Left Side Pain

There are a lot of possible reasons for left side pain, but very few are actually specific to the left side of the body: it just so happens it's taking place on the left side rather than the right.

Let's rule some things out first. If the pain is on your left side, it's probably not caused by appendicitis. Your appendix is on the right side of your body. If you have a really bad case of appendicitis, it may be hard to tell if it's on the right or the left. But the pain is much more likely to present on the right side than the left.

Also, your pain probably isn't being caused by your liver. The largest part of the liver is on the right side. If you have a liver or gallbladder problem, the pain will sometimes radiate into your shoulders and maybe even to your back between the shoulder blades. But you're not likely to feel anything on your left side.

As far as chest pain goes, severity and intensity are again a factor. Sure, your heart is located slightly left of center, but if you're experiencing chest pain, it's more likely to feel that it's in the middle than to the left side.

Keep in mind though, heart problems sometimes cause pain in the left arm and even the jaw. This is called "referred" pain, and it's often a symptom of an impending heart attack.

All that said, let's talk about some things that might be causing your left side pain. But again, remember that any of these things might, depending on the exact location of the problem, also present on the right side.

Abdominal area: a hernia, or a disorder of the colon, intestines, pancreas, spleen, bladder or reproductive organs. An aneurism of the abdominal aorta is also possible.

Kidneys: Kidney stones, a kidney infection, kidney inflammation, kidney cyst or cancer.

Lungs: Pleurisy near the left lung could cause upper left side pain (pleurisy is an inflammation of the lung membrane). Pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism or blood clot might also be possible.

Muscles: Strains and pulls. These, of course, can happen on the left or the right.

Since there are so many possibilities, it's important that you be as specific as you can about your left side symptoms when you describe them to your doctor. If possible, note times and circumstances when the pain occurs.