Back pain is one of the most common complaints for which patients seek medical attention. Such a symptom may have a different origin, location, character, etc. In particular, if a person experiences pain in the right side of the back, this can indicate both minor injuries and the development of serious pathologies.
It is worth noting that the cause of pain in the right side of the back is not necessarily in the pathological processes associated with the spine or the back. Pain can be radiating, that is, it can indicate diseases of various organs and systems. Now let's consider what types of pain 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 sensation, it is necessary to understand their classification. In that case, the question is what 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 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 diagnosis and prescribing treatment in the future.
Pain is of the following types:
acute pain
One of the most common types of pain and, moreover, the most serious. They are characterized by their increased intensity, as well as the rapidity of their occurrence. They are difficult for patients to tolerate, requiring the use of analgesics. In most cases, acute pain is successfully stopped with analgesics or antispasmodics. Such a pain syndrome is characterized by its short duration, it occurs as abruptly as it disappears, but these manifestations of cases are cyclical.
acute back pain
A subspecies of acute, characterized by intensity and rapidity. They are characterized as stabs or cuts, while back pain is so strong and unexpected that the person literally "twists". Patients with acute pain are always irritable, as they are constantly in a state of expectation of a new attack, which is impossible to predict. Sharp pain on the right side usually radiates to the back, that is, it radiates even if its epicenter is in the front of the body.
Dull pain on 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 pains is their methodical and constancy. Such painful sensations do not go away for a long time, they constantly disturb a person, even in a dream. Due to the low degree of intensity, dull pains are easier to bear, but, at the same time, they are better relieved with medication, as in these cases it is important to act directly on the causes of the painful syndrome.
Right back pain
One of the types of bothersome pain, which in most cases radiates to the back from another department, especially happens with various diseases of the organs. In addition, aching pains are often a sign of overexertion of the back muscles, which can occur not only as a result of physical exertion at work or in the gym. Pain right under the ribs from behind appears due to muscle tension due to a long forced stay in an uncomfortable position.
Drawing pain on the right side
The second type of nagging pain, which is also characterized by monotony, constancy and duration. The intensity of pain in this case is also low, but all bothersome pains have an unpleasant feature - they increase for a short time with unsuccessful and careless movements, a sudden change in the position of the body, etc. In this case, a person experiences a short-term bout of pain, which can be replaced by numbness, the pain syndrome becomes sluggish again. Drawing pains, therefore, got their name, they cause the sensation that something is pulling on a muscle or bone, for example, when a pulling pain from the lumbosacral region radiates to the right leg.
In addition to the above gradation, the main division of the pain syndrome into types is the classification into mild and severe pain. Unfortunately, these indicators are subjective, as they depend on the individual characteristics of each person's organism. 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 location of the pain syndrome, allows the doctor not only to suggest a possible cause of discomfort, but also to understand approximately at what 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 behind the back, as well as above or below the thoracic region, but also on the right. At the same time, the pain syndrome is remarkably different in terms of intensity, character and location. Also, the back, joints and spine are not always the cause of pain syndrome.
Let’s look at the most common causes of pain in the right side of the back:
osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is the leader in frequency and prevalence, it is he who can cause the symptoms discussed. 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 a lot, violation of the roots of the spinal cord or narrowing of the lumen of the spinal canal occurs. Pain under the right rib or just 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, made worse by bending, careless movement, and physical exertion.
radiculitis
A pathology accompanying damage to the roots of the spinal cord, in which the patient suffers from severe pain, depending on the individual, dull or sharp. With this disease, the pain usually radiates not only to the right side of the back, but also to the shoulder blade, right shoulder, etc.
Hernia
The formation between the vertebrae, contributing to the protrusion of the intervertebral disc. This pathology is accompanied by a constant pain syndrome with unpleasant sensations of pain or pulling from nature. With an intervertebral hernia, the pain increases during the day, at night there is a peak in intensity. Pain is given to the right hypochondrium when formed at the level of the corresponding pair of vertebrae. Abrupt movements, lifting weights, or palpating the hernia formation site responds with severe back pain.
spondylosis
Deformation of the spine caused by the proliferation of the bone tissues of the vertebrae. Due to the expansion, the nerve endings of the spinal cord are compressed, a stable and constant pain syndrome develops. Unpleasant sensations at the same time are dull, painful, pulling in nature, do not weaken even when lying down or while sleeping.
The four points described above refer to pain caused exclusively by diseases of the back and spine, hernias, osteochondrosis, bulges, etc. But in addition, it is important to know other possible causes of pain:
Pathologies of the urinary system
A striking example of pathologies of this type is urolithiasis, which is accompanied by the formation of stones. In this case, the location of the pain depends on the location of the stones. If they are formed in the lower part of the ureter, intense pain will appear in the lower back, giving to the side.
Sciatica
A feature of sciatica is the violation of the sciatic nerve, after which it becomes inflamed in a certain area. Because the sciatic nerve is the longest in the body and starts in the lower back, pain radiating to the back is not uncommon in this condition. By nature they are sharp, strong, stabbing, but they 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 has become inflamed. The pain is often dull and aching, but it can also resemble renal colic. In this case, renal colic is a separate kidney disease, also accompanied by pain on the right side from behind. However, in this case, the pain syndrome is very strong, and with the development of the pathology, 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. Thus, pathologies of this organ are often accompanied by pain in the right side of the back. Among the pathological processes, the most unpleasant and painful are hepatic colic or hepatic cirrhosis. An even greater threat level is a rare rupture of the liver, in which a person suffers from severe pain, accompanied by internal bleeding.
Pathologies of the stomach and intestines
There are many different diseases of the stomach and intestines, accompanied by unpleasant sensations that radiate 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. ).
Respiratory system diseases
In this case, lung diseases are directly involved, among which pleurisy (inflammation of the pleural tissue), pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) are considered the most common, and tuberculosis is also among the possible problems. In each case, pain on the right side will be present when the right lung is affected. The pains are of a different nature, mainly sharp and stabbing, tend to intensify during coughing.
heart pathologies
Mainly coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction are taken into account. At the same time, the sensations of pain in the back, on the right side of the back in the thoracic region, appear due to pains in the waist, are sharp and stabbing in nature, aggravated by exertion, coughing, deep breathing, etc.
Gallbladder inflammation or acute cholecystitis
Another common problem where 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 drinks. The clinical picture is complemented by nausea, vomiting, a feeling of bitterness in the oral cavity.
Pregnancy
Pain in pregnant women most often occurs at the beginning or middle of the third trimester. This is explained by the growth of the fetus, because in later stages it reaches a rather large size, which significantly increases the load on the back of the expectant mother. 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 these cases, the pains may appear in the lower right corner, occur mainly in the lower back and disappear when the woman is at rest.
Of course, we must not forget about another very common factor - mechanical damage. In this case, the cause of any discomfort are blows, bruises, sprains, dislocations and fractures. Also, this item can be attributed to muscle pain caused by excessive physical exertion on the back.
In any case, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of right back pain syndrome, even knowing all the possible variables. Therefore, the diagnosis of the causes and the treatment of pain are inseparable concepts. To accurately establish the diagnosis, be sure to consult a doctor.
Diagnosis - who to contact?
First of all, you should go to the local therapist, who, based on the complaints, will refer you to a restricted specialist. Depending on the underlying cause of your right back pain, that specialist could be a neurologist, urologist, gastroenterologist, or cardiologist.
To understand why the back hurts on the right, several diagnostic measures are needed, which also differ depending on various factors. Initially, the doctor performs an initial examination with palpation of the site indicated by the patient. Only after the exam is it clear which exams are needed:
- radiography;
- computed tomography (CT);
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);
- Fluorography;
- Blood, urine, stool tests;
- Measurement of blood pressure and heart rate;
- Fibrogastroduodenoscopy with the possibility of sampling gastric juice and tissue biopsy;
- Ultrasound of a specific organ, etc.
Each method allows you to establish a problem in a specific area, detect damage to organs, the spine, and so on. It is important to remember that contacting a doctor in these cases is a mandatory action and self-medication is strictly prohibited.