Pain under left ribs

The pain under the ribs on the left is a common phenomenon, which is most often regarded as a sign of heart problems. In fact, pain in the left hypochondrium can signal diseases of various organs and body systems.

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Causes of pain under left ribs

Pain in the right hypochondrium is a dangerous symptom that signals serious diseases of the following organs and systems:

• Heart (myocardial infarction).
• Spleen (enlargement or rupture).
• Stomach (gastritis, peptic ulcer, dispersion, cancer).
• Pancreas (pancreatitis).
• Lungs (inflammation, pneumonia, lung cancer).
• Right kidney (urolithiasis, pyelonephritis).
• Problems with the left side of the diaphragm.
• Diseases of the nervous system.
• Diseases of the endocrine system.
• Damage or fracture of the ribs.
• Vertebral osteochondrosis.

The list of possible diseases with pain under the left ribs is large, so in order to accurately determine the affected organ, you need to pay attention to where the pain is concentrated.

Pain on left side under front ribs.

Pain in the left hypochondrium in the front is a signal of heart disease, most often - myocardial infarction. In this case, the pain occurs on the left side and gives more to the front, the patient feels propping discomfort.

In addition, the pain on the left under the ribs can be given to the front of the gastric and duodenal ulcer. With ulcer pain is acute and migrates to the right hypochondrium.

If the pain in the left hypochondrium is aggravated from the front when inhaling, coughing or sneezing, then this can cause damage to the left side of the diaphragm - sub-diaphragmatic abscess. The pain often migrates under the scapula or into the supraclavicular region of the left side.

Left pain under ribs to the side

Pain left side under the ribs may be the first symptom of nervous system diseases or shingles.

In nervous system disorders, paroxysmal pain from the side under the left ribs is accompanied by such unpleasant symptoms as migraine and cramp.

Shingles affects the nerve endings in the intercostal space, and therefore does not appear immediately. Initially, the aching pain in the side in the left hypochondrium becomes acute, and only with time does herpes appear on the skin.

Pain in the back left under the ribs

Pain in the left hypochondrium, which gives back, occurs in diseases of the kidneys (in this case, the left kidney) and vertebral osteochondrosis.

Kidneys can hurt in different ways:

• Severe, unbearable pain is a sign of renal colic.
• Constant, but not severe "severe" pain - with inflammation and an increase in the body.

Vertebral osteochondrosis can also provoke as not too strong aching pain after sleep or a long stay in one position, as well as strong penetrating, which weaken after a person freezes in one position.

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Pain under the ribs in the lower left

Almost always, the pain under the left ribs below (especially under the lower rib) is aching in nature and is caused by an enlarged spleen.

The spleen is an organ that, increasing, reacting to all sorts of diseases.

1. Infectious diseases provoke an increase in the spleen - infectious mononucleosis, accompanied by fever, sore throat, an increase in lymph nodes.
2. Hemoblastic diseases: lymphomas, leukemia, chronic lymphatic leukemia.
3. Septic diseases: purulent abscesses, bacterial endocarditis
4. Chronic diseases with a high degree of severity: tuberculosis, lupus erythematosus, malaria.

Pain under the lower left rib, which is associated with an enlarged spleen is a very dangerous symptom, because in severe cases, an inflamed organ can develop even with the slightest movement.

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Symptoms of pain to the left under the ribs

In order to understand what kind of disease can herald the pain on the left under the ribs, it is not enough to determine its localization. An important point in the diagnosis is the nature of the pain. The pain can be:

• Sharp.
• Dumb aching.
• Spicy.
• Stitching.

Depending on the nature of the pain and the accompanying symptoms, it is possible to determine which particular organ needs careful medical examination and subsequent treatment.

Dull aching pain on left side of ribs

If you feel a nagging pain to the left under the ribs, which is also located in the middle of the abdomen, this signals gastritis or gastric ulcer. Accompanying symptoms for these diseases are:

• Relief vomiting.
• Decreased appetite.
• Diarrhea.
• Sour and bitter belching.

Often gastritis with reduced secretion of gastric juice provoke the occurrence of such a terrible disease as cancer.

Dull aching pain in the left upper quadrant is also a sign of Gastric Cancer. But it should be remembered that the pain can also take a sharp character. For stomach cancer are characteristic:

• Unreasonable weight loss.
• Anemia or signs of intoxication (yellow face and eye proteins).
• Growing weakness and impaired human performance.
• Depression.
• A strong desire to change the diet, for example, aversion to meat.

A dull aching pain in the lower left rib indicates an enlarged spleen — splenomegaly.

Often, the aching pain on the left bothers people suffering from diseases of the pancreas. It is in the left hypochondrium that the “tail” of the organ is located, so an attack begins exactly there. After the pain becomes shingles. Associated syndromes of pancreatic diseases:

• Increased temperature.
• Vomiting.
• Nausea.

Sharp pain on left side of ribs

Sharp pains in the left hypochondrium are characteristic of gastric and duodenal ulcers. They can give back and back. Sharp pains are so painful that the patient has to be in a squatting position, clasping or pressing his stomach against a hard object. In addition, the ulcers suffer from:

• "Hungry" pain.
• Heartburn.
• Vomiting.
• Constipation.
• Weakness, irritability and headaches.

Sharp pain may increase under the ribs to the left after physical exertion or nervous overstrain.

Stabbing pain under left ribs

A stabbing pain in the left hypochondrium, which is aggravated by coughing or breathing in, is a serious symptom of lung disease (left-sided pneumonia, inflammation of the left lung, tuberculosis, cancer ) or the left part of the diaphragm.

Concomitant symptoms for lung disease are:

• Increased temperature.
• Fever (for pneumonia and subdiaphragmatic abscess).
• Constipation.
• Shortness of breath.
• Pale blue color of nasolabial triangle (for pneumonia).
• General intoxication of the body (with damage to the diaphragm).

Sharp left pain under ribs

Acute, as it is also called “dagger” pain under the ribs on the left, speaks of duodenal ulcer and stomach ulcer. In addition to a strong attack of pain, which causes the patient to assume a prone position with his legs pressed to the stomach, these diseases are characterized by:

• Migrating pain.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.

Also, acute “dagger” paroxysmal pain, which subsides a little if a person stops in one position, is characteristic of heart disease. In addition, acute pain occurs in vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Do not forget that the pain in the left hypochondrium can be associated with an elementary damage to the rib bones (crack or fracture). In this case, the pain can be of a different nature, but more often it is exacerbated by movement, deep breathing and coughing.

Diagnosis of pain under the left ribs

Whatever the pain under the ribs on the left, only a specialist will be able to make an accurate diagnosis. The initial examination and diagnosis is carried out by a family doctor (therapist), who, if necessary, will refer the patient for a follow-up examination to another specialist.

Depending on the root cause of the pain, the treatment is carried out:

• Surgeon.
• Gastroenterologist.
• Cardiologist.
• Neuropathologist.
• Endocrinologist.
• Traumatologist.
• Infectionist.

Diagnosis of pain in the left hypochondrium takes place in several stages:

• Anamnesis (patient survey), in which the doctor finds out about the patient's chronic and past inflammatory diseases. 
• Palpation (manual examination). 
• Examination of the skin, tongue and eyes. 
• Further hospitalization and laboratory examination.

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Pain treatment under left ribs

Left hypochondrium - protection for internal organs (heart, lungs, spleen, pancreas), diseases of which often do not tolerate the delay of visiting a doctor, as they can lead to instant death. Therefore, you need to understand that the main principle of pain treatment under the ribs on the left is a timely visit to a specialist.

If you have a pain under the ribs on the left, you can reduce the intensity of the pain yourself with the help of medicines:

• no-shpa (two tablets no more than three times a day).
• nitroglycerin (1 tablet under the tongue or three drops on a piece of refined sugar).
• subcutaneously: 1 ml of 0.1% atropine solution and 1 ml of promedol; 5 ml of baralgin and 2 ml of no-shpy.

Do not forget that for severe pain, which is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, you must immediately call a doctor. Often, a list of diseases, the first symptom of which was acute pain in the left hypochondrium, shows an emergency surgical intervention (with an enlarged spleen, a stomach ulcer, pancreatitis).

If the diagnosis has already been made by a specialist, then, in addition to the prescribed drug treatment, you can resort to alternative medicine prescriptions:

• with the increase and pain of the spleen - broth hips or one gram of uterine milk per day.
• in case of gastric and duodenal ulcers - lemongrass seed powder (1 gram) 20 minutes before meals three times a day; fresh unsalted water from boiled potatoes - one glass before meals three times a day.
• effective for heart diseases: hawthorn tincture (1 tablespoon for one glass of boiling water, leave for 2 hours and take three tablespoons before eating), an infusion of birch buds, motherwort and chicory (brew and take pharmaceutical herbs according to the recipe).

Pain prevention left under the ribs

In order that the pain on the left under the ribs does not lead to disastrous consequences, you must follow a few simple rules that should become the norm of life:

• Once a year undergo a full medical examination to know about their chronic or possible diseases. 
• Always be aware of how your illness is proceeding, and adhere to the recommendations of the attending physician. 
• At the first bouts of pain and associated symptoms, immediately consult a doctor.

The pain on the left under the ribs is a dangerous symptom, since it is quite difficult to determine unequivocally what exactly is bothering you: the heart or the stomach; therefore, in order to avoid serious problems, contact a doctor at the first minor pain in the ribs area on the left, carefully monitor your condition and be healthy!

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