Pain between the ribs may be related to the following causes: 1. There may be spasm of the intercostal muscles. This is also known as a bout of gas among the people, mainly due to the patient’s sudden and violent activity, resulting in accelerated breathing. The intercostal muscles are overworked, which may lead to local muscle spasm and intercostal pain, which is aggravated when the patient inhales deeply. 2. There may be a case of phlebitis in the chest wall. Some patients have inflammation of the veins of the chest wall due to cold or local trauma, which may cause pain between the ribs. 3. Intercostal neuralgia may be present. The main cause of intercostal neuralgia is often due to infectious diseases, such as varicella zoster virus. 4. It may be caused by some intercostal injuries, such as direct violent blows to the thorax.