Knowing that back pain, especially lower back pain is a common problem, doesn’t seem to change much the knowledge that people have regarding the real causes for that to happen.
Being such a huge problem, many people constantly try to find relevant information on how to find relief from back pain. However, finding a relief is going to be the last thing to get to.
You can’t find relief unless and until you find out what caused your back pains. The more information you know about your own condition, the more you and your doctor can do towards finding a relief.
The first thing you need to know is that the back is a complicated structure of bones, muscles and other different connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons.
We see that it consists of many compounds, which means that even the smallest injury of any of these parts can cause back pains.
And of course, a condition in any of the inside body organs can also result in back pain. Another important thing is the place where the pain is felt.
And this is important because it can show us what the cause might be. For example, pain in the lower left back side can be caused by several different sources.
Most Common Causes of Lower Back Pain on the Left Side
There are many different conditions that can cause pain in the lower left back, but researchers show that muscle imbalance is the number one cause.
This mostly happens in people who are left-handed or use the left side of their bodies more than the right one.
Then, the muscles on the left side are overused, while the muscles on the right side are underused and underdeveloped. Apart from this, there are many more sources of lower back pain on the left side:
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Sciatica
This is one of the most common causes of lower back pain on the left side. Sciatica is a condition where the sciatic nerve (the nerve that goes from your spine, lower back, and all the way down to your feet) is irritated or pressured from something.
If you suffer from sciatica, typically you will feel pain only on one side of your lower back, along with buttock and leg pain on the same side, which in your case can be the left side.
Kidney infection/stones
In this case, the lower back pains, right side, are not caused by a musculoskeletal condition. Kidneys are found near the spine, one on each side of the spine (left and right).
If you have some problems with your kidneys, such as a kidney infection or maybe kidney stones, this can be the cause of the pains that you feel in the lower left back area.
You can recognize that you suffer from some of these kidney conditions if your lower left back pains are accompanied by other symptoms, such as urine blood, abdominal pain, pain when urinating, etc.
Ectopic Pregnancy
This is a condition that is far more serious than the previous ones. If you are a woman and you think that ectopic pregnancy might be what’s happening to you, it is extremely important to seek medical help immediately.
Ectopic pregnancy is when a woman does not feel and experience any other symptoms of pregnancy. It is a pregnancy happening outside the uterus.
In this case, the baby can’t survive and it is a dangerous condition for the woman carrying the baby. Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy are lower back pains on the left side, pain in the abdomen, vaginal bleeding, feeling dizzy, etc.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
This can also be a cause for your left lower back pains. Other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are abdominal pain, chest pain, diarrhea, constipation, etc.
Herniated (slipped) Disc
This is a condition where a disc (that cushions the spine vertebrae) is herniated and the gel fluid from the center of it comes out.
You can feel lower back pains on the left side if the disc is located in the lower back area for example. If you have herniated disc, you are most likely to feel severe pain.
Other muscle/joint conditions
Apart from these above, there are other conditions that might cause lower back pain on the left side.
Most of them are musculoskeletal problems, such as: pulled or torn muscles or ligaments, bruises, spine misalignment and other traumas of the muscles and bones in the lower back area.
