Back pain is one of the most common complaints for which patients seek medical help. Such a symptom can have a different origin, localization, character, etc. In particular, if a person has pain in the right side from the back, it can indicate both minor injuries and the development of serious pathologies.
It is important to note that the cause of pain in 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 pain syndromes there are, what are the causes of their occurrence, as well as the principles of diagnosis.
Types of pain
Before looking for the cause of any unpleasant sensations, it is necessary to understand their classification. In this case, the question arises as to what types of back pain are on the right side.
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, talking about your feelings. At the same time, the doctor, after receiving a description of the symptoms, can assume the origin of the pain. This will greatly simplify the process of establishing a diagnosis and prescribing treatment in the future.
Pain is of the following types:
acute pain
One of the most common types of pain, and also the most severe. They are characterized by increased intensity, as well as sudden onset. Patients hardly tolerate them, they require the use of painkillers. In most cases, acute pain is successfully stopped with analgesics or antispasmodics. Such a pain syndrome is characterized by a short duration, it appears as suddenly as it disappears, but these manifestations of cases are cyclical.
Sharp back pain
A subtype of acute, characterized by intensity and suddenness. They are characterized as stabbing or cutting, while the back pain is so strong and unexpected that the person literally "twists". Patients who have sharp pain are always irritable, because they are constantly in a state of anticipation of a new attack, which is impossible to predict. Acute pain inon the right side, it often radiates to the back, that is, it radiates, even if its epicenter is in the front part of the body.
Dull pain in the right side
The second type of pain syndrome in terms of variety, which differs from the first by much less high intensity. The main disadvantage of dull pains is their methodicalness and persistence. Such painful sensations do not disappear for a long time, they constantly disturb a person, even in sleep. Due to the low intensity, dull pains are easier to bear, but at the same time, they are less well alleviated with drugs, because in such cases it is important to act directly on the causes of the pain syndrome.
Pain in the right side of the back
One of the types of dull pain, which in most cases radiates to the back from another department, especially often occurs in various organ diseases. In addition, pain is often a sign of overstrain of the back muscles, which can occur not only as a result of physical exertion at work or in the gym. Pain on the right side under the ribs from the back occurs due to muscle strain due to a long forced stay in an uncomfortable position.
Drawing pain in the right side
Another type of dull pain characterized by monotony, persistence and duration. The intensity of pain in this case is also low, but all dull pains have an unpleasant feature - they increase briefly with unsuccessful, careless movements, a sharp change in body position, etc. In this case, the person feels a short-term outbreak of pain, which can be replaced by numbness, the pain syndrome becomes dull again. Pulling pains are thus named, they cause the sensation of something pulling on a muscle or bone, for example, when pulling pain from the lumbosacral region radiates to the right leg.
In addition to the above gradation, the main division of pain syndromes into types is the classification into mild and severe pain. Unfortunately, these indicators are subjective, because they depend on the individual characteristics of the organism of each individual person. First of all, it is a question of sensitivity, pain threshold, but in any case, the intensity of experienced unpleasant sensations is very important to convey to the doctor.
Data on the nature and intensity, as well as the localization of the pain syndrome, allow the doctor not only to suggest a possible cause of discomfort, but also to roughly understand 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 from behind from the back, as well as above or below the thoracic region, but also from the right side. At the same time, the pain syndrome is strikingly different in terms of intensity, character, localization. In addition, the back, joints and spine are not always the cause of 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 he who can cause the symptoms discussed. The pathological process is characterized by dystrophic disorders in the cartilage of the spinal column, followed by the development of an inflammatory process in the adjacent tissues. At the same time, the condition of the spine greatly worsens, there is an injury to the root of the spinal cord or a narrowing of the lumen of the spinal canal. 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 follows damage to the root of the spinal cord, where the patient suffers from intense pain, depending on the individual, dull or acute. In 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
A formation between the vertebrae, which contributes to the protrusion of the intervertebral disc. This pathology is accompanied by a constant pain syndrome with unpleasant sensations of pain or pulling. In the case of intervertebral hernia, the pain increases during the day, reaching its peak intensity in the evening. Pain is given to the right hypochondrium when it forms at the level of the corresponding pair of vertebrae. Sharp movements, lifting weights or palpation of the site of the hernia cause a sharp, severe pain in the back.
Spondylosis
Deformation of the spinal column caused by the proliferation of vertebral bone tissue. Due to the expansion, the nerve endings of the spinal cord are compressed, a stable and constant pain syndrome develops. Unpleasant sensations are at the same time dull, painful, dragging in nature, they do not weaken even when lying down or during sleep.
The four points described above refer to pains caused exclusively by diseases of the back and spine, hernias, osteochondrosis, protrusions, etc. But apart from this, it is important to know other possible causes of pain:
Pathologies of the urinary system
A striking example of this type of pathology is urolithiasis, which is accompanied by the formation of stones. In this case, the localization of the pain depends on the localization of the stones. If they form in the lower part of the ureter, there will be severe pain in the lower back, which gives to the side.
Sciatica
A characteristic of sciatica is an injury to the sciatic nerve, after which it becomes inflamed in a certain area. Considering that the sciatic nerve is the largest in the body and begins in the lumbar region, pain radiating to the back is not uncommon in this disease. By nature, they are sharp, strong, stabbing, but they occur in attacks that patients describe 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 it can also resemble renal colic. In this case, renal colic is a separate kidney disease, also accompanied by pain in the right side from the back. However, in this case, the pain syndrome is very strong and, with the development of the pathology, can cover the entire lumbar region.
Liver disease
As you know, the liver is located on the right side of the abdomen. Accordingly, pathologies of this organ are very often accompanied by pain in the right side from the back. Among the pathological processes, the most unpleasant and painful are hepatic colic or liver cirrhosis. An even greater danger is the rare rupture of the liver, in which the 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 radiating in the back. These are acute forms of gastritis, peptic ulcer, intestinal colic, etc. However, diseases of this nature are also accompanied by other symptoms (nausea, stool disorder, vomiting, etc. ).
Diseases of the respiratory system
In this case, lung diseases are directly implied, among which the most common are pleurisy (inflammation of the pleural tissue), pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs), and tuberculosis is among the possible problems. In any case, right-sided pain will be present when the right lung is involved. The pains are of a different nature, mostly sharp and stabbing, tending to intensify during coughing.
Cardiac pathologies
Coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction are mainly taken into account. At the same time, due to pain in the belt, painful sensations occur in the back, in the right side of the back in the thoracic part, they are acute and piercing in nature, increased 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 spreads to the right side or even under the right shoulder blade. All unpleasant sensations arise mainly after eating unhealthy food and alcoholic beverages. The clinical picture is completed by nausea, vomiting, a feeling of bitterness in the oral cavity.
Pregnancy
Pain occurs more often in pregnant women at the beginning or middle of the third trimester. This is explained by the growth of the fetus, because in the later stages it reaches a rather large size, which significantly increases the load on the back of the future mother. In addition, painful sensations arise due to the fact that the center of gravity moves, that is, more load is placed on certain muscles. In such cases, pain can occur in the lower right corner, occur mainly in the lumbar region and disappear when the woman rests.
Of course, we must not forget about another very common factor - mechanical damage. In this case, the cause of any discomfort is bumps, bruises, sprains, dislocations and fractures. Also, this subject 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. That is why the diagnosis of the cause and the treatment of pain are inseparable concepts. To make an accurate diagnosis, be sure to consult a doctor.
Diagnosis - who to turn to?
First of all, you should go to a local therapist, who will refer you to a specialist based on your complaints. Depending on the underlying cause of the right back pain, this specialist may be a neurologist, urologist, gastroenterologist or cardiologist.
In order to understand why the back hurts on the right side, a number of diagnostic measures are needed, which also differ depending on various factors. Initially, the doctor conducts an initial examination by palpation of the place indicated by the patient. Only after the inspection does it become clear which inspections are required:
- 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 juice and tissue biopsy;
- Ultrasound of a certain organ, etc.
Each method allows you to establish a problem in a certain area, to detect damage to organs, the spinal column, and so on. It is only important to remember that contacting a doctor in such cases is a mandatory action, and self-medication is strictly prohibited.