Why does it hurt in the left side under the ribs? Causes and their elimination

Pain in the left side under the ribs is a serious syndrome that should not be ignored under any circumstances. Pain is a normal reaction of the body to injuries, physical overload, sudden movements, physiological changes, for example, during pregnancy. But, besides this, they can talk about more serious hidden phenomena that occur in the body. Pain syndrome can be associated with an inflammatory process or with pathologies of internal organs and systems. When identifying the underlying cause that caused pain spasms, it is important to consider their nature, duration and exact location. When pain occurs, an examination of the body is necessary.

The nature of the pain on the side under the ribs

Depending on the characteristic features of the pain and on the situations in which it manifests itself, it can be assumed which doctor should be visited for an accurate diagnosis.

• Stitching pains in the left side under the ribs, in case they arose after serious physical activities, such as long running, walking at an accelerated pace, jumping, intense aerobic and power loads, do not pose a serious danger at all and occur in almost all healthy people. Usually, pain in this case is associated with insufficient warming up before exercise or with too intense movement. Without a good warm-up lasting at least 15-20 minutes, the body cannot prepare for a strong acceleration of blood circulation. Of course, there is no danger in this, but there is no benefit either, therefore, if such a situation arises, you need to stop doing the exercise, relax your arms and shoulders, start deep breathing and, during maximum exhalation, press on the painful place, leaning forward, repeat this procedure several times , after which it is possible to continue to play sports. It can also begin to prick on the side with cardio loads, if sports activities occur after a recent meal. After eating, you must wait at least two hours, since the digestive system is loaded with the digestion of food, hence pain occurs.
• Dagger, cutting, sharp pain in the left side under the ribs, which arose unexpectedly and is not associated with physical exertion, requires urgent medical intervention. It can be a symptom of rupture of the renal pelvis, spleen, perforation of loops of the small intestine or the walls of the stomach. In addition, such a pain syndrome can be caused by an abdominal variant of the myocardium or acute.
• Strong pain after injury, in case of its exacerbation during inhalation, which appeared after a fall, impact or car accident, may indicate the presence of severely damaged internal organs, which can be life-threatening. With this variant of acute pain, urgent medical help is needed.
• Blunt pain in the left hypochondrium, if it sometimes disturbs for a long time period, it is also a cause for concern, because it can be caused by a sluggish chronic pathology of the digestive system. In such a situation, a person may be sick, etc. To determine the presence of pathology, it is necessary to visit, undergo various examinations, take tests, and do an ultrasound.
• Aching pain in the left side under the ribs may be a symptom of slowly flowing or duodenitis, but if a feeling of nausea and vomiting is added to this symptom, this may indicate a stomach ulcer. When pulling pain is not associated with the food system, then it may indicate diseases such as a pre-infarction condition, ischemic heart disease, and.

Causes of pain in the left side under the ribs, depending on the location

When pain is in the left side under the ribs in front, this often indicates a disease associated with the spleen or stomach. In this case, differential diagnosis is made with diseases such as myocardium, upper intestinal loops, myositis. If the pain is shifted closer to the center, then this may be due to a combination of pathologies of the stomach and gallbladder or duodenum.

With a pain syndrome localized behind, the left kidney is often affected, to diagnose this pathology, you need to do an ultrasound scan and pass urine and blood for analysis. In addition to kidney disease, pain in this place can be caused by palpation of the paravertebral processes.

If girdle pain worries, this may be a symptom of a pathology in the pancreas - pancreatitis. With attacks of this disease, a sign of the initial stage of the inflammatory process is a strong burning pain, passing from the back to the anterior abdominal wall, which subsides slightly when leaning forward in a sitting position.

Causes of pain in the left hypochondrium and symptoms of possible diseases

According to statistics, pain under the ribs on the left is one of the most relevant reasons for contacting a medical institution. But it is not always caused by heart disease. In this area there are many organs, nerve fibers, lymph nodes, blood vessels and muscles, if their normal functioning is disturbed, then pain appears. As already mentioned, pain varies depending on the disease, it can ache, pinch, be sharp or cutting, strong or tolerable, constant or periodic with exacerbation attacks, but any manifestation of it requires an immediate reaction and action. Consider the pathologies that can cause pain in the left hypochondrium and what additional symptoms you need to pay attention to.

Spleen

The spleen is the largest lymphoid organ located above the stomach. Pain under the ribs on the left, arising constantly and having a aching character, may be a consequence of the development of the disease in this organ. Of course, the spleen does not belong to the organs without which it is impossible to live, but any deviations from its normal operation can cause severe discomfort. Enlargement of the spleen can lead to its rupture and severe pain. Symptoms of a ruptured spleen include:

• cyanosis of the skin in the navel;
• nausea;
• occurrence;
• increased sweating;
• dizziness.

What can cause a break:

• injuries and bruises;
• diseases of the liver and kidneys;
• excessive physical activity;
• childbearing and childbirth.

The cardiovascular system

Pain with problems with the heart and blood vessels is characterized by different manifestations: they are dull, sharp, penetrating, stabbing, pressing, pulsating, burning and give to the shoulder and shoulder blades on the left side. With almost all heart diseases, there is a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle, so a person gets tired quickly, has difficulty breathing, often burning and nausea become unbearable. At the time of myocardial infarction in a person, the heart begins to beat intensively and he does not have enough air, the pain is localized in the left side. To the described symptoms, it is added that the person sweats heavily, hiccups and vomiting are possible, the face and lips become pale and acquire a bluish tint, the pain in this case is concentrated at the top of the left hypochondrium. When these signs appear, a person needs urgent hospitalization with intensive care.

Intercostal neuralgia

It is characterized by pain syndrome under the scapula and in the lumbar region of varying strength and duration, from sharp and short-term to aching and prolonged. This disease begins due to pinching of nerve endings, which can occur with sharp turns of the body, too deep breath, long and strong cough, with intense exertion. Additional symptoms are a feeling of general weakness and malaise, pain in the head.

During pregnancy

With a pulling pain syndrome under the ribs of a woman in position, one should make sure that there are no pathologies such as pancreatitis, as well as a threat or ectopic pregnancy. In other cases, pain may occur due to displacement of internal organs or compression of the ureter and renal pelvis by an enlarged uterus. Also, increased fetal activity can cause pain. To relieve tension, the “kitty” exercise helps, which temporarily reduces squeezing by changing position.

Note! In the case of acute sudden onset pain lasting more than 15 minutes, with increasing intensity, which is accompanied by bleeding, weakness and dizziness, prompt medical attention is necessary.

Endocrine system

Pathological processes in the pancreas are often accompanied by a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen, a bitter taste in the mouth and belching, and the pain is girdle in nature and decreases after taking drugs containing enzymes. If therapy is not started in time, the disease can become chronic, which, in addition to acute pain in the left hypochondrium, is manifested by general intoxication of the body, edema, and elevated body temperature.

Symptoms of an oncological disease in the gland may not manifest themselves for a long time, but when the neoplasm becomes impressive in size, a strong bursting pain is felt on the left side under the ribs, and the skin and eyes become yellow, as with.

Digestive system

In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pain from the left side and abdomen often disturbs a person and appears mainly after a meal.

• the presence of intoxication;
• a state of weakness and malaise;
• increased sweating;
• nausea and vomiting.

With colitis, rumbling, digestive upsets occur, pain in this case occurs in attacks, manifests itself in the form of spasms and colic, and can spread to nearby areas. With peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, a person feels a sharp dagger pain that begins after eating food, becomes unbearable, radiates from the back, is accompanied by high fever and the onset of intoxication. If these symptoms occur, immediate hospitalization and surgical therapy are necessary, since this condition seriously threatens a person's life.

Respiratory system

With left-sided pleurisy, a dull, mild pain is felt in the left side under the ribs. With deep breaths and exhalations, coughing, making sudden movements, the pain is more pronounced and is accompanied by tingling. Also, the patient has shortness of breath, frequent breathing, bluish color of the nasolabial triangle, hyperthermia, relief occurs after the person lies down on the left side.

Diseases of the spine

The pain syndrome that appears in the left side under the ribs from behind when walking may be the result of diseases of the spine: intervertebral hernia. With uncomfortable postures of the body, after waking up or physical activity, the pain often becomes stronger.

Gynecology

In case of gynecological diseases in females, the pain is usually localized in the lower abdomen, but sometimes there may be a sudden, stabbing pain in the groin, extending under the ribs in the left side, which is most likely to indicate a rupture of the ovarian cyst.

Other symptoms are:

• the appearance of intoxication;
• an increase in temperature, which is not amenable to knocking down drugs;
• the appearance of uterine bleeding;
• low blood pressure.

In the presence of these signs, the affected woman requires urgent hospitalization and surgical care.

Treatment of pain in the left side under the ribs

If any pain occurs, you immediately want to take an anesthetic. Many people try to drown out the pain and delay the visit to the doctor, not taking seriously the alarms of the body. To relieve pain, you can drink or nitroglycerin, but these drugs provide only short-term relief. With constant pain, as well as with incessant attacks, it is important to urgently go to an appointment with a therapist, who, based on data on the location, nature of pain and associated symptoms, will refer you to a narrow specialist. Further examination and treatment is carried out by surgeons, gastroenterologists, traumatologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists and neuropathologists.

Important! In the event of a sudden acute or lasting more than an hour, pain, it is necessary to call an ambulance as soon as possible to hospitalize the patient, since there is a high probability that he needs surgical intervention.

In the presence of serious pathologies, for example, myocardial infarction, acute pancreatitis or rupture of the spleen, you need to be treated in a hospital. In all other cases, therapy can be carried out at home under the supervision of the attending physician.