Pain In The Left Hypochondrium - Dull, Aching, Pulling, Sharp And Sharp Pain

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Pain in the left hypochondrium

Feelings of discomfort and pain in the left hypochondrium are quite common reasons for patients seeking medical attention. Such phenomena can be different in their manifestations (aching, cutting, sharp, etc.) and in intensity, as well as in duration. To establish their cause, one visit to the doctor is not enough, additional examinations are required. This is due to the fact that in this segment of the body there are several organs, which, due to the pathological processes occurring in them, thus make themselves known.

Content:

• Organs of the left hypochondrium
• Causes of pain in the left hypochondrium
• Varieties of pain
• Pain in women
• Pain caused by diseases of the heart and blood vessels
• Pain not associated with disease
• Measures for pain

Organs of the left hypochondrium

The left hypochondrium is the area located under the two lower ribs on the left side of the conditional middle of the abdomen. The following organs are located here:

• spleen;
• pancreas;
• the left side of the stomach;
• diaphragm (left side);
• small intestine;
• colon;
• the left kidney and its ureter, as well as ligaments.

In addition, there are some other types of pain in this area that are not directly related to the above organs. They are the result of diseases of internal organs in other areas of the abdomen or parts of the trunk and spread along the nerve fibers (see below).

Causes of pain in the left hypochondrium

The main reasons causing pain in the hypochondrium on the left are as follows:

• stomach diseases, most often - ulcers, gastritis;
• pancreatic diseases - pancreatitis;
• spleen diseases;
• pathology of the left kidney;
• diseases of the small and large intestines.

Also, no less rarely, pain in this area can be caused by:

• inflammatory processes of the diaphragm, hernias and tumors;
• pneumonia of the left lung;
• heart diseases, in particular angina pectoris, heart attack, ischemic disease;
• osteochondrosis of the lumbar and thoracic spine;
• inflammatory processes in the appendages on the left in women (adnexitis, etc.);
• postoperative and post-traumatic consequences (hematomas, cuts, stitches, etc.);
• strong physical exertion.

Each of these reasons can pose a potential threat to human life. Therefore, for their timely elimination and treatment, an immediate appeal to a specialist is required.

Varieties of pain

• dull, aching;
• pulling;
• sharp, sharp;
• stabbing.

In addition to these characteristics, for the correct diagnosis, the doctor also takes into account the indirect manifestations of pain. These include:

• Start;
• development;
• character;
• duration;
• intensity;
• reasons for strengthening;
• irradiation (where it gives);
• reasons for relief.

A person who can correctly describe the nature of pain greatly helps and speeds up the process of identifying the causes of the disease.

Sharp, sharp pain

Sharp, acute pain usually indicates the presence of serious lesions of internal organs, requiring immediate hospitalization. In this case, a person develops a strong, almost unbearable pain reaction, often accompanied by loss of consciousness. If this does not happen, then the person tries to alleviate the condition, tossing about in search of a comfortable body position.

Such pain occurs in the following cases:

• renal colic;
• perforated stomach ulcer;
• acute pancreatitis;
• intestinal perforation;
• restrained renal cyst;
• internal injuries - rupture or hematoma of the spleen, fractures of the ribs, rupture of the kidney, rupture of the kidney ligaments.

To save the patient's life, surgical intervention is often inevitable in such situations.

Dull aching pain

This type of pain can occur in many cases, most often associated with the chronic course of diseases of the organs of the left hypochondrium. These include chronic forms of gastritis, stomach ulcers, pancreatitis and pyelonephritis, colitis or duodenitis. Also, ischemic heart disease and pre-infarction conditions often carry this pain syndrome.

With this nature of pain, the patient often does not consult a doctor on time and adapts to them. As a result, processes leading to the destruction of organs or irreversible degradation of tissues occur in the body for a long time without treatment, which threatens the loss of the functions of the entire organ and the need to carry out operations over time.

In medical practice, people especially often complain of dull, aching pain in the case of a chronic form of gastritis. In this case, the patient especially experiences pain in the left hypochondrium on an empty stomach or after eating. His appetite decreases, he gets tired quickly. Timely treatment and adherence to a certain diet helps to cope with the disease. If the disease does not remain for a long period without adequate therapeutic measures, serious pathological processes leading to oncology may develop.

In addition to these diseases, this nature of pain is inherent in the following diseases:

• enteritis (inflammatory bowel processes);
• inflammatory processes of the appendages;
• oncology of the pancreas or liver, spleen;
• oncology of the left lung;
• enlargement of the spleen due to leukemia, anemia, mononucleosis of an infectious nature, rheumatoid arthritis;

With intestinal pathologies and stomach ulcers, pain usually also occurs after eating or on an empty stomach, severe flatulence, bloating, sometimes vomiting with blood or nausea appear. These manifestations can be disturbing at night.

In any of the above cases, it is important to know that the earlier a medical examination is carried out regarding the causes of this type of pain, the more effective the treatment will be and the faster the recovery period will come.

Nagging pain

The spleen is located on the left side of the abdomen under the ribs. This organ is difficult to palpate, however, it is precisely its lesions that can cause pulling pain. This is usually observed when it increases in size against the background of sluggishly current infectious (tuberculosis) and autoimmune processes (for example, lupus erythematosus).

Also, this kind of pain is observed in the case of hepatitis. With a long-term current form of chronic hepatitis, along with a pulling constant or periodic pain both on the right (more often and more intensely) and on the left, a person has symptoms such as a complication of the condition when eating fatty foods, heaviness inside the abdomen, an increase in the size of the liver. If untreated, this can lead to liver cirrhosis.

Stabbing pain

Stitching pains are another type of pain that occurs in the left hypochondrium. They are usually associated with various diseases of the left kidney. Usually these are the following ailments:

• urolithiasis disease;
• pyelonephritis.

In this case, painful sensations appear in the back or side and can be transmitted to the hypochondrium. At the same time, there is an increase in body t, vomiting, nausea, frequent urge to urinate and its soreness, general weakness. Very severe stabbing pains can be associated with the presence of large stones in the organ or the beginning of their movement. In this case, an operation is necessary.

With a not very pronounced nature of pain, conservative methods of treatment are used. However, in any case, an appeal to a specialist is required.

Throbbing pain

Such a dangerous disease as pancreatitis very often causes pain in the left hypochondrium and their character is similar to a strong pulsation. Along with pain symptoms, there is vomiting of bile, fever, diarrhea, bloating, chills, sweating, and swelling of the limbs. The patient tries to find a comfortable position to reduce pain. He leans forward or sits down. This disease is very dangerous and can turn into an acute form when immediate medical attention is required.

On the subject: Pain in the right hypochondrium

Pain in women

Women during various physiological processes (pregnancy, premenstrual period) may also experience pain in the area of the left hypochondrium.

During pregnancy, especially in the 2-3 trimester, when the fetus is already large enough, its natural pressure on the internal maternal organs occurs. The result is recurrent pain.

If a woman's body produces an increased amount of female sex hormones on the eve of the onset of menstruation, which affect the bile ducts, causing them to spasm. In this case, there may be sensations of pain under the right rib, spreading to the left side of the abdomen, there is bitterness in the mouth and a feeling of nausea. In this case, a consultation with a gynecologist will help you choose the right measures to prevent such phenomena.

On the subject: Pain in the left side during pregnancy

Pain caused by diseases of the heart and blood vessels

With diseases of the heart and vascular system, and in particular with vegetative-vascular dystonia and angina pectoris, pain also occurs in the left subcostal region. In the case of dystonia, this is due to a violation of the mechanism for maintaining the tone of the blood vessels, and in the case of angina pectoris, heart pains are given to this area.

The nature of the pain in these cases can be dull, and stabbing, and aching. Patients usually find it difficult to describe such phenomena, because they are both prolonged and paroxysmal with indistinct localization. When conducting research, typical diseases of the organs located in this area of the hypochondrium are not detected and the person is sent for examination to a cardiologist or neurologist.

On the subject: Capillary therapy

Pain not associated with disease

Sometimes perfectly healthy people or children experience pain in the left hypochondrium during active physical activity (sports, intensive work). This usually happens when a person has a low level of training for these activities. The mechanism of this phenomenon is such that under the influence of the load, the level of blood circulation in the body sharply increases.

In response, all blood vessels increase in diameter, including the right vena cava, which runs next to the liver and begins to press on it. As a result, a stabbing pain appears on the right, which is transmitted to the left hypochondrium. A short time after the cessation of exposure, the pain reaction passes on its own and does not require any therapeutic measures. Many schoolchildren are faced with such manifestations during crosses or passing sports standards.

Sometimes similar pain sensations can appear with sudden movements or tilts of the body. This is due to the contact of internal organs with the surface of the rib and, accordingly, the body's protective reaction in the form of pain.

Measures for pain

If the diagnosis has not yet been established, and the pain is bothering, it is necessary to seek help and advice from a therapist who will conduct the initial research and determine the patient's subsequent actions.

Of course, each specific type of pain requires referral to a specific specialist:

• surgeon;
• gastroenterologist;
• endocrinologist;
• cardiologist;
• gynecologist;
• urologist, etc.

There are cases that require urgent medical attention with hospitalization. In other words, when an emergency ambulance call is required:

• First of all, these are acute, sudden pains.
• Secondly, it is the aching nature of the pain for an hour.
• Thirdly, these are stitching pains for more than 30 minutes, appearing when moving.
• Fourth - dull pains with nausea and vomiting of blood.

Any self-medication measures for left-subcostal localization of pain, without establishing a diagnosis, are unacceptable, as they can aggravate the course of the disease and lead to complications. Under a special prohibition are such a popular procedure among people as warming. Also, you should not use antispasmodics before consulting a specialist. They are able to dull pain and disrupt the clinical picture, as well as the symptoms of the disease.

The only thing that can be applied in the event of such painful manifestations is the imposition of cold on this area (ice or cold compress).

Doctors recommend, even with the rare occurrence of the above pains, to undergo examinations, which will be prescribed by a therapist. This will help to timely identify a serious disease and stop its development.

The author of the article: Volkov Dmitry Sergeevich | c. m. n. surgeon, phlebologist

Education: Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry (1996). In 2003 he received a diploma from the Educational and Scientific Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.