Perhaps every person has experienced back pain, especially those over thirty-five years of age. This phenomenon is normal: over such a long time, the spine can “wear out”, so it is necessary to constantly maintain its health through physical exercise. But this does not always work out. And people have to deal with pain in different parts of the back - some suffer from the neck, others from the lower back. The localization of pain depends on lifestyle: for example, if you often have to carry heavy loads, the lumbar spine will most likely be injured. But sometimes there is pain in the back above the lower back on the sides. In this case, it is difficult to determine where it came from, what exactly hurts and how to get rid of it.
Back pain above the lower back on the sides
What is characterized by pain above the lower back on the sides?
Pain in this part of the spinal column can be of different types: sharp, stabbing or aching. Usually it does not constantly haunt a person, but occurs after a sudden movement has been made: turning or tilting. The pain may also intensify when lifting heavy objects or exercising.
After a sudden movement, the pain may intensify
Such symptoms occur when the spine is affected. But pain above the lower back can also be caused by other factors, for example, diseases of the internal organs, and in this case it may be accompanied by fever, vomiting and nausea, cough, general malaise, and increased blood pressure.
Often women in the third trimester of pregnancy encounter such sensations. By this time the fruit is already of impressive size, so there is a significant load on the lower back.
Back pain during pregnancy
Pain above the lower back on the sides usually does not have a clear localization, since it can be referred. The reason itself may lie in other parts of the body.
Pain can be caused by completely different reasons, so it is very important to make an accurate diagnosis right away. A thorough diagnosis is necessary. In this case, you cannot self-medicate: a person will not be able to correctly determine the cause of pain on his own.
If the pain becomes regular, you should consult a doctor.
Symptom of discopathy
Intervertebral disc disease, commonly known as disc disease, is the most common source of lower back pain on the upper sides.
The discs consist of hard pulmonary nuclei and surrounding elastic rings. They are located between the vertebrae, and their function is to distribute and absorb the loads to which the spine is subjected. Beginning in adolescence, disc degeneration, called discopathy, progresses with age. When we overload the spine, the rings can rupture and the nuclei of the disc pulps are pushed back or fall out (disc prolapse), causing extreme pain. In this case, treatment of the back and spine, as well as joints, is mandatory.
A prolapsed disc causes sudden, severe pain that usually goes away when you lie down. The patient also involuntarily tilts in the opposite direction of the displaced disc, which slightly reduces discomfort - that is, when the disc falls to the right, the patient tilts to the left.
Unilateral pain in the lumbar region (in the back on the right or left) can be caused by diseases of the urinary system, especially kidney stones. Manifestations of renal colic can be:
- irradiation of pain to the groin, labia or testicles, inner thigh;
- nausea, vomiting;
- urge to urinate;
- frequent urination in small quantities;
- hematuria (sometimes).
When a urinary tract infection (nephritis) occurs after a kidney stone, fever and chills are added. There is a Goldflam symptom, that is, pain in the kidney area on the side of colic. Pain in the side and right side of the back can also be caused by enlarged cysts in the right kidney and kidney tumors.
Pain above the lower back as a symptom of disease
Pain in this area can be of the following types:
- protopathic. These are aching and nagging pains. They do not have a clear localization. It is incredibly difficult for a person to get used to them, because they do not retreat and pursue him constantly;
- epicritic. Such pains bother a person from time to time. However, they have a stronger expression: burning, sharp and cutting. Patients often try to get used to such pain by taking a comfortable position.
The first type of pain can occur with diseases related to the heart and digestive tract. It is often felt by patients suffering from diseases of the kidneys or pelvic organs. Women during pregnancy may also experience pain of this nature.
Aching and nagging pains are observed in diseases of the kidneys and other internal organs
Osteochondrosis, radiculitis, spinal cancer, tuberculosis or inflammation of the muscles located along the spine lead to a condition in which the patient experiences pain of an epicritic nature. If a person has recently suffered an injury to the musculoskeletal system, then he also experiences pain.
Burning pain is possible with osteochondrosis and after spinal injuries
Pain above the lower back usually occurs in those people who do hard work: for example, loaders, railway workers, factory workers. Athletes who train regularly and intensely may also encounter them. And even office workers, whose lifestyle is often inactive, also often suffer from pain above the lower back. This is due to the fact that they have to sit for a long time. Because of this, there is a strong load on the spine.
Possible causes of pain
Most often they are quite banal. So, usually the lower back hurts as a result of the following reasons:
- Prolonged hypothermia. An unpleasant feeling of cold in the back area is usually noticed immediately, and appropriate measures are taken (wear warmer clothes). But sometimes such hypothermia lasts longer than a few minutes. This happens during sleep, especially if a person sleeps in a draft.
- Staying on one side for a long time, especially on a hard surface. Some people have experienced for themselves how much their back and sides hurt if they spend the night not in a warm soft crib, but on a hard surface. It doesn’t matter that such a dream will last only a couple of hours. This is quite enough for a person to feel overwhelmed instead of relieving fatigue.
- Carrying a heavy bag in one hand for a long time. This simple habit only seems like a common inconvenience at first. Subsequently, it will cause pain that will take longer and longer. When poor posture becomes more common, pain will appear on its own, and the curvature of the spinal column will have to be treated.
In all these cases, pain appears from time to time, that is, episodically. When the provoking factor is eliminated, the person feels good again. You can help yourself quickly eliminate unpleasant sensations using the following methods: massage, therapeutic exercises, belts made of sheep or dog wool, rubbing with warming ointments.
But there are also more serious causes of pain in the lower back. Conventionally, they are divided into the following groups:
- spine pathologies;
- kidney pathologies;
- disorders of the digestive tract;
- pathologies of the respiratory system;
- cardiovascular diseases;
- infections;
- injuries.
Spine pathologies
The mechanism of development of diseases in this area may be different. The most common diagnosis is irritation of the nerve roots extending from the spinal cord. This is accompanied by severe pain, which can be localized not only in the area of these nerve endings, but also much further. There is strong tension in the ligamentous apparatus and spasm of muscle fibers, which only aggravates the situation.
Thus, the following neurological changes may be observed:
- changes in reflexes and reactions;
- burning, tingling or numbness in certain areas of the back;
- noticeable decrease in muscle strength and power;
- decreased sensitivity.
Most likely, changes in reflexes have been observed in a person for a long time, and only the appearance of pain forces many to finally turn to a specialist
In the most severe cases, significant changes occur in the spinal canal, which in some cases can cause disability for the patient.
Kidney pathologies
Among all the internal organs, it is the kidneys that most often manifest themselves as pain in the back. Why is this happening? They are simply located as close as possible to the spine, or rather, almost immediately behind the spinal column. In addition, the kidneys are one of the few organs that are very sensitive to any changes in its functioning (unlike, for example, the liver, which hurts only at a significant stage of its damage).
Finally, the kidneys are a paired organ, they are located on the sides, left and right. It is clear that they can cause pain in the lower back. What, besides pain in the lower back, does a person feel with kidney disease:
Why does my back hurt in the lumbar region?
- cloudiness of urine, in some cases - the appearance of flakes, suspension, turbidity and even particles of blood in it;
- frequent urination when it is impossible to completely empty the bladder;
- significant loss of strength, constant weakness;
- unpleasant sensations when tapping on the costal arch of the spine.
By the way, a urologist can make a preliminary diagnosis depending on whether the pain is symmetrical or not. So, with glomerulonephritis, a person will feel pain from below on both sides, while with urolithiasis or pyelonephritis, most likely, unpleasant sensations will be observed only in the area of one side.
If you do not consult a doctor in a timely manner, the patient risks reducing the state of kidney function to a minimum, as well as causing uremic intoxication of the body.
Digestive system diseases
To limit the area of pathology and understand that the disease is of a gastroenterological nature, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of the following symptoms:
- frequent nausea, the feeling of vomiting for no reason (in the absence of a headache and good, high-quality food);
- decreased appetite while maintaining the same daily routine as before;
- violation of the mode and nature of bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation);
- bitter taste in the mouth;
- bloating, dyspepsia.
By the way, primary pain usually appears in the stomach area, but patients rarely pay attention to them, considering them rare, isolated, episodic, and not worthy of attention. Later, with increasing disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract), unpleasant sensations move to the back area.
The kidneys are located in the back of the body, just behind the spinal column. The localization of pain in their pathology roughly indicates in which area - left or right - of this paired organ there is a problem
Pathologies of the respiratory system
Pain in the spine, in the upper back, may indicate that the cause is localized in the lungs or pleura. The diseases that the patient may encounter are very serious:
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy;
- pneumothorax.
Symptoms that, in addition to pain in the back (and behind the sternum), can appear in a person are frequent cough with sputum, shortness of breath, hyperthermia of the whole body. The pain intensifies with inhalation and exhalation. The inflammatory process in these diseases occurs very quickly, and therefore the clinical picture also develops rapidly.
Respiratory failure provokes a lack of oxygen supply into the bloodstream and further into organs and tissues, which means that very soon other parts of the body will announce their unenviable position. You can expect headaches, cyanosis and pale skin. If treatment is not timely (which should begin in the first days after the onset of symptoms), the likelihood of complications and even deaths increases.
Cardiovascular diseases
With a number of diseases of the cardiovascular system, chest pain may appear, which radiates to the back, left arm or side. With ischemia, these painful sensations are moderate, and with myocardial infarction they are dagger-like, sharp.
Infections
We are talking about dermatological problems, which can also be sources of pain in the back, in the back area. With herpetic lichen, for example, numerous erosions and ulcers are accompanied by redness and increased release of prostaglandins, which are mediators of the inflammatory process, into the affected areas.
In other words, the process here is deeper, not superficial, and therefore the pain can also be quite serious. If a bacterial infection from the air gets onto an open wound, the pain symptoms will intensify. Such a patient will undergo very serious therapy, aimed, among other things, at strengthening the immune system.
Injuries
Small collisions, blows or falls do not always remain in the memory, but they carry with them a train of unpleasant painful sensations. If minor bruises go away on their own, then significant mechanical impacts can cause mechanical damage to internal organs - ruptures. This is fraught with hemorrhagic shock and internal bleeding.
Diagnostics
To help get rid of pain above the lower back: a neurologist, urologist, gynecologist, orthopedist and surgeon. But before an accurate diagnosis is made, it is necessary to undergo a full examination to identify the cause of such unpleasant sensations.
Since pain above the lower back can be symptoms of many diseases, it will not be possible to limit yourself to just one diagnostic method. But this has a significant advantage: you can learn about the condition of the whole organism.
To diagnose the disease, you must undergo the following examinations:
- MRI or CT. In the pictures you can clearly see in which area of the body the disease develops, as well as recognize its stage and the presence of complications;
Image of the spine on a tomograph - General blood analysis;
- Analysis of urine, feces, sputum;
- Ultrasound of internal organs;
Ultrasound of the spine - Gynecological smear (for women);
- X-ray of the spine and pelvis.
X-ray of the spine and pelvis
Such diagnostics can be carried out in any medical institution. Based on the images and test results, the doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and then develop a treatment regimen.
Ultrasound scanners
Treatment of pain above the lower back
Treatment of such a disease is quite difficult, since the causes that cause it may require a different approach. But there are “universal” methods that will save you from pain, no matter what causes it.
A set of therapeutic methods is aimed at getting rid of:
- pain;
- inflammatory processes;
- reasons that caused pain above the lower back.
These are the main areas of treatment that can be implemented using various methods.
If you want to find out in more detail the possible causes of back pain in the kidney area, and also consider alternative treatment methods, you can read an article about this on our portal.
Drug treatment
Treatment of pain manifested in the lumbar region or above it always begins with taking medications. Analgesic drugs are most often prescribed. By themselves, they do not provide treatment and do not relieve the cause of pain, but they can eliminate the symptoms. And this is necessary for the patient: if he suffers from severe pain, then it is difficult for him to even move, and even more so to carry out treatment. Thanks to the relief of the condition, the patient can begin other treatment methods: for example, exercise, manual therapy, massage or physiotherapy.