Pain in the left side at waist level

If you have pain in your left side at waist level, this may indicate different reasons, starting with mechanical damage to soft tissues resulting from trauma, and ending with a disease of internal organs. The left side of the abdominal cavity contains many vital organs, the malfunction of which can provoke serious consequences for the body. To prevent the development of complications, you need to know which factors contribute to the onset of pain. All this will be discussed in this article.

Types of pain

Depending on the development of the disease, the nature of the pain may be different. Let's consider each of the types separately:

• dumb. As a rule, dull pain in the lower abdomen occurs against the background of gynecological diseases. Also, its appearance can be affected by mechanical damage resulting from injuries;
  

  Dull pain in the side

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• pulling. According to statistics, pulling pain in the abdomen most often occurs with the development of a purulent or inflammatory infection, as well as with pathologies of an oncological nature;
• sharp. Often, a sharp pain in the left side acts as one of the symptoms of diseases of the pelvic organs;
• stabbing pain, as a rule, occurs with problems with the patient's spine or with increased gas production.

On a note! Pain in the left hypochondrium is often accompanied by other symptoms, familiarization with which helps the doctor to make an accurate diagnosis. Often, with pain on the left side, the patient has diarrhea or constipation, general weakness of the body, chills of the body, and bouts of nausea.

Reasons for the appearance

There are many different factors that contribute to pain in the left hypochondrium. But most of them are associated with disorders in the work of the following internal organs:

• appendix;
• intestines;
• diaphragm;
• spleen;
• pancreas.

As practice shows, it hurts in the left side in women most often with the development of gynecological diseases or with inflammation of the urinary tract:

• malignant or benign formations;
• pain during menstruation;
• inflammation of the ovaries and fallopian tubes (uterine appendages);
• the development of cystitis;
• cyst formation;
• rupture of the uterine (fallopian) tubes;
• ectopic pregnancy.

If we talk about the male half, then in this case the range of possible causes is noticeably narrowed. But, despite this, there are still a lot of problems that can cause pain in the left side:

• oncological diseases;
• the development of cystitis;
• inguinal hernia;
• the formation of stones in the prostate;
• inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis).

It should be noted that for an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to determine the location of the pain (for example, pain in the back, in the lumbar region, under the ribs, etc.). This will allow doctors to find out which organ disease caused painful sensations.

Common diseases

It has already been noted that the appearance of periodic or persistent pain, doctors associate with diseases of the kidneys, gallbladder, colon, pancreas and other diseases. Below are the most common pathologies that may be accompanied by the appearance of characteristic pain at the waist level.

Table. Diseases causing pain in the left side.

Pathology name	Description
Cystitis	A common disease of the genitourinary system, accompanied by inflammation of the bladder. As a rule, women suffer from cystitis, which is primarily associated with the anatomical features of the urethra - it is wider. The development of cystitis may be indicated by pain that spreads from the suprapubic region to the level of the waist.
Right-sided pyelonephritis	Urological disease of an infectious and inflammatory nature, which is accompanied by damage to the tubules of the kidneys and the calyx-pelvic system. Often, the disease occurs with inflammation of the reproductive system, chronic infection, infection of the lower urinary systems, etc. One of the symptoms of the disease is pulling pain on the left side.
Appendicitis	A rather dangerous disease, the development of which is evidenced by pain in the navel or in the left side. As a rule, the painful sensations increase with movement or even during breathing. With inflammation of the appendix, an urgent surgical operation is necessary, since ignoring the symptoms of pathology can lead to serious consequences.
Pancreatitis	This is an inflammation of the pancreas caused by a violation of the outflow of various enzymes, including gastric juice. The accumulation of these substances can adversely affect the health of the patient's gastrointestinal tract, in particular, on the mucous membrane of the pancreas. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear (nausea, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain), you should immediately seek help from a doctor.
Ulcerative colitis	Another common disease, with the development of which the patient is faced with painful sensations in the left side. The pathology is accompanied by inflammation of the colon mucosa. If untreated, the inflammatory process can spread to the entire surface of the affected organ.
Pyelonephritis	Infectious kidney disease caused by infection with pathogens. According to statistics, more than 60% of all urological patients are patients suffering from various forms of pyelonephritis. Since the disease can affect both the right and left kidney, it also causes pain in the left side.

On a note! Not only serious pathologies can cause discomfort or pain in the left side. Often, painful sensations arise against the background of improper or unbalanced nutrition, which provokes increased gas formation.

When to see a doctor

If the pain took you by surprise, you need to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible, especially since the symptom often occurs without any previous signs.

Medical attention is required when the following additional symptoms appear:

• impurities of blood in the feces;
• frequent vomiting of blood;
• intense diarrhea and nausea;
• severe dizziness, general weakness of the body;
• temperature increase;
• the abdomen becomes hard and increases in size;
• pain in the left side gradually increases (it is growing).

If dangerous symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor for diagnosis. In this case, a gastroenterologist should deal with the treatment, but the help of an immunologist, urologist or gynecologist may also be needed.

What to do

To exclude possible complications, it is necessary to consult several specialists at once. In the process of a diagnostic examination, the doctor needs to tell about the nature of the pain, duration and location. In addition to all the doctors mentioned above, a therapist, infectious disease specialist and traumatologist can deal with diagnostics and treatment.

Diagnosis of painful sensations in the left side includes the following procedures:

• Magnetic resonance imaging;
• palpation of the affected area;
• ultrasound procedure;
• laboratory analysis of blood, feces or urine;
• visual examination of the patient.

After receiving the results of the study, the doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis. Only then does he prescribe the appropriate treatment. As a rule, drug therapy is sufficient, although in rare cases, when the disease is acute, a referral for surgery is required.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor must take into account the presence of other pathologies.

Regardless of the type of pathology or the prescribed course, the patient must follow a special diet, since most of the causes of abdominal pain are associated with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Typically, this diet consists of eating healthy foods. It is necessary to exclude from the diet all harmful products that negatively affect the mucous membrane of internal organs. Bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol abuse, must also be abandoned. This will not only prevent the development of abdominal pain, but also strengthen the body as a whole.

Video - Possible causes of abdominal pain