Mid left abdominal pain

[Scott84]

Hello, Thanks for reading

Around 5 weeks ago I started to notice a niggling pain on the far left side of my abdomen. Its about the height of my belly button and just on or under my lowest rib on that side , I put it down to a knock or a strain as I train mixed martial arts 5 nights a week and am kicked there occasionally and the training involves a lot of torquing from muscles in that area. After 2 weeks there came a point were I was wrestling and got caught on the tender part and had to go home from the gym, that night I had trouble sleeping due to the pain and breathing difficulty again from pain when i took a deep breath.

I went to see the Dr the next day and he did a quick examination and sent me to hospital with a suspected broken rib / punctured lung.

My chest x-ray was clear and the rib was not broken, they weren't sure what was causing me the pain and sent me home with pain killers and said if it gets worse come back.

It has got better but not to the extent where i could train again and it still hurts on sneezing/coughing. While standing there is no pain unless I bend to my right side I can touch my toes and twist my upper torso with no pain.

Lying down however is painful if I put weight on that side its also painful to touch but the pain is very localized and you can prod around the area with no pain but when you hit that one spot its a different story!

Strangely if I'm siting in the car and turn a right corner it hurts a lot as there is pressure  on the back of my ribs from the seat and that seems to set it off, its the same when I'm lying on my back and roll onto my left side because again theres pressure on the back of my ribs.

Its been 3 weeks now and its not showing signs of improving I'm not taking painkillers anymore as i want to be able to gage if its easing off.

I haven't a clue whats going and searched the internet for the symptoms and it seams to fit ACNES a trapped nerve, but the fact that I have no medical training means that I'm not counting on being right!


Thank you for reading hope you can help.

Kind regards

Scott

[Scott84]

Thank you very much in taking the time to read my post,

I live near the national football stadium and I hear they have an excellant private Physio deprtment, I'll check them out.

Torn/detatched  muscle could be a possibility due to the body mechanics involved during training.

no pain on when I extend backwards with lifted arms

I notice the pain mostly after ive been sitting or lying for a while, i could even do crunches the pain is very specific I suppose that would make the diagnosis for the physio easier

[boron]

In a trapped nerve, you'd feel pain in more extended area, and it would probably go with some skin tingling.

Can you make a deep breath without a pain, can you lift your hands without a pain?

If there was pneumothorax, you'd feel pain with every breath and move, and on different spots, like in scapula or shoulder.

Two thoughts:
1. hematoma - a blood collection, but this should improve in this time, I guess.
2. torn muscle, or muscle partly detached from the rib - this can't be found with x-ray

When you bend forward - no pain, but what when you extend backwards with lifted arms? If pain, this speaks for torn muscle. If it were a rib, you'd feel it on forward bending also, I'd say.

Not sure if ultrasound can find this. Maybe you can have a quick call to some sport doctor - they have experience with torn muscles.