Quick sharp pain on left side of body

Have you ever taken a deep breath and felt a sudden sharp pain under the left rib? You might have thought at that point of time that it is a heart attack and an end of you. Pain under the left rib can cause a lot of anxiety, especially when you're a heart patient. As stinging the pain may be, the thought of experiencing an attack can be all the more tormenting. However, instead of rushing to conclusions, you must consider other ailments that can cause pain under your left rib. In case you feel a stabbing pain below your left rib, you need not panic as it can happen due to other reasons too. We have listed some below for you:
Costochondritis
Costochondritis refers to the inflammation of the cartilage which connects your ribs to your breastbone. You might feel a sharp pain under the left rib if you take a deep breath which can worsen while coughing or sneezing.

Costochondritis can happen due to an injury, infection and in rare cases, arthritis.
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is a condition which leads to an inflammation of the membrane around your lungs. The inflammation can be caused by a bacterial or fungal infection in the membrane. In rarest of the rare cases, pulmonary infections which lead to blood clots or pus in the lungs can also be a symptom of pleurisy. The symptoms of pleurisy could be chest pain, fever and shortness of breath.

Kidney stones
In many cases, a sharp stabbing pain can also be caused by kidney stones. Kidney stones are not easy to detect and can happen at any point of time. They usually happen when waste builds up in your kidney and does not get enough water to flow out.

In order to prevent kidney stones, you must drink enough water and not control the urge to urinate.

Gastritis
Gastritis refers to the swelling in the inner lining of your stomach. It can also cause a sharp pain under the left rib along with other symptoms such as burning pain in your stomach, nausea or a sensation of fullness of your upper abdomen.

Bacterial infections and consumption of anti-inflammatory drugs are the main reasons which lead to Gastritis.

Enlarged spleen
An enlarged spleen can also be the reason behind you experience stabbing pain under your left rib. The spleen might enlarge because of bacterial infection, parasitic infection or a liver disease.

There are high chances that an enlarged spleen gets ruptured and cause further complications. A ruptured spleen can cause internal bleeding and must be reported to the doctor as soon as possible.

Pancreatitis

Another reason of pain under the left rib is Pancreatitis. It causes an inflammation of the pancreas which further instigates pain. Pancreatitis comes with additional symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.

There are two types of pancreatitis: acute and chronic. Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include fever, stomach tenderness and abdominal pain that spreads to your back. Chronic pancreatitis can bring along unintentional weight loss and pain in upper abdomen.

In case you experience pain on the left side of your rib along with cold sweat, shortness of breath, tightness in your jaw and shoulder blades, then there are high chances that you are suffering from a heart attack. In such a situation, you must not ignore it and rush to a hospital to seek medical help.

On this page

• What is nerve pain?
• What are the symptoms of nerve pain?
• What causes nerve pain?
• How is nerve pain diagnosed?
• How is nerve pain treated?
• Resources and support
• Related information on Australian websites

What is nerve pain?

Nerve pain, also called neuralgia or neuropathic pain, occurs when a health condition affects the nerves that carry sensation to the brain. It is a particular type of pain that feels different from other kinds of pain.

There are different types of nerve pain, including:

• post-herpetic — this can happen after you've had shingles (herpes zoster) and affects the same area as the shingles rash
• trigeminal— causing pain in the jaw or cheek
• occipital — causing pain at the base of your skull that can spread to the back of your head
• pudendal — causing pain in the ‘saddle area’ between the legs

What are the symptoms of nerve pain?

Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can be as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. People with neuropathic pain are often very sensitive to touch or cold and can experience pain as a result of stimuli that would not normally be painful, such as brushing the skin.

It’s often worse at night. It might be mild or it might be severe.

People who have nerve pain often find that it interferes with important parts of life such as sleep, sex, work and exercise.

Some people with nerve pain become angry and frustrated, and may have anxiety and depression.

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.

What causes nerve pain?

Nerve pain can be due to problems in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), or in the nerves that run from there to the muscles and organs. It is usually caused by disease or injury.

Common causes include:

• an injury to the brain, spine or nerves
• poor blood supply to the nerves
• heavy drinking
• phantom pain after an amputation
• vitamin B12 or thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency
• certain medicines

Conditions that can cause nerve pain include:

• infections such as shingles and HIV/AIDS
• multiple sclerosis
• diabetes
• stroke
• cancer and its treatment with radiation, surgery or chemotherapy
• trapped nerves, such as in carpal tunnel syndrome

There are other conditions associated with nerve pain.

Sciatica is pressure on the nerves of the lower back that causes pain down the leg. The pain can be accompanied by pins and needles, numbness or weakness in the leg.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome associated with burning or aching pain in different parts of the body. The cause is not well understood, but it can be triggered by emotional distress and poor sleep. There may be genetic factors, too.

Peripheral neuropathy occurs when the peripheral nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body are damaged. It’s caused by diabetes, autoimmune diseases and other conditions.

How is nerve pain diagnosed?

The main way your doctor will diagnose nerve pain is by listening to you and examining you.

In the examination, they will probably test your nerves by testing the strength of your muscles, checking your reflexes, and by seeing how sensitive it is to touch.

You may be asked to have tests like:

• blood tests to check your general health and look for underlying conditions
• nerve conduction studies which measure how quickly your nerves carry electrical signals
• a CT scan or an MRI scan to look for anything that could be pressing on a nerve

How is nerve pain treated?

There are many ways to treat nerve pain. Treating the underlying cause, if there is one, is the first step.

Painkillers and a range of different medicines can help, as can non-drug treatments like exercise, acupuncture and relaxation techniques.

Nerve pain can be difficult to treat. Any underlying conditions such as diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency can be managed. Otherwise, treatments aim to directly ease the pain. Options include medicines and non-medicine strategies.

Medicines

Some nerve pain will be controlled with simple painkillers like aspirin, paracetamol or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Stronger painkillers such as opioids are sometimes used, but these have significant side effects that can be harmful especially in the long term, and can be addictive.

Many other medicines can be effective against nerve pain. They include medicines originally used to treat depression (such as amitriptyline and duloxetine) and seizures (gabapentin, pregabalin and carbamazepine).

Non-medicine treatments

Non-medicine treatments can help people to understand and cope with the pain. They include:

• education and counselling
• exercise
• acupuncture
• relaxation techniques
• psychological treatments to help you feel in control of your pain and reduce distress
• transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to block the transmission of pain sensations to your brain

People with chronic pain may find it helpful to attend a multidisciplinary pain clinic where health professionals can work out a personalised pain management plan. You will need a referral from your doctor to attend a pain clinic. You can find a list of pain services on the Pain Australia website.

Resources and support

• There are support groups and helplines for different types of nerve pain throughout Australia. Visit the Pain Australia website for more information.
• Pain Australia also has a list of resources.
• Call the Australian Pain Management Association’s Pain Link helpline on 1300 340 357.

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Why do I get random stabbing pains?