What Anatomical Structures on the Left Side of the Body Could Be Responsible for Causing Pain?

Reviewed by Suo Lee, MD

Internal Medicine

Pain on the left side of your body can come from many places, such as the nerves, muscles, bones, joints, and even parts of your brain that help process pain.

Explanation

Your left side is filled with many important structures that work together. Nerves, which carry messages from your body to your brain, can send pain signals if they become damaged or irritated. Muscles, tendons, and joints also play a big part in how we feel. For example, tendinitis—a swelling or irritation of a tendon—can cause pain similar to what people with fibromyalgia experience. Furthermore, bones and the spine on the left side can be sources of pain when they are injured or affected by conditions like arthritis. Sometimes, pain might even start in the brain. For example, if there is a stroke in the part of the brain that controls sensation on the left side, you might feel pain and other unusual symptoms there. All of these structures together help explain why pain might occur on one side of your body. If you experience ongoing or worsening pain, it is important to talk to a healthcare provider so they can properly evaluate your condition.

(References)

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Pain, Disability, and Chronic Illness Behavior; Osterweis M, Kleinman A, Mechanic D, editors. Pain and Disability: Clinical, Behavioral, and Public Policy Perspectives. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1987. 7, The Anatomy and Physiology of Pain. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK219252/
Genç H, Saracoğlu M, Duyur B, Erdem HR. The role of tendinitis in fibromyalgia syndrome. Yonsei Med J. 2003 Aug 30;44(4):619-22. doi: 10.3349/ymj.2003.44.4.619. PMID: 12950117.
Kim JS. Sensory symptoms in ipsilateral limbs/body due to lateral medullary infarction. Neurology. 2001 Oct 9;57(7):1230-4. doi: 10.1212/wnl.57.7.1230. PMID: 11591841.
Niddam DM, Lee SH, Su YT, Chan RC. Brain structural changes in patients with chronic myofascial pain. Eur J Pain. 2017 Jan;21(1):148-158. doi: 10.1002/ejp.911. Epub 2016 Jun 28. PMID: 27352085.
Maallo AMS, Moulton EA, Sieberg CB, Giddon DB, Borsook D, Holmes SA. A lateralized model of the pain-depression dyad. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Aug;127:876-883. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.06.003. Epub 2021 Jun 6. PMID: 34090918; PMCID: PMC8289740.

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