lung or the entire lung. At the last stage, if all else fails, strong painkillers are used - solely to alleviate the condition.

Interestingly, doctors do not recommend treating cancer without the help of a specialist psychologist. Not only the patient, but also his relatives may need his help.

Other reasons

Bronchitis, pneumonia and cancer are the worst possible causes. In addition to them, pain, cough and heaviness in the lungs can cause:

• Pleurisy. It can be dry or exudative, the sensations for the patient do not change too significantly. It causes inflammation of the pleura, a skin sac that helps the lungs contract and protects them from the rest of the chest contents. The disease is accompanied by pain, a feeling of heaviness, and a dry, tearing cough, which is caused by a lack of oxygen. If pleurisy is exudative, then the breast may swell and inflate due to the fluid filling it. Treatment is anti-inflammatory drugs, pain-relieving drugs, as well as a puncture, which can be used to pump out fluid and make breathing easier for the patient. Shortness of breath for pleurisy, by the way, is also very typical.
• Tuberculosis. It occurs in Russia more often than we would like, despite all the efforts of the state to reduce the incidence. It does not appear immediately, but gradually - the temperature remains at subfebrile levels, the patient coughs first with clear sputum, then purulent, then with blood. Shortness of breath and serious pain appear, sometimes inflammation can spread to other organs and systems, and then the symptoms become even worse. Tuberculosis is treated with specialized drugs that work exclusively against its causative agent, anti-inflammatory drugs, mucolytics, as well as lifestyle changes. Patients are contraindicated from worrying; a special diet and certain physical activity are indicated. Usually they offer sanatorium-resort treatment.
• Injury. If a patient has a rib fracture that went unnoticed - this happens if there was a blow to the chest, after which the patient did not go for an x-ray - pain can occur with any inhalation or exhalation at all, and noticeably intensifies when coughing. It is usually recommended to go to the doctor, get a referral for an x-ray, and then wear a plaster brace until the ribs heal. Additionally, medications are prescribed to alleviate the condition.
• Bronchial asthma. There is an atypical form of asthma in which attacks are accompanied not by suffocation, but by coughing. The patient may experience pain during the process. Asthma is treated with special drugs for an attack, as well as drugs that expand the lumen of the lungs on an ongoing basis.

Regardless of what disease caused pain in the lungs when coughing, it is definitely not a harmless cold, and you should not treat it yourself.

Pain in the lungs when coughing is not necessarily a sign of pneumonia or cancer. This symptom can indicate a variety of problems. The range of diseases is quite large - from respiratory problems to diseases of the digestive, cardiovascular systems, and musculoskeletal system. Therefore, in no case should you think that the cause of pain lies in the most severe lesions. The doctor makes a diagnosis based on the nature of the pain - dull and aching or sharp, as well as taking into account the patient’s medical history, that is, what pathologies were noted previously.

Where does the pain come from?

The lungs themselves cannot hurt, since they have no nerve endings. What then hurts?

It should also be noted that it manifests itself precisely with the help of a cough. For example, a cough with lung cancer shows the first signs of pain. In this case, the cough itself is not very persistent, but rather periodic and regular. It is rarely wet, more often dry. It has a protracted form and does not respond to any cough medications. In this case, more serious treatment should be prescribed and, most importantly, it needs to be done on time, because, as we know, cancer can be cured only when it is detected in time and immediately approaches the problem in a comprehensive manner.

A cough with lung cancer is not the first symptom that may indicate the presence of the disease. Rather, this is why every person needs to undergo fluorography annually in order to always keep the health of their respiratory system under control.

In another case, all manifestations of cough with pain are purely problems with the lungs and more often it is just inflammation. Therefore, you should not immediately worry too much about this and worry about serious problems. It is better to get examined and start treatment as quickly as possible. Unpleasant sensations are caused by the trachea area or the area of ​​large bronchi. It’s just that they have pain receptors and their condition is quite reminiscent of the condition of the lungs as a whole.

Species

The pain can be sharp and weak. In order to determine the diagnosis, the doctor relies on its intensity and type. How often does it appear or does it not stop at all? Is it present with a deep breath or only with a cough, and is there shortness of breath or not? Pain when coughing and taking a deep breath is more common with bronchitis and pneumonia. Another common fact is that it appears when walking, or, conversely, while lying down. All these factors in their own way characterize the presence of a particular problem. Therefore, it is very important for the doctor to know all the details in order to correctly determine the diagnosis.

Naturally, every person knows for himself that pain in the lungs simply does not appear.
For example, this sensation may indicate a fracture. It just seems to a person that these are the lungs and there is some kind of inflammation there. But in fact, since they cannot hurt, it gives off rib pain. It always manifests itself when coughing, walking, and it is unpleasant for a person to sit in one position. But in addition to all this, it is worth noting that her character is not harsh, but rather aching and constant.

Treatment of discomfort

Treatment of pain is, in general, a stupid phrase, because it is not the sensation itself that needs to be treated, but the cause that provoked the appearance of this illness. Only a doctor should prescribe treatment after an examination, because only then will it be possible to determine the real cause. Making any decisions on your own is very dangerous, even if you yourself know that you have pneumonia. This disease cannot be cured with simple pills. Here you will need treatment with injections, in particular antibiotics.

As a rule, any inflammation is more often characterized by an increase in temperature, and even a rib fracture can provoke this. Therefore, starting home treatment without knowing what exactly is causing it is stupid, because there can be quite a few reasons for this. If you ignore a doctor's examination, there are many chances of serious complications. For example, after a cold and improper treatment, bronchitis or pneumonia may occur.

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Pain in the lungs when coughing is a symptom that can occur with a fairly large number of diseases. But I would like to first note that, as such, a person cannot have pain in the lungs. This is due to the peculiarities of the innervation of the lung tissue. Turning to an anatomy textbook, we will find that there are no sensory nerve fibers in the lungs that could signal the central nervous system about painful sensations. That is why we should talk about pain that occurs due to irritation of afferent (sensitive) neurons in the tissues surrounding the lungs, but not in the lungs themselves. Let's find out why the lungs hurt when coughing, and what diseases such a symptom may indicate!

Anatomically, it turns out that the lungs are in close proximity to objects of the digestive, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems, so it is impossible to say unambiguously and immediately about the etiology of the process.

• If there are problems with the digestive system, then the damage or disease may be hidden in the esophagus, which runs along the trachea, and then below after its bifurcation.
• From the cardiovascular system, painful sensations in the heart area are not excluded. But often such pains radiate, that is, spread, so it may seem that it is not the area where the heart is located that hurts, but somewhere else.
• The chest is kept constant in its shape thanks to numerous muscles, including the intercostal, pectoral, serratus muscles on the anterolateral surface of the chest, as well as the rhomboid, infraspinatus, teres muscles, and so on on the posterolateral surface, that is, from the back.
• The thoracic spine is located in the projection of the lungs, so with its diseases, pain can radiate to the lateral surface of the chest, which makes it seem as if “the lungs hurt.” The cause may also be hidden in the respiratory system. But painful sensations arise due to stretching or compression of the pleura (the lining of the lungs), strong pressure or stretching of the bronchi and trachea. This is possible for various pathologies of the respiratory system.
• Neurological problems, as well as psychosomatic pain, should not be discounted. In the first case, pain arises due to problems with the nerve endings themselves, and in the second case, it is a figment of a person’s imagination, “contrived” pain.

To accurately determine the cause of the pain, you need to contact a therapist, who, if necessary, will give a referral to another doctor.

In what cases do the lungs hurt when coughing?

To more accurately determine the cause of pain, you need to separate the characteristics of pain in the front and back of the chest. First, let's consider under what conditions pain will be felt only on one side on the front of the chest.

1. Only one lung is involved in the pathological process (pain in the right or left lung). Soreness on one side or another can only indicate that the pathological process has so far spread to only one lung. Often this is the right lung, since due to the structural features of the bronchial tree, it is much easier for pathogens of various diseases to penetrate into it.
2. Angina pectoris. This is a syndrome in which a person feels sudden pain in the chest area. It can often radiate to the left shoulder, left side of the neck, and also the left arm. With prolonged angina, it is possible that the cause lies in myocardial infarction. It can be suspected if angina does not go away within 10-15 minutes. In such cases, you need to take a Nitroglycerin tablet and call an ambulance.
3. Tracheitis. It is not difficult to guess that this is an inflammatory process on the mucous membrane of the trachea. Since this organ has sensitive neurons, with a strong cough a person may feel pain from coughing in the trachea, that is, at the level of the sternum. With tracheitis, the “barking” nature of the cough will be clearly audible.
4. Bronchitis. As with tracheitis, a person feels pain due to severe irritation of the bronchial mucosa. A person can feel especially severe pain when the cough hurts the lungs and the symptom is at the dry, unproductive stage, when sputum is difficult to clear.
5. Dry pleurisy. It is dry not at all because the pleura dries out, but because the exudate in it is very thick. Fibrin threads are tightly attached to the pleura, causing pain. A person experiences painful sensations during a deep breath from the right hypochondrium. The patient is forced to take a body position that will allow him not to experience severe pain.
6. Exudative pleurisy. This is a condition in which the pleura is inflamed and purulent exudate is present. Like the previous condition, exudative pleurisy can occur with tuberculosis and transform into sclerosis, that is, the replacement of normal pleural tissue with connective tissue formations. A person feels pain in the side, the volume of the chest may locally increase due to the “swelling” of the pleural cavity.
7. Unilateral pneumonia. With this diagnosis, a person experiences slight tingling in the chest area, as well as fever, sweating, and hyperemia of the skin.
8. Pain in bones and muscles. They are usually easy to identify because palpation of the causative site can accurately determine the location of the pain. Muscles in diseases can be tight, painful, and it is felt that the temperature of the skin surface in this area is different.
9. Pain in the esophagus. With gastroesophageal reflux, a burning sensation and pain is felt in the area behind the sternum, which rises up to the oropharynx.

Back pain

There are far fewer causes of pain in the chest area from the back, including:

• Osteochondrosis. This is a disease in which the nerve roots of the spinal cord are pinched, which is why a person may mistakenly perceive the pain as pulmonary.
• Pneumonia and pleurisy. Bilateral or severe pneumonia, pleurisy can cause pain in the back of the chest.
• Lung cancer. A disappointing diagnosis, which often makes itself known too late. Pain occurs only when the cancer is already in its last stage. A person experiences back pain due to significant growth of tumor tissue. There are other symptoms that indicate oncology: chills, sometimes fever, weight loss, weakness, fatigue, and so on.
• Myositis (muscle inflammation). As with the front of the sternum, pain can occur due to injury, exposure to cold, or inflammation of the muscle tissue.
• Neuralgia. Problems with the nerve roots and fibers of the spinal cord are most often reflected by nagging pain in the thoracic back.

Treatment of any disease is entirely based on its etiology. A doctor can establish an accurate diagnosis only after a thorough examination and diagnosis.

If you don’t know exactly what exactly is hurting you, how exactly and where, it’s best to go to a therapist. This doctor will be able to conduct an initial examination. The doctor will question you in detail, that is, collect a history of your life, illness, and listen to your complaints. The therapist also performs auscultation, percussion, and palpation. Although physical research methods are now fading into the background, high-class therapists, even thanks to these simple techniques, can almost immediately recognize a serious and dangerous illness.

The general practitioner prescribes additional studies, tests, and diagnostic measures if he is not entirely sure what exactly is the cause of the pain.

What doctors can you see during treatment, besides a therapist?

• A phthisiatrician is a doctor who specializes in the treatment of tuberculosis. Do not be afraid, today this disease is completely curable, since a variety of people are getting sick with it more and more often.
• Cardiologist. If the problem lies in the heart, then only a cardiologist can help.
• Oncologist. If the therapist has reasons to suspect oncology, he will definitely refer you to this doctor.
• Traumatologist. Often pain occurs after injuries or as a result of their occurrence. A traumatologist will assess the damage caused to the body and be able to choose the right treatment.
• Neurologist. A doctor who will solve problems with nerve endings and spinal cord roots.
• Pulmonologist. Specializes in lung diseases.