Trapped wind pain under my ribs
A tight, sharp ache sits just under your ribs. It can feel like a stitch, or like something is pressing up from inside. Some people feel it on the left, some on the right, and it can spread into the back or chest.
Your large bowel has two sharp bends that sit high, tucked under each rib. Gas can gather at these corners. The trapped air stretches the bowel wall, and that stretch is what you feel.
Gas builds up in two ways. You swallow air when you eat fast, talk while eating, chew gum or drink fizzy drinks. You also make gas as gut bacteria break down food such as beans, onions, cabbage, dairy or some sweeteners.
A big meal, constipation or tight waistbands can add to the pressure. Stress and quick, shallow breathing make many people swallow more air than usual.
When to see someone
Call emergency help if the pain comes with sweating, breathlessness, or pain in your arm, neck or jaw. See a doctor soon for fever, vomiting, weight loss you did not plan, blood or black stools, or pain that wakes you at night. Book a check-up if the pain keeps coming back, or if your bowel habits have changed.
The list below holds remedies people have long used for gas. Each one has a grade for how much human research stands behind it. A high grade is not a promise, so ask your doctor or pharmacist first.



