Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints for which patients seek medical attention. Such a symptom may have a different origin, localization, character, etc. In particular, if a person has pain on the right side from the back, this can indicate both minor injuries and the development of serious pathologies.
It is worth noting that the cause of pain on the right side of the back does not necessarily lie in pathological processes related to the spine or back. Pain can be radiating, that is, it can indicate diseases of various organs and systems. Now we will consider what types of painful syndromes are found, what are the causes of their occurrence, as well as the principles of diagnosis.
Types of pain
Before looking for the causes of any unpleasant sensations, it is necessary to understand their classification. In this case, the question is which types of back pain are on the right.
The ability to recognize the pain syndrome, its specificity and nature, will give you the opportunity to more accurately convey the clinical picture to the doctor, telling about your feelings. At the same time, the doctor, after receiving a description of the symptoms, can make assumptions about the origin of the pain. This will greatly simplify the process of identifying the diagnosis and determining treatment in the future.
Pain is of the following types:
acute pain
One of the most common types of pain, and besides, the strongest. They are characterized by their increased intensity, as well as by the suddenness of their appearance. They are difficult for patients to tolerate, they require the use of sedatives. In most cases, acute pain is successfully stopped with analgesics or antispasmodics. Such a pain syndrome is characterized by its short duration, it appears as suddenly as it disappears, but these manifestations of cases are cyclical.
Severe back pain
An acute subtype, characterized by intensity and suddenness. They are characterized as stabbing or cutting, while the back pain is so strong and sudden that the person literally "twists". Patients who experience sharp pain are always nervous, as they are constantly in a state of waiting for a new attack, which is impossible to predict. Acute pain on the right side often radiates to the back, that is, it radiates, even if its epicenter is in the front of the body.
Dull pain in the right side
The second type of pain syndrome in terms of variety, which differs from the first in much less high intensity. The main disadvantage of dull pain is their method and persistence. Such painful sensations do not disappear for a long time, they bother a person constantly, even in a dream. Due to the low degree of intensity, dull pains are easier to bear, but at the same time they are worse relieved by drugs, because in such cases it is important to act directly on the causes of the syndrome. pain.
Painful pain in the right back
One of the types of dull pain, which in most cases radiates to the back from another department, especially often this happens with various organ diseases. In addition, pain pains are often a sign of back muscle tension, which can occur not only as a result of physical exertion at work or in the gym. Pain in the right side under the ribs from the back appears due to muscle strain due to a long forced stay in an uncomfortable position.
Drawing pain in right side
The second type of dull pain, which is also characterized by monotony, consistency and duration. The intensity of pain in this case is also low, but all dull pains have an unpleasant feature - they increase for a short time with unsuccessful, careless movements, a sharp change in body position, etc. In this case, a person feels a short-term burst of pain, which can be replaced by numbness, the pain syndrome becomes slow again. Therefore, drawing pains got such a name, they cause a feeling that something is pulling a muscle or bone, for example, when a pulling pain from the lumbosacral region radiates to the right leg.
In addition to the above grading, the main division of the pain syndrome into types is the classification into weak and strong pain. Unfortunately, these indicators are subjective, as they depend on the individual characteristics of the organism of each individual person. First of all, we are talking about sensitivity, pain threshold, but in any case, the intensity of the unpleasant sensations experienced is very important to convey to the attending physician.
Information about the nature and intensity, as well as the localization of the pain syndrome, allows the doctor not only to suggest a possible cause of discomfort, but also to understand approximately at which stage of development the pathological process is.
Why does it hurt and why?
As mentioned earlier, there are a large number of causes of pain in the right hypochondrium from the back, as well as above or below the chest region, but also on the right. At the same time, the pain syndrome is extremely different in terms of intensity, character, localization. In addition, the back, joints and spine are not always the cause of the pain syndrome.
Let's look at the most common causes of pain on the right side of the back:
Osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is the leader in frequency and prevalence, it is the one that can cause the discussed symptoms. The pathological process is characterized by dystrophic disorders in the cartilage of the spine, followed by the development of an inflammatory process in the adjacent tissues. At the same time, the condition of the spine worsens, damage to the roots of the spinal cord or narrowing of the lumen of the spinal canal occurs. Pain under the right rib or only on the side occurs with the development of pathology in the thoracic or lumbar region. By nature, the pain is often dull, aching or pulling, aggravated by bending, careless movements and physical exertion.
Radiculitis
A pathology that accompanies damage to the roots of the spinal cord, in which the patient suffers from severe pain, depending on the individual, dull or acute. With this disease, the pain often radiates not only to the right side of the back, but also to the shoulder blade, right shoulder, etc.
Hernia
Forming between the vertebrae, contributing to the elongation of the intervertebral disc. This pathology is accompanied by a constant pain syndrome with unpleasant sensations of the nature of pain or pulling. With an intervertebral hernia, the pain increases during the day, in the evening there is a peak in intensity. The pain is given in the right hypochondrium when it forms at the level of the corresponding pair of vertebrae. Sharp movements, weight lifting or palpation of the site of hernia formation respond with a sharp, strong back pain.
spondilosis
Deformation of the spine caused by the proliferation of bone tissue of the vertebrae. Due to the expansion, the nerve endings of the spinal cord are compressed, a stable and continuous pain syndrome develops. Unpleasant sensations at the same time are dull, aching, pulling in nature, do not weaken even when lying down or during sleep.
The four points described above refer to pain caused exclusively by diseases of the back and spine, hernias, osteochondrosis, protrusions, etc. But in addition, it is important to recognize other possible causes of pain:
Pathologies of the urinary system
A wonderful example of pathologies of this type is urolithiasis, which is associated with the formation of stones. In this case, the location of the pain depends on the location of the stones. If they form in the lower part of the ureter, severe pain will appear in the lower back, giving it to the side.
Sciatica
A feature of sciatica is damage to the sciatic nerve, after which it becomes inflamed in a certain area. Due to the fact that the sciatic nerve is the longest in the body and begins in the lumbar region, with this disease, pain radiating to the back is not unusual. By nature, they are sharp, strong, piercing, but occur in attacks that are described by patients as severe back pain.
kidney problems
The most common disease in this category is pyelonephritis, that is, an inflammatory process in the kidneys of bacterial etiology. In this case, the pain is felt in the lower part of the right or left side, depending on which kidney is inflamed. The pain is often dull and aching, but can also resemble renal colic. In this case, renal colic is a special disease of the kidneys, accompanied by pain on the right side from the back. However, in this case, the pain syndrome is very strong and, as the pathology develops, it is able to cover the entire lumbar region.
Liver disease
As you know, the liver is located on the right side of the abdomen. Therefore, the pathologies of this organ are very often accompanied by pain on the right side from the back. Among the pathological processes, the most unpleasant and painful are hepatic colic or liver cirrhosis. An even greater level of threat is a rare rupture of the liver, in which a person suffers from severe pain, accompanied by internal bleeding.
Stomach and intestinal pathologies
There are many different diseases of the stomach and intestines, accompanied by unpleasant sensations radiating to the back. These are acute forms of gastritis, peptic ulcer, intestinal colic, etc. However, diseases of this nature are accompanied by other symptoms (nausea, stool disorders, vomiting, etc. ).
Diseases of the respiratory system
In this case, lung diseases are directly implied, among which pleurisy (inflammation of the pleural tissue), pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) are considered the most common, among the possible problems is tuberculosis. In either case, right-sided pain will be present when the right lung is affected. The pains are of a different nature, mostly sharp and stabbing, they tend to intensify during coughing.
Pathologies of the heart
Coronary heart diseases and myocardial infarction are mainly considered. At the same time, pain sensations in the back, on the right side of the back in the chest region, appear due to lumbar pain, they are acute and piercing in nature, aggravated by exertion, coughing, deep breathing, etc.
Gallbladder inflammation or acute cholecystitis
Another common problem in which patients complain of severe pain in the right side of the abdominal cavity. However, the pain radiates to the right side or even under the right shoulder blade. All unpleasant sensations arise mainly after eating junk food, alcoholic beverages. The clinical picture is complemented by nausea, vomiting, a feeling of bitterness in the oral cavity.
pregnant
Pain in pregnant women occurs more often at the beginning or in the middle of the third trimester. This is explained by the growth of the fetus, because in the later stages it reaches a fairly large size, which significantly increases the load on the future mother's back. In addition, painful sensations also arise due to the fact that the center of gravity is shifting, respectively, more load is placed on individual muscles. In such cases, pains may appear in the right bottom, they appear mainly in the lumbar region and disappear when the woman rests.
Of course, we must not forget another very common factor - mechanical damage. In this case, the cause of any discomfort is shocks, bruises, sprains, dislocations and fractures. Also, this item can be attributed to muscle pain caused by excessive physical strain on the back.
In any case, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of pain syndrome on the right side from the back, even knowing all the possible variables. That is why the diagnosis of the causes and the treatment of pain are inseparable concepts. To make an accurate diagnosis, be sure to consult a doctor.
Diagnosis - who to contact?
First of all, you should go to the local therapist, who, based on complaints, will refer you to a close specialist. Depending on the underlying cause of the pain on the right side of the back, this specialist may be a neurologist, urologist, gastroenterologist or cardiologist.
To understand why the back hurts on the right, a number of diagnostic measures are required, which also vary depending on various factors. Initially, the doctor performs an initial examination by palpating the place indicated by the patient. Only after the examination it becomes clear which examinations are needed:
- radiography;
- Computed Tomography (CT);
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
- Fluorography;
- Blood, urine, stool tests;
- Measurement of pressure and heart rate;
- Fibrogastroduodenoscopy with the possibility of taking gastric fluid samples and tissue biopsy;
- Ultrasound of a certain organ, etc.
Each method allows you to place a problem in a certain area, detect damage to organs, spine, etc. It is only important to remember that contacting a doctor in such cases is a mandatory action and self-medication is strictly prohibited.