Middle Left Back Pain: Causes & How to Get Relief

Key takeaways:

• Most back pain is due to a musculoskeletal issue.
• Sometimes, middle left back pain is due to something more serious.
• Call your doctor if your symptoms last longer than 24 hours.

Back pain is a common symptom. It is estimated that nearly 40% of Americans will suffer back pain in any three-month period. Up to 84% of adults in the world will experience back pain at one point in their lives. This is a frustrating and often activity-limiting experience.

Many times, back pain is due to a mechanical cause. This means the pain comes from the muscles, bones, or other soft tissue in our back. Often, the problem is related to sprains, strains, or even arthritis.

Middle left back pain defined

Middle left back pain is pain in the middle of the back that occurs on the left side. It may radiate (“shoot”) to other parts of the back or body.

Health risks associated with middle left back pain

Back pain is more commonly experienced by obese, smoking, and unfit patients. These stress the back's muscles, bones, and joints. This increases the chance of conditions such as muscle spasms or strain, arthritis, disk disease, and others.

Symptoms associated with middle left back pain

Usually, back pain presents by itself. Sometimes, other symptoms are present. These usually indicate something beyond a simple sprain or strain.

Chest pain

Chest pain associated with back pain can be a sign of something serious. Heart attacks or blood vessel problems often cause chest pain and sometimes also back pain. If you are experiencing chest pain with back pain, seek medical attention now.

Rash

Burning back pain accompanied by a rash can indicate shingles. This condition is discussed further below.

Painful urination or bloody urine

If you are experiencing middle left back pain and bloody or painful urination, you may have a kidney stone.

Another possibility is a kidney infection. This is known as pyelonephritis. This develops as the infection spreads up the urinary tract.

Causes of middle left back pain

More often than not, back pain is musculoskeletal or mechanical in origin. There are times when there are more serious explanations.

Musculoskeletal

The list of musculoskeletal causes of back pain is long. It includes muscle strain or spasms, disk herniation, arthritis, osteoporosis, and spondylolisthesis. Sometimes, there is a preceding injury or traumatic event. This includes trying to lift heavy objects or repeated motions involving the upper back.

The treatment for musculoskeletal back pain depends on the cause. It usually requires rest, heat, and, at times, over-the-counter medication. Your doctor may also recommend stretches or prescribe physical therapy.

Aortic dissection

The aorta is a large vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When the wall of this vessel is torn, it’s known as aortic dissection. This leads to severe, tearing chest pain in many patients. It may also lead to weakness or numbness in the arms or legs. In some cases, aortic dissection leads to sudden-onset, severe back pain. Fortunately, this is a rare cause of back pain.

Shingles

Shingles is caused by a virus that lives in the cells of your spinal cord. If you had chickenpox as a child, the virus can hide in your spinal cord. When the virus is active, a rash spreads from the middle of the back to the front of your body. This usually affects one side at a time.

Kidney stones

Kidney stones are small stones that form inside the urinary tract. They develop when salt and water are out of balance, build up in our urine, and harden. Symptoms of kidney stones include back pain, blood in the urine, nausea and vomiting, and painful urination. If there is a stone present in the left kidney, this leads to left-sided middle (or sometimes lower) back pain.

Pyelonephritis

In pyelonephritis, the kidneys are inflamed. Because of their location, kidney inflammation frequently causes back pain. This is mostly felt on the side of the affected kidney. Other symptoms of pyelonephritis include painful urination, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

Other causes of middle left back pain based on another symptom or situation

If you have other symptoms accompanying burning upper back pain, this helps guide doctors to the diagnosis.

Intense or severe middle left back pain

The intensity or severity of back pain can point to the severity of the injury sustained. Because pain tolerance is different from patient to patient, it can be difficult to use severity as a guide for what the problem is.

Sharp or stabbing middle left back pain

Stabbing or even tearing back pain can be a sign of aortic dissection, which is discussed above.

Burning middle left back pain

Burning middle left back pain is a symptom of shingles, also discussed above.

Middle left back pain when breathing or inhaling

If you are experiencing back pain while breathing it may be due to inflamed cartilage in your ribs. You may also have a rib fracture. This is more likely if you have recently experienced physical trauma.

Middle left back pain during a pregnancy

Back pain during pregnancy can be due to normal changes in pregnancy. Please call your doctor if you are pregnant and experiencing middle left back pain.

Middle left back pain in females

Females are at greater risk of urinary tract infection (UTI). UTI can lead to pyelonephritis. Pyelonephritis is kidney inflammation that leads to one-sided back pain.

Middle left back pain in males

Men are at higher risk of developing kidney stones and aortic dissection.

How to get short-term relief from middle left back pain

If you are experiencing middle left back pain, there are some simple remedies you can try. If there is no improvement after 24 hours, or if you have other symptoms, see your doctor.

Avoiding triggers

Back pain is most frequently caused by overuse or repetitive movement and muscle strain/spasm. Therefore, it is important to avoid the motion or movement that triggers the pain.

Heat or ice

Heat or ice is helpful for pain due to musculoskeletal injury. One is not necessarily better than the other. Use an ice pack or a heating pad over the painful area. Do it for no longer than 20 minutes at a time. If you are using heat, don't apply the pad to your bare skin. This can lead to burns.

Over-the-counter medication

Over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are helpful for back pain. Start with a low dose first. You can always increase it later. A good starting dose for acetaminophen is 325 mg every 6 hours. For ibuprofen, start with 200 mg every 6 hours. Take no more than 2000 mg of acetaminophen in 24 hours. Do not take more than 2400 mg of ibuprofen in 24 hours unless directed by a doctor.

If you have a history of stomach ulcers or kidney problems, avoid ibuprofen.

How to prevent middle left back pain

Preventing upper back pain is the best treatment of all.

Stretching

Stretches for middle left back pain are helpful. Regular stretching prevents strain on the muscles, bones, and joints of your back.

Healthy habits

Smoking cessation and living at a healthy weight are key preventative measures. Tobacco and excess weight strain the muscles and bones of your back.

Lifting safety

If you need to move or lift heavy objects be sure to use safe lifting practices. These are available on websites such as OSHA.com.

When you should see a doctor about middle left back pain

If you have burning upper back pain, please call your doctor. They may want to see you immediately or may advise treatment at home.

You should see a doctor if:

• Your symptoms last longer than 24 hours.
• You have a rash associated with the pain.
• Your pain is severe and limits your ability to complete daily activities.
• You have bloody urine or painful urination.

You should go to the emergency room if:

• You are experiencing chest pain.
• You feel numbness or weakness in your arms or legs.
• You have nausea or vomiting.
• You have a fever or chills.

Questions to ask your doctor about middle left back pain

• What is causing this?
• When should it get better?
• Is there anything I can do to prevent it?

How a doctor may help treat middle left back pain

Your doctor may make several recommendations for treating your back pain.

Pain medication

Over-the-counter medications may not be strong enough for your pain. Your doctor may prescribe something stronger. Take it as prescribed and only as long as needed.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy may be prescribed to you. This is so that you can strengthen the musculoskeletal system around your back to prevent future injury.

Frequently asked questions: middle left back pain

It is normal to have questions. Please ask until you understand your condition.

What types of doctors or specialists should you see for middle left back pain?

Physical therapists may assist with preventive exercises that will strengthen your back muscles. A urologist may need to treat you for kidney stones or pyelonephritis.

How long should middle left back pain last before you see a doctor?

If after 24 hours you are not feeling better despite trying home remedies, call your doctor.

What organs or muscles can cause middle left back pain?

If not functioning properly, the kidneys, ureters, heart, aorta, and paraspinous muscles can all cause back pain.

Managing middle left back pain

Middle left back pain is a painful and frustrating symptom. Thankfully the causes are usually not serious and symptoms should subside within a few days.

General Medicine follows a strict editorial process, including using real experts to write our articles, vetted primary sources, fact-checking, a secondary medical review, and updates as necessary. This article was medically reviewed and fact checked by Dr. Lane Thaut, DO.

Sources

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Nair, Pragya A., and Bhupendra C. Patel. “Herpes Zoster (Shingles).” PubMed, StatPearls Publishing, 4 Sept. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441824/.

‌Leslie, Stephen W, et al. “Renal Calculi.” Nih.gov, StatPearls Publishing, 20 Apr. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK442014/.

Belyayeva, Mariya , and Jordan M Jeong. “Acute Pyelonephritis.” National Library of Medicine , StatPearls Publishing, 28 Feb. 2024, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519537/.

Levy, David, and Jacqueline K. Le. “Aortic Dissection.” PubMed, StatPearls Publishing, 23 Apr. 2023, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441963/.