Pain on the right side of the back

When a person inhales air, a large number of nerves and muscles are involved in this process. But if you experience back pain when you inhale, then you can safely talk about the development of any diseases - not only the spine, but also the internal organs. By the way, this symptom is often observed in women during pregnancy.

Back pain when inhaling

In addition, pain during breathing may indicate pneumonia or pleurisy . Under the influence of mechanical friction, the pleura begins to hurt. Painful sensations can also “come” from other parts of the body - for example, from an inflamed appendix, a sore stomach, etc.

On a note! Pain is often caused by the development of lung cancer.

Back pain when breathing

Overview of Possible Causes

Let's get acquainted with the main reasons why such pain occurs.

No1. Pathologies of organs located in the abdominal cavity

Usually pain is associated with an acute inflammatory process (appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, peritonitis, etc.). Specific symptoms of diseases may vary, but pain radiating to the back is always present. And when inhaled it intensifies.

Inflamed appendix

As for the nature of the pain, with appendicitis it is acute and intensifies during coughing, movements, or when a person lies on his left side. Intestinal obstruction is accompanied by cramping pain that occurs periodically at approximately the same time intervals. An attack of cholecystitis can also provoke intense pain.

Table. Localization of pain depending on the disease.

Acute peritonitis

If we talk about treatment, then, as a rule, this is done by a surgeon. But first, the following diagnostic procedures are carried out:

• urine/blood test;
• Ultrasound;
• palpation of the abdominal cavity;
• radiograph.

Palpation of the abdomen

The course of treatment, depending on the specific disease, may include taking antibiotic and antispastic drugs, a special diet (fatty and spicy foods, spices are excluded from the diet), the use of antihistamines, and also, in severe cases, surgery.

No2. Respiratory diseases

They can also be one of the causes of pain when inhaling (it’s all about the same mechanical friction of the pleura). With dry pleurisy, the pain is more pronounced than with wet pleurisy. Factors that provoke pleurisy may be:

Possible reasons

In fact, there are many reasons why your back hurts when you inhale. It is difficult to make a diagnosis on your own or using the Internet, so if unpleasant symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately consult a specialist. In addition, it is worth paying close attention to where exactly the pain is localized: on the right or left, in which area of ​​the body (chest, lower back), etc.

Most often, back pain when inhaling air occurs as a result of disruption of the following organ systems:

• musculoskeletal;
• respiratory;
• digestive.

Much less often, pain appears with various foci of inflammation of neighboring tissues.

Myositis

A group of diseases that is accompanied by damage to skeletal muscles. Myositis is caused by viral, bacterial and fungal infections of the body. Systemic autoimmune pathologies, injuries, hypothermia, muscle cramps and significant physical activity also cause various forms of the disease. In people of certain professions (programmers, truck drivers, massage therapists, etc.), muscle inflammation may appear as a result of the fact that for a long time they were in an uncomfortable position in a state of constant stress.

Symptoms of damage to the back muscles include pain in a specific area, which intensifies with deep inspiration, movement, or palpation. Very often there is an unpleasant sensation between the shoulder blades. In addition to pain, there is a slight increase in body temperature, migraine and leukocytosis in the blood, muscle weakness and possibly a slight limitation of movements.

Pleurisy

Inflammation of the serous membrane of the lungs. There are two forms of pleurisy: exudative (accumulation of effusion in the pleural cavity) and dry (fibrinous). Typically, pleurisy is not an independent disease, but is a consequence of lung disease. There are infectious and non-infectious causes of pleural damage. These include: viruses, bacteria, fungi, trauma and breast surgery, malignant neoplasms, systemic autoimmune diseases, heart attacks and others.

The reason why back pain occurs when inhaling is precisely dry pleurisy. Other symptoms of the pathology are shallow breathing, sweating, severe weakness, and initially a slight increase in temperature, which can reach high numbers and cause chills.

Pneumonia

A disease characterized by inflammation of the lung tissue. The cause of pneumonia is almost always pneumococcus or Haemophilus influenzae, less often chlamydia, viruses, fungal infection and mycoplasma. Provoking factors can be considered: weakened immunity, frequent acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections, alcohol abuse and smoking, chronic diseases, in particular, coronary heart disease, pyelonephritis and heart failure.

Pneumonia is very difficult to recognize at the initial stage of development. Its symptoms appear rarely or are mild. The main sign of a serious illness is a dry cough and chest pain. Depending on which lung is damaged, pain may occur on the right or left side. Then shortness of breath, high body temperature, severe weakness and increased fatigue, cyanosis, and migraine may occur.

Osteochondrosis

A pathological condition that is associated with damage to the tissues of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, leading to decreased elasticity and deformation. Most often, osteochondrosis occurs in the cervical and lumbar spine, where there is pain in the lower back and chest, which intensifies with a sigh. The cause of the disease is vascular, hormonal, genetic, allergic, infectious, mechanical and other diseases.

The predisposing factor is the constant load on the spinal column, in particular the intervertebral discs. This tension appears when you have incorrect posture, lifting heavy objects, or staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time. Due to sharp pain when nerves are pinched, a person takes a forced position. If the pathology affects the thoracic region, the patient experiences discomfort even when breathing, as a result of which the frequency of respiratory movements increases and the breathing itself becomes shallow.

Intercostal neuralgia

A condition associated with irritation or pinched nerves between the ribs. Pinched nerve roots can occur as a result of osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia, kyphosis, spondylitis and others. In addition, muscle contraction can occur due to injuries, excessive physical activity, severe psycho-emotional stress, some other pathologies (diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, gastrointestinal diseases) that cause a lack of B vitamins, alcoholic polyneuropathy, etc.

The main clinical manifestation is severe shooting or throbbing pain, sometimes radiating into the arm, making it difficult to breathe. Between paroxysms, patients experience paresthesia - a tickling sensation or goosebumps.

Usually one left or right side is affected by pinching, but there are cases of bilateral neuralgia

Pregnancy

The condition is not pathological, but during this period severe back pain often occurs, which intensifies when inhaling. This is due to the fact that the uterus begins to actively grow and put pressure on nearby organs and tissues, the center of gravity shifts and the woman’s body weight increases. Many expectant mothers endure unpleasant symptoms without taking any measures to eliminate them.

Subsequently, against this background, disruption of normal sleep, insomnia appears, stress develops, and a depressive state develops. To alleviate these manifestations, you should consult a doctor and start doing special gymnasts, swimming, etc.

Why does sharp pain appear when taking a deep breath?

Here is a list of the main diseases in which the pain becomes especially sharp and severe during inhalation:

• pneumonia;
• severe myositis;
• pathologies of internal organs;
• spinal damage due to trauma;
• benign/malignant neoplasms;
• osteochondrosis.

Causes of sharp pain when taking a deep breath

Back pain when inhaling

General information

Back pain with inspiration or other breathing movements usually points to the pleural spine as a possible source of pain, although back pain with inspiration is also likely to be influenced by respiratory movements. Pay special attention to this problem, as it may be associated with the development of quite serious diseases.

Causes of back pain when inhaling

Back pain when coughing and inhaling occurs due to inflammation of the membrane lining the inside of the chest cavity and covering the lungs. Dry pleurisy can occur with various diseases, but most often with pneumonia. Pain during dry pleurisy decreases when lying on the affected side.

You may be interested in: Back pain during pregnancy Back pain on the left

In addition, there is a noticeable limitation in the respiratory mobility of the corresponding half of the chest; with unchanged percussion sound, weakened breathing may be heard due to the patient sparing the affected side, and pleural friction noise. The body temperature is often subfebrile, the following symptoms :

• Chills;
• night sweats;
• weakness.

With intercostal neuralgia, quite acute back pain occurs along the intercostal space, which sharply intensifies when coughing and inhaling.

Back pain when inhaling may also indicate the presence of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. Main symptoms: pain in the back, neck, lower back, muscle spasms; headache; numbness of the limbs, goosebumps; feeling of coldness in the extremities.

Thoracic osteochondrosis and radiculitis is one of the rare forms of diseases that occurs as a result of a viral infection, such as herpes zoster. This type of disease causes a feeling of pain and discomfort in the chest and back, which intensifies with inspiration and inhalation. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region often causes numbness in the left arm.

In case of lung cancer, the nature of back pain is different: sharp, stabbing, encircling, intensifying with inhalation, coughing, breathing. The pain can cover a certain area or half of the chest; it can radiate to the arms, neck, and abdomen. The pain becomes especially intense and excruciating when the tumor grows into the ribs and spine.

Treatment

If you observe the above symptoms for back pain, you should seek help from a therapist . A neurologist or family doctor can also help .

Only a professional has the right to make a diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment. The following procedures may be prescribed to patients as complex therapy:

• acupuncture;
• vacuum therapy;
• gentle method of manual therapy (post-isometric relaxation);
• laser therapy;
• pharmacopuncture;
• dry traction;
• magnetopuncture;
• electrical stimulation.

The course of treatment for a disease, the symptom of which is back pain when inhaling, averages 10-15 sessions. In order to eliminate acute pain, you need to attend 1 to 3 sessions.

For a favorable result in the treatment of acute back pain, sessions must be performed daily, which will give the patient the opportunity to return to a normal way of life as quickly as possible. Sessions in the future can be carried out at intervals of 1-2 days in order to eliminate the likelihood of residual effects. It is necessary to start treatment as early as possible.

When is immediate medical help required?

1. The pain is very severe; in addition, the patient suffers from shortness of breath, fever, and cough.
2. Pain that is localized in the area of ​​the appendix, lungs or stomach radiates to the back.
3. The pain is constant, it does not go away and intensifies during movements.

When you need a doctor's help

If you want to learn in more detail how to treat back pain when coughing, and also consider alternative treatment methods, you can read an article about this on our portal.

Prevention

Everyone knows that preventing a disease is much easier than treating it later. That is why it is worth adhering to simple rules that will protect a person from the development of various pathologies: lead a healthy lifestyle, follow a diet and eat right, do not overload the spine with intense physical exercise, but engage in light sports, such as swimming.

Sleep should be on a medium-hard mattress, and a small pillow under your head. It is important to distribute the weight between two arms at the same time, to fully treat all existing diseases - precursors of back pain. Strengthening the immune system and hardening is also considered important.

Tips for emergency pain relief. First aid

1. First you need to go to bed. It is important that the sleeping place is equipped with a firm mattress. The position should be such that pain is minimal.
2. You can apply a cold compress to the injured area to relieve pain. This will reduce inflammation.
3. You can gently massage your back using an ice bag.

   
   Ice bag

4. Sometimes the use of warming ointments (for example, made from snake or bee venom) is allowed.
5. Finally, you can give the patient two tablets of No-Shpa or another painkiller. Swelling can be eliminated with diuretic tea or a diuretic - this will reduce compression of the nerves.

"No-Shpa"

Summing up

If you cannot breathe freely due to back pain, then act immediately - do not delay visiting a doctor! This symptom may indicate the development of a number of dangerous diseases, and therefore the time during which you try to eliminate the pain yourself and use traditional medicine will be wasted. It’s better to see a doctor - he will rule out cancer and pneumonia, determine the cause of the symptom and prescribe adequate treatment.