This Pain Map Could Help Reveal Exactly Why Your Stomach is Hurting

Enlarged Spleen (Upper Left Abdomen)

The spleen produces white blood cells that remove dangerous foreign materials like bacteria and dead cells from the body. An enlarged spleen can cause pain and bloating just under your ribcage on the left side of the body. Pain from an enlarged spleen may extend all the way to the left shoulder. Although the condition is often harmless, it can be a sign of other serious health issues such as infections, injury, liver disease, some blood disorders, and certain cancers.

Treatments for enlarged spleen include treating the underlying infections and avoiding activities that increase the risk of further injuries, such as contact sports. In some cases, the spleen has to be surgically removed. If this happens, the liver takes over most of the spleens functions.