Hello, Your symptoms are not that specific and you did not describe any prior symptoms or events. Its very hard to answer you without more details. However, I will try to give you some ideas. Along the rib cage there are obviously rib bones, so if you had an injury you could have a rib fracture. Other than your diabetes and your age I have no idea about your general health. For some people prone to osteoporosis, even mild physical stress can cause fractures. Osteoporosis is less common among men especially men under the age of 70. Fractures are associated with severe pain, exacerbated by movement when the ends of the bones rub against each other. That is why immobilization such as a brace or cast often relieves pain in a fracture. If your pain is worse with movement, then its possible the pain is due to bone or muscle such as a sprain. Sprains can be caused by acute injury such as fall but also by repetitive overuse. If its a sprain, rest will eventually heal this. Use of acetaminophen Tylenol and NSAIDs like ibuprofen may help to relieve the pain. Be careful with NSAIDs if you have high blood pressure, coronary artery disease or history of stroke, or history of acid reflux or ulcers. You should also be careful of kidney disease since diabetics and older patients often have some degree of kidney disease. Topical creams can sometimes help as well as application of heat andor ice for musculoskeletal pain. The rib cage also covers the lungs. Usually you would have other symptoms such as cough, wheezing, difficulty breathing with a lung problem such as asthma, COPD, pneumonia, bronchitis. However its possible to have pain alone as a symptom in unusual cases. If you have any symptoms of an infection such as nasal discharge and congestion, sore throat, runny nose, headache, fever, then you might consider the possibility of an infection. If you have a history of smoking, consider COPD. If you have had asthma or history of eczema andor hay fever, then consider asthma with bronchoconstriction. Rarely people can get blood clots in the lungs, caused pulmonary embolisms or emboli, and those can cause pain as well as difficulty breathing. These are often associated with lack of mobility hospitalized bed bound patients or injury to the legsrecovery from leg surgery status post a hip replacement. The kidneys are located in the mid back but the ureter travels a path that mirrors the ribcage before descending into the bladder. Kidney stones and kidney infections can cause pain although it is usually a waxing and waning type of pain but it can be severe. If you have any other associated symptoms such as back pain, nausea, abdominal pain, painful or frequent urination, blood in the urine, then you need to consider a kidney problem. The liver and gallbladder are located beneath the ribs in what is known as the Right Upper Quadrant of the abdomen. Liver problems generally do not cause pain but its possible. Gallstones can cause pain but usually associated with eating. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and sometimes fever are associated. You need to see a health care provider. If your pain is severe, you should go to an ER in case this is something life threatening.