Every painful sensation means that everything in the body is not as good as each of us would like. It is recommended to pay the most attention to those pains that recur more often or do not go away at all.
In such situations, you should immediately consult a doctor, because it is an experienced specialist who is able to correctly determine the cause and draw up a competent course of therapy. Based on the location, degree of intensity and characteristic features of unpleasant sensations and the accompanying signs, one can conclude which organ has begun to cause problems.
The left side hurts in the back: is there a threat to health?
You should not neglect such a problem, since the body sends a signal of danger with pain, which can result in serious consequences. Pain in the side can be caused by muscle spasms, blood vessels, pinched nerve endings, and even oncology.
As a result, the patient needs to understand that the source of pain in such an area must be determined as quickly as possible. By taking antispasmodic drugs, you can get rid of discomfort for a while, but the disease will continue to progress, taking on more acute forms.
And only timely help from a doctor will help determine the cause of the disease, begin adequate treatment and get rid of alarming signs.
Associated symptoms and possible diseases
Any pathology that is characterized by pain on the left side of the back is associated with certain additional symptoms. These are the ones that the doctor needs to pay attention to.
Thus, pain during myocardial infarction can radiate to the neck and left arm. Against the background of severe pain, sudden weakness, difficulty breathing, and panicky fear of death occur.
As a rule, diseases of the pulmonary system are accompanied by cough and fever. The pain intensifies with inhalation and subsides with exhalation. Shortness of breath occurs very often.
In diseases of the spine, pain is most often dull in nature. The pain syndrome can intensify when walking, as well as with increased physical activity. Pathologies of the spinal column are often accompanied by muscle spasms and “lumbago”.
Diseases of various internal organs are always accompanied by a deterioration in general condition. If pathological changes are observed in the urinary system, swelling of the limbs often occurs. With exacerbation of diseases, an increase in body temperature is observed.
If the problems are related to the digestive organs, then additional dyspeptic symptoms may appear - rumbling in the stomach, increased gas production. With exacerbation of cholecystitis, sharp pain occurs, and with pancreatitis, the patient feels pain of a girdling nature.
Pain in the left side of the back under the ribs may indicate a pathology of the spleen. At the same time, signs of intoxication develop: nausea, vomiting, headache, fever.
Back pain can be caused by stress and emotional stress. In this case, the pain intensifies with movement. Sometimes it can change its character, periodically becoming sharp or dull. The localization of such pain is easily determined by palpation.
Probable Causes
When a patient often experiences pain in a specified area, the first step is to visit a surgeon and orthopedist with suspected problems in the spine. It is likely that this will happen, then an x-ray and ultrasound examination will help establish the final diagnosis. Based on the results of the examination, conservative or surgical treatment is prescribed. It must be added here that the risk of becoming disabled or undergoing a long rehabilitation period increases.
Cardiovascular problems
Pain in the left side above the lower back is often caused by heart disease. If the signs are localized slightly below the scapular region, then there is a likelihood of developing pericarditis, myocardial infarction, or angina. And if the cause is a heart attack, then the severity of the signs of pain, as a rule, begins to appear in the chest area.
But echoes of unpleasant sensations can respond to the left half of the body - the lumbar region or under the shoulder blade. Because of this, it can be difficult to determine what causes such a painful symptom. But the fact that the situation is caused by the heart, and not by some other organ, will be indicated by signs of a concomitant nature:
- shortness of breath will develop;
- cool sweat will begin to appear;
- signs of nausea will appear.
It should be remembered that if these signs appear, you should urgently call an ambulance.
Digestive tract diseases
Difficulties with the organs of the digestive system can be accompanied by unpleasant sensations that radiate to the back. If you are worried about pain in the left region of the lumbar region, you should not drive away the thought that diseases are beginning to progress in the digestive tract. Acute cholecystitis can be accompanied by unpleasant sensations for several days, disturbing the ribs on the right, scapula and shoulder joint. In this case, nausea and a gag reflex, a feeling of numbness in the limbs may occur.
In acute pancreatitis, pain symptoms are shingles and are distributed over the lower chest area.
Severe pain symptoms indicate problematic issues with the pancreas. And if you do not seek help in a timely manner, it can lead to surgical intervention.
Diseases of the urinary system
When signs of pain appear in the area of the left kidney, the condition of the urinary system should be checked. There are a sufficient number of reasons for the appearance of alarming symptoms:
- Renal colic - they appear when stones form in the kidneys. Minor aching pain of a pulling nature can appear at the initial stage of the disease, when stones have just begun to appear. When they begin to move along the ureteral canal, sharp pain occurs, called colic. Their strength and localization will not depend on changes in the position of the body. The pain will be very severe at that moment if the stone blocks the urinary canal. At the same time, blood will appear in the urine, the body temperature will increase, the general condition of the body will worsen, and problems with urine output will become more frequent.
- Pyelonephritis is an inflammatory process of an infectious nature in the renal pelvis. The pain is pressing and aching. They may be accompanied by fever, general weakness, nausea and vomiting, swelling in the morning, pale skin, poor appetite, increased urge to urinate and the pain of this process.
- Glomerulonephritis - inflammation is localized in the renal ducts and glomeruli. Often the cause of illness is infectious streptococcus. As a rule, the problem occurs in both kidneys at once, but there are also cases of unilateral damage. With this problem, the characteristic symptoms are a sluggish state of the body and rapid fatigue, a pale appearance, an increase in the patient’s weight, swelling, high blood pressure, a decrease in the volume of urine excreted during the day (less than one liter), and blood getting into the urine.
- Renal artery thrombosis - this symptomatology resembles hypertension. When a cholesterol plaque clogs an artery, disruption of blood flow causes disruption in the formation of urine. As a result, aching pain appears and pressure in the arteries increases.
- Thrombosis - a detached blood clot can block the arterial lumen in the kidney, causing severe pain, accompanied by constipation, nausea and vomiting, increased pressure and temperature, a decrease in the volume of urine or its complete absence.
- Nephroptosis is the name given to kidney prolapse. In this case, the renal arteries can be compressed, interfering with blood circulation. Pain may be a sign of kinks in the ureters or abnormalities in urine output. The main difference of this condition is severe pain when the patient is in an upright position, and the low effectiveness of the use of analgesics.
- Cyst – creates nagging pain in the kidneys. Such pathologies are divided into acquired and congenital. The main signs of the problem are increased blood pressure, the presence of blood in the urine, and numerous infections of the ureteral system. However, often the cyst is not accompanied by characteristic symptoms, and pain can occur when it is large in size and creates pressure on other organs, overstretching of the renal capsule, and deviations in urine drainage. In addition, severe pain can be caused by kidney cancer.
- Neoplasms of malignant and benign nature . At the initial stage, such pathologies are asymptomatic. The first sign of a problem is heaviness in the kidney. Mild pain begins to appear, which then intensifies. The presence of oncology can be recognized by poor appetite, a constant feeling of drowsiness, increased fatigue, severe weight loss, pale skin, anemia, the presence of blood in the urine, increased pressure and temperature, and a feeling of general weakness.
- Hydronephrosis - urine begins to stagnate in the renal pelvis, causing them to overstretch. There are several reasons for this. But quite often the signs of such a disease resemble problems associated with the digestive system.
- Renal tuberculosis - in later stages it can manifest itself as pain in the area of the affected organs. Urine takes on a cloudy hue, purulent accumulations and blood appear in it.
Respiratory system lesions
If signs of pain appear in the morning hours in the area of the ribs, which intensify every day, the organs of the respiratory system should be checked. Experts do not exclude the possibility of pleurisy, pneumonia, endobronchitis, and pneumothorax.
To this must be added the likelihood of neoplasms in the bronchi and lungs. In such clinical conditions, pain appears on the left back during inhalation, and after exhalation, short-term relief is felt.
You must immediately contact a specialist. The fact is that increased pain can be the cause of the appearance of cancer cells, accompanied by metastases and necrotic foci on nearby organs. An in-depth examination will help to identify the cause of the pathology.
Spinal diseases
Painful disturbances in the lumbar region can be caused by intense physical exertion and prolonged sitting. This type of pain can be sharp or dull. They often indicate problems in the spine. This is especially pronounced in cases where other signs that are characteristic of kidney disease are absent.
Pain in the lumbar region can be caused by osteochondrosis, significant stress, intervertebral hernias, spinal arthritis, stenosis, vertebral fractures, and tumors.
Gynecological diseases
Painful signs on the left back for women can be caused by the premenstrual period. In these cases, a doctor's intervention is not required; you can simply drink a painkiller and apply a warm heating pad. After some time, the body’s condition returns to normal.
During pregnancy
When painful sensations of this nature appear during pregnancy, they are caused by the following problems:
- The increased size of the uterus and the formed fetus begin to put pressure on nearby organs. This is not considered a pathology; the pain disappears after childbirth.
- During pregnancy, pyelonephritis may develop or become aggravated. But in this case, in addition to pain, the woman experiences an increase in body temperature, swelling, and pale skin.
- Typical diseases that cause back pain are glomerulonephritis and kidney stones.
In each of the above cases, the woman is recommended to consult a doctor who can prescribe additional examination and identify or exclude dangerous diseases.
Causes and treatment for pain in the lower back on the left
Unless it is due to heavy exercise in the shoulder muscles or problems with the muscles in the neck area, back discomfort will be felt in the lower or lumbar region, rather than in the middle or upper.
For an unknown reason, pain in the back side (lumbago) statistically occurs more often on the left side in men and women. One reason for this statistic is related to pregnancy. During pregnancy, a woman's organs in the lower abdomen and pelvic area move. If the organ experiences pressure, pain occurs in the side in front and behind.
Low back discomfort is sometimes a symptom of an underlying and potentially serious condition or disorder. The problem is either in the urinary tract or in the kidneys. This will most likely be felt on one side. Bladder infections prefer the left side. The condition can also be caused by a muscle injury near the spine or in the hip area.
How to determine the cause of pain?
It is possible to find out the true causes of the unpleasant sensations that appear only with the help of a comprehensive examination. Any type of pain needs diagnosis. In such cases, MRI, X-ray, computed tomography, ultrasound examination are performed, general and biochemical blood tests are taken.
In addition, a person must independently react to alarming signs appearing in the body, be wary of any pain that appears that hinders movement and disrupts the normal respiratory process.
Treatment
In such situations, it is necessary to contact a cardiologist, urologist, therapist, surgeon, traumatologist, or gynecologist.
When you feel nagging pain in your back, massage treatments are a great help. Movements must begin from the lower back, gradually moving to the cervical vertebrae. But such treatment courses should be started only after the recommendations of an appropriate specialist.
Painful sensations of a stabbing nature confirm the development of colitis; treatment can be prescribed by a gastroenterologist who has carefully studied the anamnesis and diagnosed the inflammatory process in the colon. If such a problem is not paid attention to, the situation may require surgical intervention in the future.
When pain in the hypochondrium intensifies, impairing breathing, there is a possibility of a heart attack and the formation of necrotic foci. It is necessary to quickly perform resuscitation actions in a hospital setting in order to have the maximum chance of saving the patient’s life. The advanced state of this problem will bring little effect during treatment, and death is quite possible.
Antispasmodics can be used as a temporary measure. But after a while the pain will return again, so you should immediately consult a doctor.
Prevention
Prevention of pain on the left side of the back is to prevent the development of serious diseases. To do this, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle and take measures to strengthen your immune system.
This means you need to eat right, follow a work schedule and get proper rest. It is important to exercise moderately. Adequate sleep is of great importance in maintaining health. It is recommended to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. You should take care of a comfortable sleeping place. The best option is a high-quality orthopedic mattress. In addition, it is recommended to ventilate the room before going to bed.
It is very important to be in a positive mood and treat what is happening in the world around you calmly and carefully. A stable emotional state guarantees the normal functioning of all internal organs and vital systems. It has been proven that stress and nervous strain are the cause of the development of many serious pathologies.
Even if you feel well, you should undergo regular preventive medical examinations. It should be understood that many serious diseases do not show any symptoms at the initial stage of development. Therefore, early detection of any pathological changes allows for competent, timely treatment.
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