What causes pain on your left side under ribs?

Are you experiencing pain below your left ribs and don’t know why? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s normal to feel a little scared when something unfamiliar happens with our bodies. But take heart because we’ve got you covered!

In this article, we’ll dive into what could be causing the discomfort in your left rib cage area. From mild digestive issues to serious medical conditions, let’s explore them all.

Overview of Left Rib Cage

Before anything else, it is important for us to understand our body structure first. The human rib cage is composed of 24 bones- twelve on each side – that protect our lungs and chest cavity while enabling us to breathe effectively.

The ribs attach directly or indirectly (via cartilage) from the back part i.e., thoracic vertebrae at T1 to T12 which connects eventually along sternum & costal cartilages anteriorly called ‘costal margin’ (fun fact: “costae” is Latin for “ribs”).

Typically, any pain beneath our left ribcage can mean different things based on various factors including age groups, previous illness/medical history or even one’s present lifestyle habits like dietary pattern etc.

So without further ado, let us learn more about what might behind those sneaky pains under your left ribs!

Gastric Issues

One common cause of pain under the left side of your ribs may be related to gastrointestinal problems including inflammation throughout gastritis (caused by imbalance diet led by fried/grilled/fast foods) to higher stomach acidity levels leading acid reflux diagnosis symptoms are usually short-lived but avoiding spicy food or Alcohol..ouch would solve half the problem!

It would also help if suggested treatments such as reducin appetite suppressants while switching onto specific probiotics agents are observed carefully so that these cure options do not add up more problem to your gastritis.

Inseparable from this gastric issue could also be the gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or heartburn. Gerd is, simply put, when the stomach acid comes and irritates your food pipe leading to chest pain or something called “heartburn”, which can happen anywhere in our upper body region but most common in left-side ribcage with patients having frequent episodes of GERD should consider seeing a doctor to prevent complications such as Barret’s esophagus (this sounds serious).

Muscle Strain

Are you an exercise enthusiast? Well then there… gotcha!, heavy lifting or poor posture can surely do well for one.

In fact, if you’re experiencing discomfort below your left ribs right after doing those strenuous activities like sitting upright for a long period on low desks/chairs with an incorrect seating position during work hours at office or participating in contact sports without warming-up properly – muscle strain might be behind it!

Doctors recommend resting that area first before engaging again in high-intensity activity while applying appropriate heat therapy devices that relax muscles thus subsiding the soreness/pain within few days.

Intercostal Neuralgia

If you are searching symptoms/cause of chronic left chest/side beneath your rib cages and have found them more intense over time please make sure visiting health care professionals ASAP because now we may dive into another realm i.e., intercostal neuralgia (we used ‘realm’ cause it literally shares some characteristics with Game Of Thrones theme) [^1].

This refers to excruciating pain radiating between nerves distributed under (inter)riven spaces(costae)overlying abdominal organs caused by infection/damage/impaired spinal cord. Symptoms include horror-defying burning sensations/sharp shooting pains accompanied by numbness/tingling/hypersensitivity-inducing random twitches while everyday sensory experiences lead to discomfort albeit under constant distress!

Doctors may suggest treatments like nerve blocks or other neurology consults in severe cases, so don’t hesitate to request prompt medical advice on this matter.

Pancreatitis

Fun fact alert: the pancreas is an organ that resides behind the stomach(almost halfway thoracic vertebrae i.e., T12 to L2 vertebrae). It secretes enzymes essential for metabolizing carbohydrates and fats into simple sugars necessary for human body processes. Yep… pancreatitis arises when the chemicals secreted by one’s own body damage & inflame its cell wall (body attacks itself..whoa)

This inflammation can cause sharp pain below your left rib cage area either during/after meals too high in fat content even alcohol!. In chronic patients, it might lead to serious complications like pancreatic cancer although rare [^4].

Doctors usually recommend a specific diet and lifestyle modification alongside medications suggested by them/hospitalization if severe symptoms persist! Enjoying all types of food without suffering from abdominal anguish sounds truly devilish sibo- sorry folks’ not literal meaning black magic, but there’s much more to life than dealing with digestive issues alone!

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are solid masses composed of crystal-like substances formed slowly over time through concentrated urine buildup eventually leading kidney blockage along ureters due to their size thus couldn’t pass out through urine naturally instead causing renal system failure episodes (sounds scary, right?) [^7].

Similar pains could also happen as the stone stuck in member region -ureter’s connection site-. When this happens, you may feel agonizing pain underneath your left rib cage which spreads towards your genitalia inducing nausea/vomiting accompanied by reddish-brown blood spots while you’re peeing- what else could go wrong? Don’t worry; doctors will examine such situations thoroughly plus prescribe based on factors involving diagnosis stage i.e., observing/studying even under microscope for crystal composition, increasing fluid intakes to help existing stones/pain alleviate on both acute/chronic stages.

Costochondritis

Costochondritis is yet another issue resulting in soreness underneath your left ribcage area. It’s characterized as inflamed cartilage(cartilages i.e costae) arising between ribs and sternum-breastbone at the middle of our chest cavities), usually common among avid musicians/non-contact athletes with diaphragm a bit more tensed/agitated activities like straining while laughing too rambunctiously or playing instruments that require continuous arm/elbow movement.

Because it commonly mimics heart attack symptoms such as crushing discomfort along chest areas/armpits/jaw pains accompanied by shortness of breath plus rapid pulse rates; doctor consultation might diagnosed through visual inspection/x-ray/MRI scans plus recomms including regimen adequate rest-periods alongside cold/hot packs to reduce muscle inflammation within 7-10 days after skin patches, sometimes one may need anti-inflammatory medications recommended or physical therapy courses are instructive alternatives.

Conclusion

The pain occurring beneath the left side of your rib cage can range from uncomfortable to excruciating, but they all have causes behind them. By taking a closer look at what could be contributing factors depending on diagnosis stage severity level/the supporting underlying issues which could affect overall outcomes over time could aid us determining preventing/treatment options suggested here we hope you’ll find some insight & peace-of-mind into this tricky situation when encountering such backstabbing—sorry pun intended–pains!

Remember – don’t ignore these symptoms always seek medical attention whenever necessary because nobody knows our body better than health experts ;)!

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