Left abdominal pain under ribs

Pain is never a pleasant feeling, no matter in which part of the body it is felt. However, pain in the abdomen does not occur that rarely, which is mostly due to the fact that many conditions have it as one of the symptoms, as well as due to the fact that a number of other culprits of pain in the abdomen is also not insignificant. It is important to make a difference between the rib pain and pain in the abdomen under the left rib because the first is usually much more serious than the latter. Even though it can vary in severity, pain in the abdomen under the left rib is milder in the majority of cases.

What can cause under the ribs pain on the left side of the abdomen?

As for the most common culprits for this type of pain, injury to the rib cage and problems with spleen should be mentioned first. If the rib cage is fractured, the pain in this area will be severe and it will occur frequently. In such cases, medical attention is absolutely necessary. On the other side, numerous problems with the spleen can also be blamed for this pain. Enlargement of the spleen will also result in the pain in question. Aside from these causes, osteoporosis can also manifest through left abdominal pain under the rib, because this progressive disease of the bones can also affect the ribs. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is also characterized by pain present in this area in many cases, but besides it, heartburn and acid indigestion are usually accompanying signs of this condition, which makes it much easier to recognize. If a person has stomach ulcer, pain in this part of the abdomen will probably be present, particularly after having a meal.

How can this pain be treated?

When it comes to the treatment of this kind of pain, even though people usually reach for some pain reliever first, it is important to determine the real cause, particularly if the pain tends to occur frequently. If a person is unable to recognize the cause by itself, then the doctor should be visited in order to see if some additional tests might be required. Since there are so many possible causers, it is obvious that diagnosing the right one is not always easy. The treatment will greatly depend on the diagnosis, which means that besides pain relievers, the person should not take any other medications without prior consultation with doctor.