Back pain on the left in the ribs always has a cause. Very often, discomfort felt in this area of the body indicates the presence of serious diseases. Of course, the symptom is not specific, so it is impossible to say which pathology he is talking about. In our article, we will consider only those states for which it is almost always characteristic.
Osteochondrosis and other back problems
Myositis, intervertebral hernia, spondylosis - these and many other diseases often respond with back pain on the left and in the ribs. The reason is compression of the nerve endings or spasms of muscle fibers. With a lesion of the lumbar, a person feels several types of pain - shooting, aching, radiating to the lower extremities.
Often this discomfort prevents the patient from even bending over or turning around, making completely elementary and familiar movements. In particularly difficult cases, it is difficult to even sit, walk and stand.
During the formation of the pathological process in the thoracic region, back pain on the left in the ribs is aggravated due to coughing, deep inhalation and exhalation, when laughing and sneezing. In addition, other symptoms may appear - decreased sensitivity, numbness of the back and arms, burning sensation and tingling in the limbs, changes in tendon reflexes, weakness and general malaise.
What are the reasons? The answer to this question depends on the diagnosed disease. The prerequisites, as a rule, are injuries, serious infectious ailments, metabolic and posture disorders, displacement of the vertebrae, inflammation, as well as excessive physical exertion and a long stay in the same position.
Intercostal neuralgia
This is the name for a reflex pain syndrome that occurs as a result of compression, inflammation or irritation of the intercostal nerves. The reason is usually any change in the spine of an inflammatory and degenerative nature. Pathology rarely occurs independently, more often it develops against the background of a different ailment.
Predisposing factors include:
- Hypothermia.
- Scoliosis, osteochondrosis, spondylosis, hernia.
- Chest and back injuries.
- Intoxication.
- Allergy.
- Malignant neoplasms.
- Weak immunity.
- Diseases of the nervous system.
The main symptom is pain in the back on the left and in the ribs. It can have any character, be shooting, sharp, sharp, strong or medium, but gradually becomes constant. As a rule, pain intensifies with breathing, sneezing, coughing and with movements.
Very often, this ailment mimics a heart lesion. But with cardiovascular diseases, changes in blood pressure and pulse are also observed. With neuralgia, this is not.
It is important to diagnose this condition in time and begin treatment. Therapy is aimed at relieving discomfort and pain, eliminating inflammation or pinching, as well as eliminating the root cause of the disease.
Shingles
This disease, the occurrence of which provokes the herpes virus, also manifests itself in back pain on the left under the ribs.
A pathological organism can be found in almost every person. All people who once had chickenpox are at risk. The virus does not disappear, it just becomes inactive. Under the influence of certain provoking factors, it can be reactivated. Only one condition is important - greatly weakened immunity. And severe or frequent stresses, the use of drugs that reduce the body's defenses, poor climate, poor nutrition, and so on can lead to it.
The following symptoms are observed within 2-4 days after the awakening of the virus:
- Back pain on the left under the ribs.
- Low-grade fever. Rarely, fever.
- Headache.
- Weakness and chills.
- Burning, itching and pain in the area where rashes then form.
- Enlarged lymph nodes.
- Delays in urination and other disorders of certain organs and systems.
Then edematous pink spots appear, which in a few days form erythematous papules, rapidly turning into vesicles.
Somewhere on the 6-8th day they dry out, crust over. The disease can disappear on its own, but therapy is necessary, because there is always a risk of complications. Neuralgia can torment the patient for weeks and sometimes months after the actual recovery.
Treatment includes antiviral and pain medication, as well as corticosteroids, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants.
Cardiovascular disease
The pain under the ribs (from the back of the left and back) also often indicates their presence. A person may well have ischemia. The most common cause of coronary artery disease is coronary atherosclerosis. Slightly less often - thromboembolism, spasm of the coronary arteries.
If we talk about provoking factors, then it should be noted hyperlipidemia, arterial hypertension, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, impaired carbohydrate tolerance. These conditions may well lead to the development of coronary heart disease.
Clinical symptoms are determined by the form of the disease. But, as a rule, coronary heart disease has a wave-like course - normal health is replaced by an exacerbation. Among the symptoms are:
- Pain under the ribs left and back from the back. It may be on the right, but it radiates to the region of the heart almost always.
- Dyspnea.
- Pain in the lower jaw.
- Increased heart rate.
- Dizziness and weakness.
- Nausea.
- Blurred consciousness and fainting.
In addition to coronary disease, back pain in the back left under the ribs can indicate the development of angina pectoris, pericarditis, myocardial infarction or aortic dissection.
If you have symptoms that indicate heart problems, you need to go for a diagnosis. It is carried out in a cardiology hospital using specific instrumental techniques.
Depending on the specific disease, further treatment is prescribed. The patient may be prescribed drug or non-drug therapy, surgery, endovascular surgery, or whatever is appropriate for his individual case.
Iris problems
Their presence is often indicated by back pain in the back left under the ribs. This discomfort can be caused by pathological processes in the diaphragm. She in normal condition supports the distinction between the chest and abdominal space. When the muscles weaken, the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus, thereby irritating its mucosa.
This is called diaphragmatic hernia. The factors that provoke it include:
- The tendency to reflux.
- Genetic failure of connective tissue.
- Tendency to hiccups.
- Increased abdominal pressure.
- Displacement of the esophagus up.
- Age-related changes.
If we talk about symptoms, then the pain in the ribs on the left behind from the back, which is the main manifestation, has its own characteristics:
- She feels dumb.
- Intensity tolerant, moderate.
- It can spread to the esophagus along it.
- Grows when trying to bend over.
- Strengthens after eating, during or after exertion, coughing, as well as lying down.
The patient has not only pain, but also belching, vomiting, hiccups, heartburn, burning sensation on the tongue.
To diagnose this condition, esophagomanometry, fibroscopy, contrast radiography are performed.
Mild forms are treated with nutritional adjustments and physiotherapy. In severe cases, surgery is indicated.
Respiratory problems
If a person has a back pain on his left under the ribs, it is possible that he has pneumonia, tuberculosis, pleurisy, bronchitis or even a malignant tumor. Any symptoms of the following will additionally indicate problems with the respiratory system:
- A sharp deterioration in overall health, in general.
- Fever.
- Wet or dry cough.
- Severe shortness of breath.
- Squeezing in chest.
- Quick fatigue under loads.
- General apathy.
- Poor appetite.
- Muscle weakness.
- Headache.
- Constipation and bowel dysfunction.
- Feeling of cold and chills.
- Burning sensation behind the sternum.
- Feeling of cold, severe chills.
- Runny nose.
The cause of diseases is always any pathogen. These include streptococci, mycoplasma, chlamydia, legionella, hemophilus bacillus, staphylococci, enterobacteria, etc.
Diagnosis involves passing a patient examination, collecting an anamnesis, as well as conducting laboratory tests. This is necessary in order to identify the causative agent of the disease, since it will be directed to the destruction of the treatment. After all, a drug that can cause the death of one virus in a matter of days will be completely powerless in relation to another.
Gastritis
If a person notices that he often has pain in the ribs from the back on the left, then there is a likelihood of problems with the digestive tract. Perhaps he has gastritis. The cause of this disease is inflammation and further destruction of the mucous membrane. Among the provoking factors:
- Malnutrition.
- Effects on the gastric walls of fungi and bacteria.
- Chronic stress
- Alcohol abuse.
- Helminthic infestations.
- The abuse of drugs of certain categories.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Duodenal reflux.
- Disorders of hormonal metabolism.
- Weakened immunity.
- Reflex transmission of pathogenesis from neighboring organs.
Speaking of symptoms, this, of course, is not only pain on the left under the ribs from the back. Also, gastritis is manifested by the following signs:
- Weakness.
- Dizziness.
- Losing weight.
- Vomiting
- Discomfort in the epigastrium.
- Drowsiness.
- Disorders of a cardiovascular nature.
- Lack of appetite.
- Nervousness and irritability.
- Violation of the stool.
- Unpleasant taste sensations.
Diagnosis necessarily includes a consultation with a gastroenterologist and an examination with an endoscopist. Gastroscopy, a blood and feces test, a biopsy, and a study of gastric juice are also usually prescribed.
Treatment, as in the case with any other ailment, is selected individually. From medicines prescribed antibiotics, enveloping agents, antisecretory, antispasmodics, enzymes, cytoprotectors, antiemetic and hormonal. Treatment is often supplemented by the use of folk remedies and diet.
Other problems with the gastrointestinal tract
When a person has sore ribs to the left from the back, he can have more than just gastritis. There is a likelihood of other problems associated with the gastrointestinal tract:
- Sluggish lesions of an infectious nature or autoimmune pathologies that lead to impaired functioning of the spleen. This is indicated by the discomfort of the pulling type in the hypochondrium. It appears due to the increased size of the spleen - it begins to put pressure on nearby organs.
- Ulcer. As a rule, pain on the left under the rib, extending to the back, occurs after eating. If a person has an ulcer, not a stomach, but a duodenum, discomfort is manifested on an empty stomach. In both cases, the accompanying symptoms are heartburn, belching with an unpleasant sour taste, vomiting, nausea, weight loss, irregular stools. Sometimes the pain is paroxysmal, stitching. Also, the pressure drops sharply, the integument turns pale.
- Hepatitis. Pain in the ribs from the back on the left or on the right, which is more common, of a pulling nature can also indicate the development of this ailment. Its intensity increases if a person violates the recommended diet. The pain becomes stronger literally an hour after eating fatty, salty, spicy or fried. In addition to discomfort, a person has a enlarged liver, and digestive disorders often occur. In the absence of therapy, cirrhosis may develop.
- Acute pancreatitis. If it hurts on the left under the ribs and gives in the back, perhaps the person suffers from this ailment. This is a dangerous condition. It is complicated by vomiting with bile, swelling, fever. If you do not help, then a burning pain spreads almost throughout the body. The only way out in this situation is hospitalization.
In addition to the above, the symptom in question may indicate cholecystitis, ischemic colitis, flatulence or diverticulitis. The exact cause will be determined by the gastroenterologist during the examination and detailed diagnostics.
Kidney disease
This paired organ is located in the lumbar region, directly on the inner surface of the abdominal wall. With hydronephrosis, glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis, it almost always hurts from the back under the ribs on the left or right (it depends on which kidney is affected). Sensations are dull, aching. Sometimes the pain is long-term, not associated with the pose in which the person is.
The reason for the sensations is a stretched capsule of the kidney. Stones located in the urinary tract irritate the integument mucosa with its edges. Other symptoms include the following symptoms:
- Fast fatiguability.
- Puffiness of the face.
- Dry mouth.
- Deteriorating appetite.
- Periodic weakness.
- Temperature.
- Pallor of the skin.
- Pain in joints and muscles.
- Profuse sweating.
The complexity of the diagnosis lies in the fact that at the initial stage, some symptoms are mistaken for signs of influenza, appendicitis or cholecystitis.
If the back pain in the area of the ribs on the left or on the right does not go away, an urgent appointment with a nephrologist is necessary. Take, for example, glomerulonephritis. This disease, which can be asymptomatic for up to three weeks, but can subsequently lead to acute renal or heart failure, to eclampsia or preeclampsia, to intracerebral hemorrhage.
Hydronerphosis also does not make itself felt for a long time. Patients ignore mild pain, and then notice that they do not pass fatigue, hematuria, arterial hypertension appeared.
As a rule, renal diseases are diagnosed on the basis of examination, history and palpation. Ultrasound, ultrasound of the vessels of the kidneys, retrograde ureteropyelography, excretory urography, angiography, chromocystoscopy, CT, MRI, nephroscintigraphy, nephroscopy, cytoscopy, urethroscopy are also performed.
Rapid eradication of kidney disease helps restore organ function. Conservative therapy is not always effective. Surgery is often required.
Other reasons
If the ribs on the back on the left hurt, then there may well be other conditions. For many women, for example, the body thus “warns” about the onset of menstruation. Sometimes it signals the onset of pregnancy. In the last trimester, such pains may not go away, because the uterus grows to a huge size and puts pressure on organs located nearby. Of course, discomfort will be present.
Also, many often have a back pain between the ribs on the left due to overeating. If a person has used what his body can hardly digest, such a consequence is quite expected.
Sometimes stabbing pain is felt by people who are professionally involved in sports or bothering themselves with hard work. If there are no problems with the cardiovascular system, then this sign of a threat to health does not carry. It's just that the body systems are not always ready for high loads.
If the pain at some point arose sharply, you must stop working on what provoked this feeling. It is necessary to relax, take a deep breath, and then exhale, bend over, press the affected area with the palm of your hand.
Treatment
As mentioned above, the appointment of therapy is the work of a qualified doctor. In this case, it is not immediately known to which specialist to make an appointment. First, the patient needs to go to the therapist, and he, after conducting a general examination and questioning, will write out a referral to a specialist with a narrow profile. After passing a detailed diagnosis and finding out the reason why a person feels pain, treatment will be prescribed.
Sometimes emergency assistance may be required. In such cases, proceed according to the following recommendations:
- Go to bed before visiting a doctor. Even minor physical activity can worsen the condition of a damaged musculoskeletal system or affect the spread of inflammation.
- It is advisable to rest on an orthopedic mattress and the same pillow. They significantly reduce the load on the back, suffering from pain, prevent pinching of muscles, nerve roots and their compression.
- Do not eat anything fried, greasy, spicy, spicy, do not drink alcohol, do not smoke. All of the above negatively affects the blood vessels, and the process of restoration of articular, cartilage and bone tissues becomes several times slower. This must be assimilated, as this knowledge will be needed in the rehabilitation process.
Are there any drugs that can at least temporarily relieve pain? It is difficult to eliminate the discomfort without knowing the reasons for its occurrence. But the concept of symptomatic treatment has not been canceled. To eliminate pain in the costal dorsal region, drugs with B vitamins in the form of injections are usually used. They have such actions:
- Regeneration of damaged nerve fibers.
- Normalization of the innervation of skeletal muscle.
- The acceleration of metabolism.
- Increased functional activity of the peripheral and central nervous system.
In addition, the composition of these medicines includes the analgesics Novocain and Lidocaine, so moderate pain relief is provided. As a rule, the most popular drugs are Trigamma, Milgamma, Neurobion and Combilipen.
Vitamins are often combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of injections. They minimize discomfort in a few minutes, stop inflammation, and soften puffiness. Popular drugs in this group are Diclofenac, Voltaren, Meloxicam, Flamax, Ketoprofen, Ortofen, Xefocam, Movalis, Ketonal and Arthrosilen.
Many of the medicines listed are structural analogues. They differ in intensity of exposure, as well as in the number of possible side effects. When prescribing them, doctors take into account a lot of factors. For example, products with indomethacin instantly anesthetize, but they have a devastating effect on cartilage and joints. And "Aceclofenac" in tablets, also being an excellent tool, destroys the gastrointestinal mucosa.
Therefore, they are prescribed with great care. Treatment of pain with non-steroidal agents must be combined with the use of proton pump inhibitors. Popular drugs in this group include Rabeprazole, Pantoprazole and Omeprazole.
If we talk about pills, then Nurofen, Nise, Bystrumkaps, Celebrex, Ketorol, Nimesulide, Ibuprofen, Texamen and Arcoxia are effective. You can also treat the sore spot with homeopathic ointment. Suitable “Trumsel C” or “Target T”.
Also, Dolobene, Bystrumgel, Ibuprofen and Voltaren are fast acting. These are ointments with a non-steroidal composition. After their single use, the pain syndrome disappears, and the mobility of the vertebrae is restored, because the composition is very quickly absorbed into the skin and penetrates the affected area.