Every sixth person on earth periodically experiences pain in the lower abdomen on the left, and there are many reasons for its appearance. This is due to the fact that there are many internal organs or parts thereof. To make a diagnosis in this case is impractical and even dangerous.
Topography of the organs of the left half of the abdomen
First of all, here is the digestive system - a large part of the stomach, partly the loops of the small intestine, the left part of the transverse colon and the descending part of the colon. Part of the reproductive system - left kidney, adrenal gland, ureter; left ovary and tube, part of the uterus; in men - seminal vesicle, prostate. Also on the left side is the spleen, most of the pancreas, bones and lymph nodes of the pelvic skeleton.
Etiology of the phenomenon
Why does it hurt in the lower left abdomen? Violations in any of these organs can cause pain in this zone. It can be paroxysmal, permanent, aching, dagger, girdle, etc.
Pain in the lower abdomen on the left side is associated:
- in women in 60-70% of cases with gynecological pathology;
- PMS - 65-85%;
- gastroenterology - 15-35%;
- pathology of the spine - 7-15%.
In addition, the culprits may be: diabetes, connective tissue diseases, hernias and cysts, respiratory diseases.
Pain separation
Pain is divided by the mechanism of appearance and their characteristics, which is important for diagnosis:
- Visceral pain is the result of impaired peristalsis of the hollow organs as a result of muscle spasms or muscle sprains. Such pains are usually aching and dull, but with flatulence they can become cramping. They can radiate and become reflected.
- Somatic pain - it is constant and clearly deployed. Often it is bright.
- Reflected pain is the result of irradiation. It is reflected from organs located outside the left half of the abdomen, for example, lungs, pleura, etc.
Pain formation
They are different in hollow and parenchymal organs. In the parenchymal there is a dense capsule with many nerve pain endings that respond to damage.
In the hollow organs, pain occurs when the muscle layer is stretched, stretching the mucous membrane does not give pain, because there are no pain receptors.
Pathologies that occur in the left half of the abdomen:
- dystrophy of an organ or its walls;
- inflammation
- circulatory disorders;
- functional and organic disorders.
What are the types of pain on the left
By type of pain, we can assume the type of pathology:
- Pain of an aching nature is often gynecological pathology.
- Drawing pain - it is not so strong, but debilitating; characteristic of hernias and inflammations.
- Sharp pain in the side - with cramping, gas, ovarian rupture, stones in the ureter, etc.
- Stitching pain - with acute spasms, before rupture of the cyst;
- Shooting pain - inflammation in the spine and joints.
Classification of pathologies
When it hurts in the lower left, it can be a pathology:
- Gynecological - ectopic pregnancy, uterine diseases, inflammation of the appendages, tumors, cysts and torsion of its legs, rupture of the ovary.
- Intestinal - OKI, ulcerative and non-ulcerous diseases of the intestine, its intussusception and blockage.
- Spleen - enlargement, trauma, tumors, abscesses, heart attack, etc.
- Renal - pyelonephritis, nephritis, etc.
Gastrointestinal problems
The pain with them is always associated with eating, the only exception is the tumor - there the pain is constant. In addition to her, there are complaints of dyspeptic symptoms, flatulence, nausea and vomiting, heartburn and belching.
Diseases of the small intestine cause severe cutting or cramping pains. The absorption of nutrients is always impaired, which causes dehydration with diarrhea, loss of vitamins and protein.
Enteritis - Clinically similar to gastritis. Patient complaints mainly come down to the fact that the lower abdomen hurts on the left. All this is accompanied by temperature, nausea, a lot of mucus and undigested food particles in the stool.
Malabsorption syndrome - the mucous membrane loses its ability to absorb certain products, for example, milk. At the same time, diarrhea with drops of fat, a lot of gas with bursting and cramping pains, rumbling in the abdomen and taste in the mouth are observed.
Pathologies associated with pain
Pathologies in which the left abdomen hurts:
- Intestinal irritation - the exact cause of the pathology is not fully understood. More common in middle-aged women. The course is chronic. The side of the left lower abdomen regularly aches painfully after eating, after defecation the pain disappears, but false desires reappear. There is also bloating, instability of the stool (alternating constipation and diarrhea). It is provoked by fried foods, unrest, menstruation. There are no morphological changes in the intestinal cells.
- Nonspecific ulcerative colitis is a hereditary pathology, an autoimmune process. The pains begin from the rectum and spread upwards, the intestinal wall is covered with ulcers.
- Diverticulosis - protrusions appear in the intestinal wall that interfere with peristalsis. Characteristic of the elderly. They can become clogged with feces and then there is a throbbing pain in the left side of the abdomen. At the same time there are constipation, black feces due to bleeding. Treatment is only surgical.
- Colon polyps - create mechanical obstacles to the absorption of water, cause constipation, up to obstruction. Pain in lower abdomen, pulling to left.
- Atonic constipation - more often in the elderly. The main symptom is chronic constipation, bloating, dull, bursting pain.
- Stitching - aching pain in the lower abdomen, tenesmus, gas, mucous diarrhea with an admixture of blood.
- Intestinal obstruction - cramping abdominal pain, not associated with food, can occur at any time of the day. The abdomen is swollen, asymmetric, nausea and frequent vomiting are noted. With the progression of the pathology, the pain subsides after 2-3 days, but this is a dangerous symptom, talking about intestinal necrosis.
- Colorectal cancer - flows without symptoms for a long time. The pains are usually lubricated, weak; do not depend on food. The feces often have blood, the stomach is swollen and rumbling. Then the pains increase.
- Why does it hurt in the lower left abdomen? This happens with sigmoiditis - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the sigmoid colon. It becomes the result of other intestinal inflammations: UC, Crohn’s disease, dysbiosis, atherosclerosis of sigma vessels, complications of radiation therapy, etc. The clinical picture of all sigmoiditis is common: it hurts from the bottom left by dragging pains without irradiation. With the use of milk, alcohol, a large amount of coarse fiber, the pain intensifies, as well as with prolonged driving or walking on uneven terrain. Why does it hurt in the lower left with sigmoiditis during bowel movements? Pain arises from stretching the walls of the intestine with feces, and after defecation, the walls stick together and again give pain. A specific feature are tenesmus.
Discomfort in the left hypochondrium
Here the pain can be acute - observed with perforation of the walls of the stomach, intestines, spleen, kidney.
Dull pain - with sluggish gastritis, aching - with duodenal ulcer.
If it hurts at the bottom left ribs, it can be:
- pancreatic inflammation;
- gastric ulcer or cancer;
- spleen diseases;
- hernia of the diaphragmatic opening of the esophagus;
- vascular pathology;
- pleurisy and pneumonia;
- osteochondrosis;
- injury.
With pancreatitis, aching pain in the left hypochondrium appears with limited damage to the tail of the pancreas. The spread of inflammation gives girdle pain, cutting character with a return under the left shoulder blade and collarbone. The pain intensifies after eating refried, fatty and sweet foods, as well as alcohol. In a chronic process, pain is characteristic of the afternoon. Hunger relieves pain, so often the patient tries not to eat and lose weight.
With pathologies of the spleen, pain appears with an increase in the spleen with Filatov’s disease, cirrhosis, SLE, leukemia. It is associated with stretching the capsule. The more it is stretched, the more pain.
In a chronic process, with a gradual enlargement of the spleen, pain pulling or aching. In addition, there are:
- asthenia;
- migraine;
- vertigo (dizziness);
- heat;
- myalgia;
- hyperhidrosis;
- tendency to colds.
With rupture of the spleen associated with trauma, pain is sharp dagger. The occurrence of hemorrhage around the umbilical ring, the irradiation of pain in the back is characteristic. An ambulance call is required.
With cardiomyopathy, tachycardia, fatigue, burning behind the sternum, shortness of breath are observed. A heart attack is characterized by a sharp pain that gives to the left shoulder blade, arm, lower jaw, neck. Symptoms: shortness of breath, cold sweat, panic attacks, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, arrhythmia.
With respiratory diseases, the pain is dull, mild, but when coughing, they become stitching. It is characteristic of pleurisy that pain intensifies with coughing, inhaling, and moving. Symptoms of general intoxication are present.
With osteochondrosis, pain is observed in the left side of the abdomen. It can resemble a disease of the stomach, but it has its own differences: it is not associated with food intake, increases with physical exertion, passes at rest. With adequate treatment of osteochondrosis, the pain syndrome disappears completely, and the acidity of the stomach is fully restored. X-ray of the spine confirms osteochondrosis.
Kidney pathology
Inflammation of the renal pelvis - it hurts at the bottom left with a dull, aching pain of different strengths. It is accompanied by fever, nausea and vomiting, urination becomes more frequent.
Acute renal colic - in most cases, the cause is a blockage of the ureter with a stone. The pain in the left side of the abdomen from below is sudden, in the form of contractions or stitching; so strong that the patients scream. It hurts behind the left lower back, with a feeling of heaviness in the lower back on the left, gives down along the ureters, in the genitals, the inner surface of the thigh.
The pain does not depend on the position of the body. Pain can be reduced by taking a bath; drugs like No-shpa, baralgin, spazmalgon, etc. will help.
Urolithiasis or ICD - the lower back constantly hurts with dull pain, it can aggravate with any load, long walking or riding.
Gynecological problems
The pathology of this system should be suspected of the following symptoms:
- pain in the left side of the abdomen clearly below the line connecting the protrusions of the ilium;
- pain radiating to the lower back and rectum, on the inner surface of the thigh;
- violated by the MC;
- there are leucorrhoea.
Among the "female" pathologies with pain in the left side of the abdomen, gynecological disasters are in the lead below:
- ectopic conception;
- torsion of cystic neoplasm;
- hemorrhage in the ovary.
In such cases, the side pain in the lower left is cramping with a wide irradiation up to the left hypochondrium, and even under the left clavicle. The general condition sharply worsens - pallor, cold sweat, dizziness, weakness, tachycardia, drop in blood pressure. Urgent hospitalization is required to avoid death.
Acute adnexitis is an inflammation of the uterus. May be caused by STIs, cocci bacteria. Adnexitis can provoke hypothermia of the lower half of the body, difficult birth, any abortion, decreased immunity.
The pain occurs suddenly, it hurts in the lower abdomen to the left closer to the groin, lower back, painful urination, accompanied by chills, fever, weakness, cephalgia and myalagia, purulent discharge. With the accumulation of pus, the pain becomes pulsating. When the process is chronic, the pain in the left groin and side becomes dull, the disorder of the MC.
With neoplasms of the uterine appendages in the later stages, the side starts to hurt at the bottom left. This is due to uterine ligament sprains and pressure on the surrounding organs (pulling pains), more often these are benign tumors. With oncology, the tumor grows into the nerve plexus (nightly gnawing pains are characteristic).
Groin pain on the left and symptoms in men
It hurts in the lower abdomen to the left closer to the groin in men with inguinal hernia as a result of weakness of the abdominal muscles during strong physical exertion, especially when lifting weights. Provoking moments: obesity, chronic constipation, persistent cough in smokers. A protrusion appears on some part of the groin. The pain occurs when the hernia is pinched: it is strong, the skin in this place is tense, red, the contents of the hernia are not reversed. Surgical treatment.
Renal colic in men is no different from that in women. At the same time, it hurts in the lower abdomen to the left closer to the groin, renal colic is accompanied by hematuria, rapid and painful urination, oliguria. To alleviate pain, thermal procedures, analgesics and antispasmodics, a heating pad are required. A mandatory diet, without which treatment (drugs for crushing stones and facilitating their release) does not make sense.
Chronic prostatitis, prostate adenoma and other male pathologies
If it hurts in the lower left in men, this may be a sign of chronic inflammation of the prostate. There is a pulling constant pain in the groin with a return to the testicles. It is accompanied by difficulty urinating, especially at night, with a decrease in potency. With prostate adenoma, the groin hurts more and more sharply, dysuria is also more pronounced.
Treatment of chronic prostatitis includes the use of antibiotics and alpha-blockers, prostate massage, physiotherapy. With adenoma, its removal is indicated.
Inguinal lymphadenitis - a swelling appears in the groin on the left, it does not hurt and is elastic. With its purulent form, it increases, reddens, swells and is very painful. The treatment is antibacterial, general and local. With suppuration, they resort to surgical intervention.
Orchitis (inflammation of the testicles) - the effects of infections, inflammation and trauma to the testicles. The main manifestation is pain in the groin and testicles, aggravated by movement and walking. The scrotum is hyperemic, swollen. Temperature may rise.
With epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymis), the symptoms are the same, but the pain is less. Antimicrobial treatment and physiotherapy are indicated.
Cyst of the spermatic cord often occurs after 35 years. A round, elastic, soft swelling appears in the scrotum, usually painless. If the cyst grows and begins to compress adjacent nerves and blood vessels, dull pain first appears. As the cyst grows, it can become sharp and cutting.
With varicocele (expansion of the veins of the testicle), it stupidly hurts in the lower groin on the left, surrendering to a healthy testicle. Surgical treatment.
Torsion of the testis often occurs during intense training as a result of sudden movements such as twisting. Acute pain occurs in the groin and testicles, half of the scrotum quickly swells, increases and becomes cyanotic. An injured testicle is visually located above a healthy one. Operation required.
After menstruation
Only the gynecologist after the examination can accurately answer the question why it hurts in the lower abdomen on the left after menstruation. But most often, the causes are associated with endometriosis. The pain radiates to the lumbar region. With pathological proliferation of the endometrium, the pain is projected into the ovary region.
The same sensations are inherent with an increase in the volume of cystic neoplasm after menstruation. Discomfort is also manifested in chronic endometritis.
Abdominal pains after abdominal exercises appear mainly due to improper technique or too heavy loading.
What could be the causes of post-celiac pain?
Does it hurt lower left? Why it could be:
- Postpartum suture.
- Gastrointestinal problems. Flatulence causes discomfort in the intestines.
- Uterus. After delivery, a woman usually experiences pain due to uterine contractions. The pains are pulling in nature, localized in the lower abdomen.
- Movement. Any movement, cough syndrome, sneezing after surgery cause severe pain. This condition must be endured, because prolonged lying in bed can greatly delay the process of tissue regeneration.
Pain before and after delivery is characterized by the fact that discomfort is more pronounced in the upper part. This can be caused by displacement of the fetus and compaction due to this intestine. Food as a result of this moves along the intestine unevenly, which becomes the cause of uncomfortable sensations.
If it hurts at the bottom of the intestines on the left, it is likely that the uterus has increased in size because of this. Rupture of the uterine ligaments can also cause spasmodic pains - subsiding and recurring over time again. Ectopic conception also causes pain in the uterus. If it hurts at the bottom left during pregnancy while walking and bleeding appears, this can occur with spontaneous miscarriage.
Pain in the left hypochondrium after delivery indicates that the internal organs are returning to their places.
If it hurts in the lower left of women after ovulation for longer than a day, the degree of pain intensity is unchanged, similar symptoms warn of the following pathologies: inflammation of the appendages, their infection; cervical disease; cyst rupture and ovarian apoplexy. The nature of the pain is strongly pronounced, it can radiate to the lower back.
Discomfort after eating
Unpleasant sensations after eating can be caused by the following circumstances:
- Improper nutrition, excessive consumption of foods high in animal fats, love of fried and spicy foods, overeating, flatulence.
- Gastritis - can cause severe enough pain after eating in the lower abdomen on the left, or in the entire side.
To identify the exact cause, you must visit a gastroenterologist.
Why does the stomach ache on the left after drinking alcohol
Ethyl alcohol is the main component of all alcoholic beverages, it is not for nothing called poison. The more it enters the body, the more destructive is the effect of alcohol on the tissue of internal organs. Most often, pain occurs with pancreatitis.
Acute pain in the lower abdomen always requires an ambulance call. Self-administration of painkillers and antibiotics is not recommended, since it will be more difficult to make an accurate diagnosis. Warm compresses and hot warmers are also strictly prohibited. It is important to identify the pathology in the initial stages, therefore, at the first unpleasant symptoms, you should consult a doctor. Only a competent specialist will be able to diagnose and prescribe appropriate treatment.