How to Relieve Gas Pain Under Ribs: 7 best Treatments.

Our content is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice by your doctor. Use for informational purposes only.

1. Define the cause & treat accordingly.

No plan is better than knowing your enemy. Knowing the exact cause of gas pain is essential to finding the best treatment that suits your condition. 

For example, if your gas pain is due to lactose intolerance, it will not respond to the most irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) treatments. Instead, the treatment is simply cutting lactose from your food.

The causes of intestinal gas are numerous. However, Some causes are more widespread than others. The gas pain under the ribs is a common finding regardless of the cause. 

Two main mechanisms of gas pain under ribs:

  • presence of excess gas in the part of the colon under ribs.
  • Or the hypersensitivity of your colon to gas (even to average amounts of gas inside your gut). Learn More.

Common causes of gas pain under the ribs include:

  • Irritable bowel syndrome.
  • Excess consumption of gassy foods (gas-producing foods) and carbonated drinks.
  • Food intolerances (such as FODMAP, lactose, fructose, and other types of food intolerance.
  • Psychological (anxiety that leads to excess air swallowing “aerophagia” or hypersensitivity of your colon to gas “Gut hypersensitivity”).
  • Medications.
  • Diabetes.

Other less common causes include:

  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis).
  • Celiac disease.
  • Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
  • Chronic intestinal infections such as giardiasis.
  • Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis).
  • Chronic pancreatitis.
  • Intestinal adhesions.
  • Intestinal malignancy (cancers).

The diagnosis of the exact cause of excess gas is not an easy process. It is better to consult your doctor if you have chronic or recurrent gas pain under your ribs.

Foods that are commonly associated with gas and bloating are discussed in the next section.

2. Stay away from Gassy foods and drinks.

Stay away from the below foods and drinks if you suffer from severe gas pain under the ribs. In the long-term, you don’t have to cut them completely; consume subaverage amounts may solve your gas pain without the need to complete diet restriction. 

You have to experiment with the types and amounts of food. Therefore, keeping a food diary is a perfect strategy. 

The list of food that commonly causes gas and bloating include (reference):

ITEMEXAMPLES
1. Milk and dairy products– milk,
– ice cream,
– and sometimes, cheese and yogurt.
2. Vegetables– Broccoli,
– cauliflower,
– Brussel sprouts,
– onions,
– leeks,
– parsnips,
– celery,
– radishes,
– asparagus,
– cabbage,
– kohlrabi,
– cucumber,
– potatoes,
– turnips,
– and rutabaga.
3. Fruits– Prunes,
– apricots,
– apples,
– pears,
– peaches,
– raisins,
– bananas
4. Whole grains-wheat,
– oats,
– bagels,
– wheat germ,
– pretzels,
– bran/bran cereal
5. Legumes– Beans,
– peas,
– baked beans,
– soybeans,
– lima beans
6. FatsFried and high-fat foods.
7. Drinks– Carbonated beverages,
– beer,
– carbonated medications
8. Others– chewing gum,
– artificial sweeteners

3. Don’t ignore the urge to pass gas or poop.

Habitual resistance to the urge of passing flatus and poop is a major contributor to gas pain under your ribs. 

You can notice a link between gas pain and travel, staying outside for more extended periods. Situations that lead to inhibition of the urge to pass gas or poop often lead to gas pain. 

Once you feel the early need to pass flatus, please don’t ignore it. The urge to pass gas will shortly turn into gas pain. 

4. Change your faulty eating Habits.

Food-related gas pain is related to the type of food and can be exacerbated by faulty diet habits.

To relieve gas pain under your ribs, please:

  • Avoid eating too fast (it leads to excess air swallowing).
  • Avoid talking while eating.
  • Eating very large or fatty meals at once. Eating fewer overall calories often improves gas pain (frequent small meals are better than few large meals).
  • Avoid smoking (leads to excessive swallowing of air).

5. Be physically active. 

Being active after meals is essential for your gut heals. In addition, your colon moves more as you walk or perform light exercises. 

Staying on a chair or the bed directly after eating will aggravate gas pain under the ribs. A good strategy is to get 30 minutes to walk or light physical exercise after your main meals.

6. Try gas-reducing supplements.

When the above measures fail to reduce gas pain under the ribs, try one of the below supplements. Almost all of them are over-the-counter and can be safely taken. 

  • Peppermint oil capsules or tea.
  • Ginger.
  • Cinnamon oil.
  • Digestive enzyme supplements.
  • Psyllium fiber supplement.

For more details, refer to this article.

7. Try probiotics.

One of the standard theories about intestinal gas and bloating is the disturbance of the intestinal microbiota.

The intestinal microbiota is the normal inhabitants of your small intestine and colon. They are large colonies of bacteria, fungi, and other micro-organisms.

They influence your gut health, immunity, and absorption. Disturbance of gut microbiota can occur due to many factors such as infections and antibiotic use. 

Another review observed similar findings, reporting that probiotics decreased the severity of several gut symptoms, including bloating, gas, and abdominal distension (reference).

You can try a probiotic for one month and see the result.