We often ignore minor body pains. In most cases, they don’t pose any severe problems. But recurrent body pain especially on one side is not something to be ignored.
The outside muscle pain may be the reciprocation of some severe internal problem. Head to toe is a wide area. If such a big portion of your body hurts and that too frequently then it is a thing to be worried about.
Some acute pain goes away on its own. But not all. So you need to know what is the potential cause of the pain. And how to treat it. We would always advise you to take any sort of medication after consulting the doctor. But even before going to the doctor, there are a few ways you can decrease the pain without taking medication.
So in this article, I am going to tell you all the information related to left side body pain from head to toe.
A rupture on the spleen may occur immediately or weeks after injury. In this case, a person feels the pain behind the left ribs, tenderness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, or pain on top of the left shoulder while lying down and raising his/her legs.
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Left Side Body Pain From Head to Toe
Pain on the left side can indicate something serious. It might not always be safe to ignore this kind of discomfort, but it may just have a simple explanation like an organ located in that area feeling pain or experiencing discomfort due to pressure from other organs nearby.
Pain on the left side of your body could be caused by infection or injury to internal organs, muscles, and nerves. If you have pain that doesn’t go away with self-care measures like rest then you should definitely see a doctor as soon as possible because some cases require immediate medical intervention!
Left Side Body Pain Symptoms
Okay so first let’s talk about some of the main reasons why your body is behaving this way.
The body signals its underlying problems by pain lingering or recurring in both or one side. Infection and injury to internal muscles, organs, or nerves are two significant reasons for discomfort on the body’s left side.
Left side body pain is caused by different circumstances. The symptoms may vary for different types of problems. The symptoms may include any or multiples of the following:
Left Side Body Pain: Causes and Treatment
Like I have already mentioned before, the pain resolves on its own usually. But in some serious cases, it needs immediate treatment. These are some situations that can lead to pain on the left side of the body.
Spleen Enlargement or Injury
The spleen is an integral part of the immune system located in the upper left side of the abdomen. Injury in this part can lead to pain on the left side of the body.
Though a person can live without a spleen, a ruptured spleen is a medical emergency. A rupture on the spleen may occur immediately or weeks after injury. In this case, a person feels the pain behind the left ribs, tenderness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, or pain on top of the left shoulder while lying down and raising his/her legs.
Chronic pain on the left side of the body may occur from gas accumulation in the colon. This pain may occur on both sides of the body, including neck pain, or a patient may feel severe fibromyalgia.
Diverticulitis
In diverticulitis, small pouches appear, which push through the colon wall’s weaker spots. Inflammation of these pouches develops diverticulitis. According to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the pain occurs in the lower left side of the abdomen.
The pain is usually sharp and comes on suddenly. It can also be mild at first, then gets worse over a few days. The symptoms are pain behind the left ribs, easy bleeding, anemia, fatigue, numbness, infections, etc.
The patient may be required to stay in the hospital for a few days and receive intravenous antibiotics for severe symptoms.
Heart Attack
When an artery delivering blood to the heart becomes clogged, a heart attack ensues. The development of fatty deposits in the streets causes this occlusion. Blocked arteries restrict the amount of oxygen delivered to the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle and ultimately to a heart attack.
A heart attack can result in pain in the arm muscles. It may result in paralysis of the left side or whole or any part of the body. The heart attack symptoms are discomfort in the center of the chest, pain in the arms or chest, or both, shortness of breath, cold sweat.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a painful ailment that often impacts only one side of the body. It can, however, affect both sides of the body at the same time. Bilateral sciatica is a rare condition. It is named after the sciatic nerve situated from the spine to the feet.
A herniated or bulging spinal disk, which puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, is the most common cause of sciatica. The neuropathic pain of sciatica feels like pins and needles.
Gas in the Gastrointestinal System
Chronic pain on the left side of the body may occur from gas accumulation in the colon. This pain may occur on both sides of the body, including neck pain, or a patient may feel severe fibromyalgia.
People usually pass gas by burping or passing it through the rectum in normal circumstances. The body goes through this procedure regularly. The average person produces 1–4 pints of gas per day and passes gas 14–23 times.
Gas can develop in the digestive tract due to ingesting too much air while eating or drinking. It can also build up as a result of gut microorganisms breaking down undigested meals. A person may feel regular or severe stomach pain in this case.
A Sprain or Strain
Strains and sprains are two different conditions that affect different body regions, even though they are sometimes used indiscriminately.
A sprain occurs when a ligament, an elastic tissue that connects one bone to another, tears or twists. On the other hand, a strain is an injury to the muscle or tendon. It can cause partial stretching of the muscle or tendon, as well as tears in some circumstances.
When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the condition is known as “pancreatitis,” it causes pain in the left upper region of the pancreas.
A sprain or strain shows symptoms, mainly muscle weakness or pain, on the ankle, wrist, foot, thumb, knee, leg, back.
Cyst Rupture in the Ovaries
It usually causes pain on one side of the body. A fluid-filled sac that develops inside or on an ovary is known as an ovarian cyst. These are generally common and harmless.
Ovarian cysts have the potential to rupture. They may cause no symptoms in some situations or minor signs in others. In some problems, a ruptured cyst can result in severe symptoms such as neuralgia, such as acute pain in the lower abdomen. Bleeding is also a possibility.
Testicular Torsion
When the testicle spins, this is known as testicular torsion. The spermatic cord, which transports blood to the scrotum, might be twisted due to this. As a result of the restricted blood supply, discomfort and edema develop.
The symptoms of testicular torsion are severe and acute pain in the affected testicle, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, groin pain, swollen testicle. This is a serious issue and needs emergency medical attention. Without proper treatment, within 6 hours, a person’s testicles may shrink and die.
Woman’s Pelvic Pain
Women are more prone to have this discomfort sensation, which causes lower left abdominal ache, especially around the pelvis. An ovarian cyst is the most prevalent ailment that causes pain on the left side of the body.
Although an ovarian cyst is innocuous, it causes excruciating discomfort on a woman’s left side. When a cyst forms adjacent to or inside an ovary, it has the potential to rupture, causing a considerable amount of pain on the left side of the stomach.
Ectopic pregnancy could also be a cause of pelvic pain. Pain, vaginal bleeding, and changes in bowel habits are all symptoms of this disorder, in which the fertilized egg grows outside of the uterus.
Kidney Infection
On either side of the spine, the kidneys are positioned beneath the rib cage. They are responsible for various important tasks like blood filtering, controlling blood pressure, maintaining fluid levels, etc.
An infection of the kidney disturbs these vital tasks. The disease may show pain in the back or the groin region, fever, nausea, vomiting, dark urine with an unpleasant smell, painful urination, chills as symptoms.
Without treatment, a kidney infection may result in sepsis or rheumatoid arthritis. People with any of the above symptoms must consult a doctor immediately and take medication as he prescribes.
Blood Clot in Left Lung
This is also known as “pulmonary embolism,” It occurs when a blood clot travels through the left lung, causing excruciating agony.
If absent from prompt treatment, it can cause severe lung damage, as well as other symptoms like breathing difficulty or shortness of breath, coughing up blood, or, in the worst-case scenario, pneumonia.
Pancreatitis
The pancreas is a digestive organ that is found “behind the stomach in the upper left abdomen.” When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the condition is known as “pancreatitis,” it causes pain in the left upper region of the pancreas. It also causes nausea, jaundice, and weight loss when it spreads to the back.
Cancer
Cancer in any of the organs listed above causes considerable discomfort on the left side of the body. If the patient does not follow the proper treatment approach, the pain will spread to all of the body’s organs.
What Can Cause Left Side Pain in the Lower Abdomen and Back?
Causes of abdominal pain (for example, ischemic colitis) are:
- Inflammation of an organ (for example, appendicitis, diverticulitis, or colitis)
- Stretching or distention of an organ (for example, obstruction of the intestine, blockage of a bile duct by gallstones, or swelling of the liver with hepatitis)
- A loss of blood supply to an organ.
However, stomach pain can occur without inflammation, enlargement, or a loss of blood supply, further complicating matters. Irritable bowel syndrome is an excellent example of the latter (IBS).
Final Words
Pain is one of the ways to alert someone that something is wrong. There are several types and causes of pain on the left side of the body, as we now know. The pain may occur for any severe disease or circumstances which may not be included in the list above. It helps a person to be alert of the matter and consult a doctor.
As discussed earlier, these kinds of pain in the body should not be ignored. Ignorance of these problems may lead to difficult situations, though it could have been easily solved if treated within proper time.
FAQs
Why is my left body in pain?
There is no simple answer to this question. It is most probable that the pain is emanating from a specific organ like the heart, one side of the lungs, a part of the stomach, a part of the intestines, left kidney, the pancreas, etc. causing the sensation to spread over the entire area. It may lead to any of the diseases mentioned above or normal pain that may resolve independently.
When should I worry about left side pain?
Simply saying, pain on the left side of the body is normal and may resolve on its own. But if the pain is severe or gradually increasing, it needs medical attention.
Some conditions to be concerned about are abdominal pain, peripheral neuropathy, chest pain spreading towards the jaw, spinal stenosis, and paralysis of a part of the body. Ignorance of these may result in serious diseases or permanent paralysis.
How can I relieve side pain?
Usually, the pain resolves on its own gradually. If not, the following task may be fulfilled to relieve the side pain-
- Practicing good posture
- Avoiding high fat or high fiber food
- Decreasing the length of the workout
- Increasing level of fitness
If the pain is severe, the person must consult a doctor and take medication accordingly.
How do I know if my back pain is kidney-related?
The kidneys are located beneath the rib cage on each side of the spine. Kidney pain might be felt on the sides or in the middle to the upper back (often under the ribs, right, or left of the spine). The discomfort may spread to other parts of the body, such as the abdomen or the groin.
