OVERVIEW OF RIGHT SIDE BACK PAIN
In some cases, right side back pain caused by aches in the muscle. In other cases, it may have absolutely no relationship with the back.
Apart from the kidneys, most of your body’s internal organs located in the front of your body. But does this imply as they can’t cause pain that radiates to your back? No! They really can! Some internal structures such as the intestines, ovaries, and appendix have the same nerve endings with the ligaments and tissues in your back. If there is a pain in any of these organs, it may refer to ligament and tissue that share a nerve ending. If the affected organ lies in the right lower part of your body, you may experience pain in your lower right back due to that reason.
IS RIGHT SIDE BACK PAIN A MEDICAL EMERGENCY?
Most cases of pain on the right side of the back not considered as medical emergencies. but if you experience the following symptoms, please seek medical attention as soon as possible:
- Very severe pain that disrupts your daily life.
- Acute, severe pain.
- Pain accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, or incontinence.
CAUSES OF RIGHT SIDE BACK PAIN
Issues with the spine of back muscle:
Statistics released by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) shows that up to 80% of American adults will experience some kind of right side back pain at any point in their lives. Most of the time, the pain may attributed to mechanical disorders, like:
- Tearing or overstretching of a ligament caused by poor positioning during lifting.
- The tightness of the muscle due to poor posture
- Degeneration of shock-absorbing spinal discs due to normal wear and tear or due to ageing.
Treatment for back pain on right side varies. In most cases, the treatment depends on the severity or the cause of your condition. At first, your doctor may recommend physical therapy, or maybe some medications to ease the inflammation. If these methods are not useful, or if the condition is very severe, you may asked to undergo surgery.
Kidney problems:
Your kidneys lie on either side of the spine, right beneath the ribcage. Both kidneys not positioned at the same level. Your right kidney hangs slightly lower than your left kidney. It may increases your risk of low back pain if the kidney gets irritated, infected, or inflamed. Examples of kidney problems are kidney infection and kidney stones.
Kidney stones:
Kidney stones are stable structures that resemble pebbles. They contain most of the salts and minerals usually found in urine. When kidney stones build up in your ureter, you feel cramping, and generally very sharp pain along your lower abdomen, back, and groin regions. The ureter is that long tube that conveys urine from your kidney to your bladder.
The pain that is associated with kidney stones usually comes and goes with the movement of the stone. Kidney stones are also associated with symptoms like urgent or painful urination. You may also find it hard to empty your bladder, and so when you urinate, only a small amount may come forth. You may also pass bloody urine. That is caused by bruising of tissue as the sharp-edged stone travels through your ureter.
Treatment may include:
- Drugs to relax your ureter thus easing passage of the stone.
- Shock wave lithotripsy. This procedure uses shock waves guided by X-rays or Ultrasound to break the kidney stones.
- Surgical removal of pulverization of the stone.
Kidney infection:
Bacteria is the primary cause of kidney infection. E. coli is a prominent bacterium that causes kidney infection. It resides in the abdomen and moves through the ureter into the kidneys and bladder. Kidney infection shares similar symptoms with other urinary tract infections. They include:
- Abdominal pain and back pain.
- Urination with a burning sensation.
- Always have the urge to urinate.
- Foul-smelling, dark, or cloudy urine.
If your kidney is infected, you will feel sick. Other symptoms you may experience will include:
- Chills
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Nausea
If you leave an infected kidney untreated, it can cause infection of your blood or permanent damage to the kidneys. It is important that you get immediate treatment.
Appendicitis:
Appendicitis is the another cause of the right side back pain. The appendix is a tube attached to the large intestine. It lies in the lower right side of the human body. Inflammation and infection of the appendix occur in up to 5% of people between 10 & 30 years of age. This condition is known as appendicitis.
When the appendix is infected, it swells because of the . Your abdomen may become tender and full. This fullness and tenderness extend gradually to the navel. Pain gets worse as you move or when you press those delicate regions. That also extends to the groin or back.
Vomiting and nausea are other symptoms of appendicitis.
If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, you must seek medical help immediately. Continuous swelling of the appendix results in its rupture and eventual burst. When it bursts, the infected contents spread throughout the abdomen, which is fatal.
Appendicitis may be treated through surgical removal of the affected appendix. The procedure is called an appendectomy and minimally invasive if the case isn’t complicated. In some cases, appendicitis may be treated alone. It means that there’s no need for surgery. According to the Right Side Back Pain Study, three-quarters of people with appendicitis don’t need an operation when they treated with antibiotics.
WHAT CAUSES THE RIGHT SIDE BACK PAIN IN WOMEN?
Unique causes include:
- Endometriosis
- Pregnancy
In men, right side back pain may caused by testicular torsion. Testicular torsion is a condition caused by the twisting of the spermatic cord. Blood vessels to the testes pass-through this cord. The spermatic cord lies in the scrotum. Testicular torsion reduces blood flow to the testicle.
Symptoms associated with this condition include:
- Pains in the groin may radiate to the right-back. Or even to the left-back, depending on the particular testicle that’s affected.
- Nausea & vomiting.
- Scrotal swelling.
Testicular torsion, in rare cases, may considered as a medical emergency. If the testicle does not receive adequate blood supply, it can result in irreversible damage. The patient may have to undergo surgical untwisting of the spermatic cord to save the testicle.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAVE RIGHT SIDE BACK PAIN?
If you experience any new pain, especially intense one, then you have to consult your healthcare provider without delay. It becomes an emergency if your right back pain does not allow you to perform your daily activities. Or accompanied by other symptoms – symptoms like nausea, or fever.
In most cases, right side back pain can cured with lifestyle modifications or home treatments:
- Apply heat or ice for at least 30 minutes every 3 hours to ease inflammation and pain.
- OTC pain medications may help. These should be taken under the guidance of your doctor.
- Drink up to 8 glasses of water daily. Moderate the amount of animal protein that you take daily and with salt too. It will minimize your risk of kidney stones.
- Most importantly, when lifting, use the proper technique. Right way to lift something is by bending low and placing your knees in a squatting position, and then you hold the object close to your chest.
In conclusion:
Most cases of right side back pain may occur due to a pulled muscle, or some kind of back injury. It may also caused by an underlying medical condition.
Consult your doctor if you have back pain on your right side, or if you have any pain that is interfering with your daily life.
REFERENCES:
- Ansari P. (n.d.). Appendicitis.
merckmanuals.com/home/digestive-disorders/gastrointestinal-emergencies/appendicitis - How many women affected or at risk for UTIs and UI? (2016).
nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/urinary/conditioninfo/Pages/affected.aspx - Low Back Pain [Fact sheet]. (2014).
ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Low-Back-Pain-Fact-Sheet - Mayo Clinic Staff. (2017). Kidney infection.
mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kidney-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20353387 - Murray MM. (2014). Round ligament pain: Understanding this pregnancy complaint.
mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/expert-blog/round-ligament-pain/bgp-20111536 - Salminen P, et al. (2015). Antibiotic therapy vs. appendectomy for treatment of uncomplicated acute appendicitis: The APPAC randomized clinical trial. DOI:
10.1001/jama.2015.6154 - Testicular torsion. (2017).
kidshealth.org/en/teens/torsion.html# - What are kidney stones? (n.d.).
urologyhealth.org/urologic-conditions/kidney-stones - What is endometriosis? Causes, symptoms, and treatments. (n.d.).
endofound.org/endometriosis
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