Pain on the left side of the body can come from something as simple as a muscle strain, but the location and accompanying symptoms matter. It can involve the chest, abdomen, back, hip, or arm.
Possible causes
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Left chest/arm pain: Muscle strain, nerve irritation, acid reflux, or heart-related problems.
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Left upper abdomen: Gas, stomach problems, spleen-related conditions, or sometimes problems involving the pancreas or left kidney.
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Left lower abdomen: Constipation, intestinal problems, kidney stones, or—in some people—diverticular disease.
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Left flank/back: Muscle strain or kidney stones/infection.
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Left hip/leg: Muscle or tendon problems, arthritis, or nerve compression such as sciatica.
🚨 When left-sided pain is an emergency
Call emergency medical services immediately if left-sided pain is sudden or severe, particularly if it involves the chest or spreads to the left arm, shoulder, back, neck, or jaw, or occurs with:
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Shortness of breath
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Sweating
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Nausea or vomiting
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Dizziness or fainting
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A feeling of pressure, squeezing, or heaviness in the chest
These can be symptoms of a heart attack. Don’t assume that heart-related pain must be extremely severe—some heart attacks cause relatively mild discomfort.
Also seek urgent care for severe abdominal pain with fainting, persistent vomiting, significant bleeding, a rigid abdomen, or sudden weakness/numbness.
For less urgent pain, the exact location, duration, severity, and what makes it better or worse can narrow down the possibilities considerably.
