This area also contains muscles, blood vessels, and nerves that support and protect these organs. Problems with organs or supporting structures in or around the left rib cage region can contribute ...

or shooting pain under or around the left rib cage due to inflammation of the nerves in that region. This pain is known as postherpetic neuralgia and can persist even after the rash has healed ...

Those signals travel through nerves that run through your spinal cord, which is protected by bones called vertebrae. Then there's the rib cage and sternum, which protect the heart and lungs.