Published on: 4/7/2025
Numbness in the left abdomen may occur when a small nerve is pinched or irritated. This can occur with conditions like cutaneous nerve entrapment syndromes or intercostal neuralgia.
The skin on your abdomen gets feeling from tiny nerves. Sometimes these nerves can be pinched or become irritated. One possible condition is cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome. There are two types mentioned in studies: one where the nerve near the front of the belly (anterior cutaneous nerve) is pressed upon (ACNES) and another where the nerve on the side of the belly (LACNES) gets pinched. When these nerves are "trapped" by nearby muscles, tissues, or sometimes due to injury, they may not send the usual messages and can cause numbness or pain. Another reason could be intercostal neuralgia. This happens when the nerves between the ribs become irritated or inflamed. The irritation can make you feel numbness or discomfort in parts of your abdomen. Each situation is different. It’s important to check with a doctor who can look at the details of your symptoms and help decide the best way to care for you.
(References)
Pedersen KF, Roumen R, Scheltinga M, Bisgaard T. [Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome]. Ugeskr Laeger. 2019 Aug 26;181(35):V02190133. Danish. PMID: 31495364.
Maatman RC, Papen-Botterhuis NE, Scheltinga MRM, Roumen RMH. Lateral Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome (LACNES): A previously unrecognized cause of intractable flank pain. Scand J Pain. 2017 Oct;17:211-217. doi: 10.1016/j.sjpain.2017.10.007. Epub 2017 Nov 5. PMID: 29111493.
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