Occasional stabbing pain below the ribs may be related to the following etiologies: 1. There may be chest wall related diseases, such as local chest wall phlebitis, intercostal neuritis, etc. These soft tissue related diseases may sometimes manifest as pain around the ribs. 2. There may be lesions of the ribs themselves, such as localized costal chondritis, or previous old rib fractures, which can manifest as this symptom. 3. If you have a myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, or acute gastritis, gastric ulcer, or cholecystitis, you may have pain around the ribs in the area involved. 4. There may be peripheral neuropathy, for example, when cervical spondylosis strikes, it may cause stabbing pain in the ribs in the front and upper parts of the chest, and sometimes pain around the breasts.