My left side hurts from my back: possible causes and what to do?

Why does back pain appear on the left?

The cause of left back pain can be due to many factors. Among them are hypothermia, diseases of the spine, diseases of the internal organs. Let's look at each of the reasons in more detail:

1. The spine and disorders in its functioning. If your back hurts, the symptom may indicate radiculitis, intercostal neuralgia, or osteochondrosis. As a rule, it intensifies with a lack of activity or after physical exertion.
2. Cold back. Such a nuisance can happen when a person spends a long time in a draft or at low temperatures with a poorly closed back. The painful area may be present on both the left and right.
3. Diseases of internal organs. The left side can get sick due to gastrointestinal disorders - pancreatitis, gastritis. Also, an unpleasant symptom appears with pathologies of the spleen, left kidney, and heart.

Depending on the cause, in addition to back discomfort, other symptoms may be present. For any problems with your general condition, it is better to immediately call a doctor to find out the cause, prescribe effective treatment and avoid serious consequences.

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.

To study Spinal massage for hernia

Types of pain from the back on the left side

Not only the pain itself, but also its exact localization is of diagnostic importance, as this helps to narrow the field of search for pathology. If the left side hurts, radiates to the back and the symptom does not subside, the doctor, during the examination, takes into account the area where the discomfort is located:

• Subscapular and subcostal area of ​​the back. First of all, heart pathology should be excluded, since a discomfort may indicate myocardial infarction. Also, a symptom of such localization is characteristic of respiratory diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia, tumor processes). Often this manifestation is present in cases of dysfunction of the spine, intercostal neuralgia.
• Pain in the left lower back. In addition to pathologies of the spine, it may indicate dysfunction of the spleen and kidney. With spleen dysfunction, there is additionally a decrease in blood pressure, nausea, and vomiting.
• Pain in the lower back on the left. As a rule, it indicates genitourinary diseases, sometimes – pathology of the large intestine. In the latter case, there is a feeling of weakness, disruption of the stomach, and nausea.

Only a qualified doctor can determine the true cause of pain in the left side of the back after examining the patient. To eliminate the risk of complications, if this symptom appears, do not delay contacting a specialist.

Above the waist

If pain appears on the left back above the lower back, then you should think about the following possible options for its occurrence:

1. pathological process in the pancreas (most often it is its inflammation - pancreatitis);
2. osteochondrosis of the spine (degenerative-dystrophic disease of the spine, which is accompanied by a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs);
3. damage to the adrenal glands (most often the adrenal glands can be affected by a tumor process, which leads to pain).

In order to confirm damage to the pancreas, it is necessary to conduct a biochemical blood test, which reveals an increase in the activity of pancreatic enzymes (amylase, lipase, trypsin and others). Prescribing appropriate treatment helps to stop the pathological process. To do this, the following principles apply:

• cold;
• hunger;
• peace.

Osteochondrosis can be confirmed by a detailed neurological examination, which reveals pain at the exit sites of the nerve roots. In difficult diagnostic cases, it is recommended to perform computed tomography or nuclear magnetic resonance.

Adrenal tumors can be detected either during an ultrasound or x-ray examination, or during a computed tomography scan. The “golden” standard for diagnosing any oncological process is histological examination.

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What to do if the left side of the back hurts?

At the initial stage, it is important to undergo an examination. Depending on the location of the symptom, the patient may be prescribed laboratory tests, ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, kidneys, chest organs, CT scan, and consultations with specialists. Only after this can a diagnosis be made and effective treatment prescribed to eliminate the cause of the discomfort. If you are worried about pain in the left side of your back, you can seek help from a private neurologist, Mars Rafailevich Khusainov. This is a specialist with many years of experience who takes an individual approach to patients and prepares etiological treatment, using only methods with proven effectiveness.

You can call a doctor at home at any time convenient for you. Mars Rafailevich will arrive at your place at the agreed time, conduct an examination, determine an accurate diagnosis and give recommendations regarding the treatment of the disease. To use the service, call by phone.

Treatment

The course of basic therapy is determined based on the diagnosis. If the cause is a gastroenterological disease, then drug therapy and diet are selected.

For neuralgic nature and diseases of the musculoskeletal system, treatment can be based on the following methods:

• taking medications;
• physiotherapeutic procedures;
• physiotherapy;
• massage, manual therapy.

If the clinical sign is oncological, radical treatment methods are used: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, followed by a rehabilitation period.

Unfortunately, in this case it is impossible to highlight a list of specific methods of prevention, since this is a symptom and not an independent pathological process. You can reduce the risk of pain if you follow the rules of a healthy lifestyle and prevent those diseases that are included in the etiological list. You also need to regularly undergo a preventive medical examination.

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How is the cause of pain diagnosed?

We have already mentioned that pain from the left side, moving to the lumbar region, is a nonspecific symptom that can manifest itself in various health problems.

It is especially difficult to diagnose the cause of such pain in children who cannot talk about how they feel.

And for an adult, determining the cause of pain is a whole “medical quest.” First of all, you need to get tested. This study will show whether there is an inflammatory process in the body or whether the level of leukocytes is increased. To exclude or confirm pathology in the kidneys, a urine test is taken.

To the study of Schmorl's hernia of the thoracic spine

Often, several doctors are involved for consultation at once - a neurologist, surgeon, traumatologist, ultrasound specialist; women are required to be examined by a gynecologist. If the tests do not clarify the picture, doctors use more accurate methods. The patient undergoes an ultrasound procedure (liver, kidneys, abdominal organs), and if necessary, is sent for an x-ray (most often a general image of the spine, lungs).

Doctors often use tomography and MRI specialists to find the source of pain.

To rule out heart disease, doctors will, at a minimum, take an emergency cardiogram. If there are suspicions of possible tumors, and this fact is confirmed by ultrasound or tomography, the patient is prescribed a referral for blood markers, thanks to which one can find out about the benignity or malignancy of the disease.

Prevention

Weight maintenance (physical activity)

Balance of weight and height is necessary. In the case of a heart attack, it is a decisive factor. For optimal weight it is necessary to consume food in limited quantities and expose the body to physical activity.

Balanced diet

Proper nutrition is a component of maintaining normal weight.

However, it must be compiled taking into account the body’s allergic reaction to a particular product. The nutritionist also prescribes the norms and duration of a specific diet.

Avoid colds

If a person has a cold, this means only one thing - the immune system is at a low level of protection. If a virus can penetrate the body, this means that dangerous pathologies can too. Avoiding colds means maintaining the immune system at the proper level.

Important ! There is no need to be afraid of lower back pain. Sometimes this is a completely normal process for the body due to normal fatigue. However, if the pain does not subside and is regular, then this is a reason to consult a specialist.

Spinal diseases

Degenerative and inflammatory processes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs are one of the common causes of pain in the left side of the lower back . They cause changes in the anatomical structure of the spinal column, resulting in compression (compression) of the nerve roots, the development of pain and other unpleasant symptoms.

Disc offset

Spondylolisthesis, or displacement of the vertebral bodies (displacement of the vertebral discs is an erroneous definition, since only the vertebrae are capable of displacement) occurs under the influence of a number of negative factors, including:

• injuries,
• heavy physical activity,
• staying in one position for a long time , etc.

The intensity and nature of pain during spondylolisthesis depends on the degree of displacement of the vertebrae: in the first stages, patients feel slight discomfort, which goes away after proper rest, and with severe displacement - sharp lumbago. The pain syndrome is accompanied by limited mobility of the lower back , numbness and spasms of the lower extremities.

Osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system that occurs in most people after 30 years of age and is characterized by the gradual destruction of bone and cartilage tissue.

The main symptom of osteochondrosis is pain - it can be aching and pulling or sharp and burning, and, as a rule, appears after heavy physical exertion, sudden movements or a long stay in one position.

Additional symptoms are numbness in the legs, crawling “goosebumps”, paresis and paralysis.

In the later stages of lumbar osteochondrosis, disturbances in the functioning of the intestines and bladder are possible, which are manifested by urinary and fecal incontinence.

Protrusions

Protrusion is a protrusion of the intervertebral disc beyond the spinal column. The main symptom of the pathology is discomfort in the affected area . Violations of the normal position of the disc leads to compression of the nerve roots and pain along the compressed nerve.

Protrusions in the lumbar region cause pain in the lower back, including on the left side, which radiates to the leg, stiffness in movements, muscle weakness, tingling in the feet, numbness of the toes.

Scoliosis

With scoliosis, curvature of the spinal column occurs, which leads to disruption of the musculoskeletal system and internal organs. Pain in the left lower part of the lower back is caused by pathological processes in the lower part of the spinal column - it is of a pulling or aching nature, and is accompanied by external signs (deformation of the spine and abdominal cavity, gait disturbance), increased fatigue of the back muscles, and disturbances in the functioning of internal organs.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylosis, or ankylosing spondylosis, is a rare pathology that affects the costotransverse joints, intervertebral discs , and in some cases other parts of the musculoskeletal system. In the first stages, patients experience slight stiffness in movements and increased muscle fatigue, as well as pain in the lower back, including the left side. As the pathological process progresses, the symptoms worsen and ultimately lead to disability.

For reference . It is completely impossible to cure ankylosing spondylitis, but taking medications, physical therapy and other therapeutic techniques significantly slow down the ossification of joints.

Pilonidal hernia

Among the reasons why a coccygeal hernia forms, spinal injuries occupy a key place, especially during difficult childbirth in women.

Due to the anatomical features of the structure of the coccyx, the disease does not make itself felt for a long time, and only manifests itself when sitting on a hard surface with pain in the right or left side of the lower back, sacrococcygeal region, perineum and rectum. With the development of inflammatory processes in patients, urination and defecation may be impaired.

Diagnostics

Analyzes

After the initial examination, the doctor prescribes basic tests for the patient. This is done to assess the general condition of the body before starting more specialized treatment.

However, there are also a number of tests that you need to carry out yourself every six months . This is necessary for your own control. These include:

• clinical blood test and blood sugar test;
• electrocardiogram;
• fluorography;
• blood chemistry;
• mammography.

Reference . The essence of these tests involves the prevention of dangerous pathologies that can be cured when they are in an early stage.

CT and MRI

CT – computed tomography . This examination is carried out using X-rays, which ultimately provides a three-dimensional image of the required areas of the body. The principle of operation occurs through a series of photographs from different points, angles and subsequent modeling.

MRI – magnetic resonance imaging , which works on the same principle as CT. However, the type of waves in MRI is different, because electromagnetic waves are used, which allows you to receive a “response” from the tissues that are affected.

Cardiogram

A cardiogram is the study of currents that arise during the work of the heart muscle. This method is accessible and simple, and its completion is mandatory if cardiovascular pathologies are suspected .

There is also a Holter ECG, which involves daily monitoring of the heartbeat under various conditions. It is worth noting that this helps not only to determine possible pathologies, but also to check the effectiveness of treatment.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is an abbreviation for ultrasound diagnostics, which is a universal research method. Its advantages include:

• versatility;
• absolute harmlessness;
• availability.

In addition, there are several types that differ in the quality of the final image..

The doctor individually prescribes a specific type of ultrasound due to the fact that in some cases an ideal image is not necessary.