The appearance of painful sensations in the body indicates some health problems associated with various reasons. At the same time, the localization of pain can already tell a lot. For example, if the lower back hurts on the right side at the bottom, this often indicates diseases of the kidneys, pancreas and other internal organs or problems with the musculoskeletal system. It is unreasonable to leave such pain unattended. A timely visit to a neurologist
will help you avoid more serious problems and serious, expensive treatment.
Reasons why the lower back hurts on the right
Back pain (in the lower back or higher) can have a wide variety of causes. If you try to list all the options, you will get a whole book with a huge table of contents - from abruptly getting up from a chair or sofa, from simple fatigue and overwork as a result of sports activities to serious problems with internal organs. Only a specialist can find out the cause and make an accurate diagnosis followed by well-chosen treatment. The main causes of lumbar pain syndrome include the factors listed below.
Muscle inflammation
Pain often occurs due to overexertion, after playing sports and excessive physical activity, as well as as a result of sudden movements or lifting unbearable weights. Typically, lower back pain goes away within a few days and does not require serious medical intervention. But you should consult a doctor about painkillers and ointments. If your back hurts in the lumbar region on the right, you need to see a doctor.
Osteochondrosis and sciatica
The most common cause is called osteochondrosis, which causes pain after sudden and intense movements, as well as when coughing, laughing or sneezing. Depending on your overall health, the pain may spread to your hips and buttocks. Sometimes the pain completely immobilizes a person for some time.
Spinal hernia
With a hernia, as a rule, a person feels a dull aching pain that appears due to pinching and which radiates to the legs and buttocks. Other problems with the spine also cause pain in the lumbar region: joint diseases, stenosis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc.
Age problems
The main cause of lower back pain in older people is problems with the spine and associated age-related changes (deterioration of bones, joints, ligaments, old injuries, etc.). Changes can be of a very different nature and be associated with any of the existing problems.
Kidney and liver diseases
Pain in the lower back on the right may indicate kidney infections and the presence of stones, which is usually accompanied by fever, nausea or vomiting, and difficulty urinating. If there is pain on the right because of the liver, then this can be caused by hepatitis, cirrhosis, or complete cessation of liver function.
Little preventative tricks
In addition to exercise therapy and orthopedic mattresses, pain caused by problems with the spine or surrounding tissues in the right and left side at the level, behind, below or above the lower back can be successfully and long-term prevented by simple methods that should become a habit for the patient.
The first important point: if you are overweight, lose weight. The lighter the weight, the easier the work of the muscles that hold our body upright. This means that it is easier for them to relax, they do not experience overload.
The second is the muscular frame. It doesn’t matter where you will flex your back and abdominal muscles; it could be a fitness room, or maybe a physical therapy room. But if the pain is severe, it is still better to start with medical gymnastics, especially if problems are detected on the MRI.
The third is anatomically correct position during the day. The less you stand, bent or crouched, during the day, the less your lower back will hurt, and this reason is more common in women than in men: standard kitchen furniture is designed for very short housewives, while the rest have to strain their back muscles.
And finally, a life hack. If your lower back begins to give signals that it cannot cope with the load, make it easier. Sit correctly (body perpendicular to the floor and parallel to the shins, thighs parallel to the floor). If you can’t sit down exactly like this, then you don’t have the most comfortable furniture, and you’ll have to stand up. Now play with your abdominal muscles. They should provide additional support for the body. You will feel how the load on your lower back has been relieved. Now hold this position continuously. After a couple of days it will become familiar and will not require control.
Lower right lower back pain
This localization of pain occurs due to the appearance of tumors or after injury. Discomfort can occur even as a result of intense physical activity (sports or physical labor). In women and men, pain in this area may indicate problems in gynecology (inflammation, ectopic pregnancy, oncology) and urology. If the lower back hurts on the right back and below, this is considered relatively normal only in late pregnancy, when the fetus is located close to the back wall of the uterus and puts pressure on the sacrum of the expectant mother.
Prevention methods
The most effective prevention measure is regular physical activity. Morning exercises and breaks for walks during the day are required, especially when working sedentarily.
Eating a healthy diet with adequate calcium and taking preventative vitamin D will help maintain normal bone density.
All these measures turn out to be very effective in preventing diseases of the musculoskeletal system, preventing them, as well as treating the back and spine.
Upper right lower back pain
If you have back pain above the lower back on the right, then most likely they arise due to a disruption in the normal functioning of the internal organs - both the gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary system. With such localization of pain, it is customary to first assume gallbladder disease, kidney stones
or radiculitis. However, pain is not the only indicator. Each specific case has its own accompanying symptoms.
We are looking for the culprit
Making a diagnosis of pain above the lower back on the right in men and women requires a detailed examination of the patient: it may signal problems with the urinary, digestive or (in women) reproductive systems. They meet often. Therefore, it is necessary to begin treatment with a visit to the therapist.
The results of the examination will help the doctor with a high probability to exclude these conditions, but now it is customary to prove diagnoses. Therefore, your doctor will order blood and urine tests, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound, to look for conditions that cannot be seen in other ways. Based on the results of the examination, the doctor will prescribe medications. They will alleviate a person’s condition without harming him. But it’s too early to talk about serious treatment.
When internal diseases are excluded, we begin to diagnose back diseases. To do this, the patient is prescribed an x-ray of the lumbar region in two projections and an appointment with a neurologist. He decides whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is necessary or whether there is enough data to begin treatment. An option is possible when therapy begins with methods that are harmless to the patient, regardless of the MRI results. It is often impossible to make an appointment for this procedure in the next few days, and it is impossible to force the patient to suffer while his turn approaches.
Classification of pain syndrome
Right lower back pain can be classified according to different parameters. One of them is the nature of pain:
- aching pain may indicate osteomyelitis;
- nagging pain – due to gynecological diseases (in women) or prostate problems (in men);
- dull, aching, constant nagging pain that appears at night or after prolonged sitting is often a chronic pathology;
- sharp, cutting, severe pain is a sign of lumbago (the discomfort intensifies after bending over, during hypothermia, or even after taking a shower).
The nature of pain in the lumbar region on the right or left can be temporary or permanent. In any case, it is unpleasant and should not be tolerated. And if the right side or back right in the lumbar region hurts for a long time and with a certain frequency, then you certainly should not ignore the problem. It can be caused by any type and complexity of pathology.
Treatment
Discomfort in the lower back does not occur for no apparent reason. Particular attention is paid to the diagnostic procedure, which allows you to detect this problem and prescribe the correct treatment. Some causes cannot be treated even after two weeks. Each disease requires its own approach and treatment methods, but in most cases complex therapy is used.
For minor pain and complications, such as pregnancy or menstruation, it is allowed to use traditional methods of treatment. After diagnosis and determination of the disease, with the permission of the doctor, you can use traditional medicine painkillers. It makes no difference which side the lower back hurts, right or left; the use of painkillers is allowed in all cases.
Here are a few recipes that will help you get rid of annoying pain and finally focus on your business:
- A tincture of elecampane root helps a lot for pain in the lower back. To make a tincture, you need to take about five grams of roots and place it in boiling water. You should drink one tablespoon several times a day;
- A similar tincture, but based on horsetail, is also good for relieving pain. To do this, you need to take no more than twenty grams of roots and put them in boiling water. You need to drink 40–50 milliliters about once an hour;
- You can also take about 35 grams of celery roots and place them in a glass of plain water. All this should brew well. After a few hours, start taking the tincture, drinking a small glass twice a day;
- You can make a tincture of dried raspberry leaves. For 70 grams of leaves, two glasses of boiling water are enough. It is recommended to drink the tincture twice an hour for several days.
Herbal infusions are well suited for pregnant women and girls during menstruation. They do not harm the body and safely affect nerve endings.
Which doctor should I contact?
If you experience pain in the lower back, it is recommended to consult a doctor as soon as possible. You should not self-medicate, since the cause may be one or more diseases, and only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis, as well as offer a competent and effective treatment plan. If you do not have chronic diseases and do not know about the possible causes of pain, then first you should consult a therapist
, who will give recommendations and refer you to other doctors:
gynecologist
,
urologist
,
neurologist
, etc.
Medication
If the cause of lower back pain in a man is osteochondrosis, then NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, chondroprotectors, B vitamins, antispasmodics, local anesthetics and vascular agents are prescribed. For inflammatory infectious processes, the basis of therapy will be antimicrobial drugs.
Pills
For “tolerable” pain, treatment always begins with taking NSAIDs in tablet form. The course should not exceed 5-7 days.
Injections
Injections into a muscle or vein are given for severe lower back pain. If they do not produce results, and the man continues to suffer with proven spinal pathology, injections into trigger points and blockades are indicated.
Ointments
Local anti-inflammatory drugs are recognized as indispensable aids for low-back pain of mild to moderate intensity. Men can combine them with other forms of drugs.
Plasters
If men experience periodic lower back pain, special patches may be the best option. They are easy to use, have fewer side effects and provide a stable concentration of the active component in the pathological focus.
Other pathologies
As noted earlier, the lower back has muscles arranged in a large number of layers. Most often they are affected by inflammation. Almost always this is accompanied by nagging unpleasant sensations and they appear only after physical exertion on the lower back. The disease also causes an increase in body temperature.
Inflammation is usually caused by two things:
- hypothermia of the body;
- infections.
Important! There are also cases when the provoking factors are injuries, intestinal infections, metabolic disorders, and radiculitis.
The retroperitoneal space is located in the lumbar region. It is already clear from the name that it is located behind the membrane of the peritoneum. The following organs are located in this location:
- adrenal glands;
- kidneys;
- initial sections of the ureters.
It is important to note that the organs themselves cannot hurt. It is completely different if the renal pelvis is inflamed - especially if this process has become chronic. This kind of disease is called “pyelonephritis”. It is characterized by dull pain, similar to the primary symptoms of radiculitis.
Pyelonephritis is one of the diseases of the internal organs, which creates conditions for the development of throbbing pain in the lumbar region
An aggravated form of pyelonephritis, urolithiasis (with the condition that the renal pelvis is blocked by a stone) - these diseases cause very severe and unpleasant pain. In case of kidney disease, in addition to it, the following symptoms are observed:
- vomiting and the reflex that occurs with it;
- nausea;
- frequent urination.
Important! The third symptom on this list is characterized by an inflamed bladder. In addition, conditions arise for body temperature to rise up to 39 degrees.
When women experience pain in this area, they should think about visiting the hospital, since this symptom is quite a hint of a disease in the field of gynecology. Among them, inflammation of the uterus and appendages (ovaries and fallopian tubes) most often occurs. Ectopic pregnancy in most cases occurs in an acute form. As a rule, a sick woman requires immediate surgical intervention by specialists.
The regular occurrence of severe lower back pain along with exhaustion should not be ignored - they make you think, since they are the first sign of the presence of cancer.
A neoplasm in the spine or internal organs (kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and in the case of the fair sex - the uterus and ovaries) in combination with other symptoms occurs along with unpleasant sensations in the lower back in the form of pain.
Providing first aid
The main thing is to ensure the patient’s peace. If the spine is damaged or injury is suspected, it is strictly forbidden to move the victim. Such actions can only aggravate the condition and even lead to paralysis. If there are no injuries or other damage, place the patient on a flat, hard surface (floor, table, etc.). If he is able to swallow, he needs to take a tablet: “Ketorol”, “Ketanov”, “Spazgan” or “Spazmalgon”.
If the pain is not severe and occurs infrequently, an ointment based on diclofenac is used. In addition, you can attend massage courses, undergo physiotherapy and exercise therapy. The methods used to treat back pain should be discussed with a medical specialist. With the initial symptoms of chronic pathologies, it is necessary to take preventive measures. For example, do gymnastics to strengthen the back muscles, adhere to a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition, avoid hypothermia, follow the rules for lifting various weights.
People who spend a lot of time in a sitting position often complain of lumbar pain.
Often patients who lead a sedentary lifestyle complain of such pain - for example, all their work takes place in the office behind a computer monitor. In order to prevent them, a person must take care of his health initially, and not engage in treatment when a particular ailment occurs. The secret to a long and healthy life is more activity and natural foods in your daily diet.