Liver Pain

Liver pain can be caused by a wide variety of ailments. The pain is felt in the upper-right quadrant, usually underneath the rib cage. Liver pain location may vary slightly, and in some cases can be felt in conjunction with back pain. It can be sharp, but typically is felt as a dull ache. Liver pain and abdominal pain in general are sometimes confused with each other. For reference purposes on this site, all upper-right abdominal pain is considered as potential liver pain. A doctor or medical professional may be able to determine the difference between particular types of pain in the abdomen, and whether they are related to the liver itself.

Is It Really Liver Pain?

Liver pain is on the right side, mostly right under the rib cage, and up. There can be free fluid around the liver in the abdominal cavity which will produce pain in the right shoulder. It probably hurts to breathe in, or cough. Sometimes people describe the feeling as a swollen full feeling or cramping under the rib cage.
Liver pain symptoms are often dismissed because it is a general belief that organs don't hurt. If you are experiencing any of these sensations, don't give up, and don't think you are making it up. Liver Pain can be real. Rheumatologists, nephrologists, family practitioners, all have been known to dismiss liver pain as patient complainings.
Sometimes it feels like your liver just doesn't fit under your rib cage. One person described it as feeling like a brick was tucked under their right rib. Sometimes the feeling is connected to a pain in the back as well.
Pain caused from a swollen liver is not necessarily sharp. Most of the time 'liver pain' is just a dull ache. Sometimes the sensation is wrongly attributed to fibromyaliga.
The cause of Liver Pain may be more easily identified by identifying other symptoms, such as fatigue, itching, swollen testes, difficulties breathing, eating problems, or even shoulder pain.
There can be many reasons for liver pain. Blood and urine tests help to identify problems in the liver, but don't rule out the effects of barrage of pollutants and toxic substances in today's environment. While the liver was designed to detoxify and rid the body of foreign chemicals, it may not be equipped to handle the barrage of pollutants and toxic substances in today's environment. So, while you are checking for possible causes of the pain associated with the liver, it would be a good idea to check your body for chemical overload as well.
Individual reaction to toxic overload can vary greatly. The most common symptom associated with toxic overload is fatigue. Other symptoms include headache, muscle and joint pain, irritability, depression, mental confusion, gastrointestinal and/or cardiovascular irregularities, flu-like symptoms or allergicreactions including hives, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing and coughing which is not usually associated with liver pain, but can actually be the cause.

Causes Of Liver Pain Symptoms

There are various instances when you have felt a pain in your abdominal region, which has been different from the pain that you usually feel. Basically these are often pains caused in the liver, which can be dangerous and should not be ignored. There are instances when patients have been diagnosed with hepatitis and they expect to feel pain over the liver. There are many people with chronic hepatitis who don't experience abdominal pain or discomfort over the liver. There are also some people who do not actually experience pain but sense a vague fullness of the liver. But the patients who have been reporting these symptoms to the doctor are usually informed that the liver itself does not typically cause pain or discomfort. Any kind of abdominal pain and pain over the liver, which is also known as right upper quadrant pain, is due to liver disease that may have many causes. It should be kept in mind that this type of pain should not automatically be attributed to a liver disorder. Hence these pains should be investigated and the abdominal and right upper quadrant pain is rarely due to chronic liver disease. The area where the right upper quadrant pain occurs is usually due to the liver and takes place in the acute stages of liver disease. There are often instances of these pains taking place due to inflammation of the liver that lasts less than six months. This can also be due to a flare up of a chronic liver disease which leads to acute inflammation, irritation or even the distention of the liver's surface. It should be remembered that apart from these, the liver is rarely tender. Then there are also various other cause of these pains and this can be due to Gallstones, which are stones that form in the gallbladder. This is a pear-shaped organ below the liver and its main function is to store and concentrate bile. These stones can occur in individuals with liver diseases and those with cirrhosis are quite prone to it. There are also various other risk factors for gallstones and these include female gender, obesity, multiple pregnancies, rapid weight loss, etc. The typical pain from gallstones in the right upper quadrant results in discomfort. This usually lasts from a half hour to six hours and this pain is severe and always recurs. It should be kept in mind that this pain often radiates to the shoulder or back and thus leads to nausea and vomiting. Remember that the diagnosis of gallstones is typically through obtaining an abdominal sonogram and thus the people with symptomatic gallstones require surgical removal of the entire gallbladder, instead of just the gallstones, which is known as a cholecystectomy, and is performed using a laparoscope. But it should be remembered that liver pain is caused due to various kinds of health problems and it is best to consult a doctor to understand the symptoms and the causes of these pains. Any delay here could be fatal and can lead to additional liver problems for you including liver cancer.