Back pain is one of the most common complaints patients see a doctor about. Such a symptom may have a different origin, localization, character, etc. In particular, if a person has back pain on the right side, this can indicate both minor injuries and the development of serious pathologies.
It is noteworthy that the cause of pain in the right side of the back does not necessarily lie in the pathological processes associated with the spine or back. The pain can radiate, 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 unpleasant sensations, you need to understand their classification. In this case, the question is what types of back pain are right.
The ability to recognize the pain syndrome, its specificity and nature, gives you the opportunity to more accurately convey the clinical picture to the doctor and talk about your feelings. At the same time, the doctor, having received a description of the symptoms, can make guesses about the origin of the pain. This will greatly simplify the process of identifying the 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 their increased intensity, as well as the suddenness of their occurrence. They are difficult for patients to tolerate and require the use of painkillers. In most cases, acute pain is successfully stopped with analgesics or antispasmodics. Such a pain syndrome is distinguished by its short duration, it appears as abruptly as it disappears, but these manifestations of cases are cyclic.
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 severe and unexpected that the person literally "twists". Patients with shooting pains are always irritable as they are constantly in a state of anticipation of a new attack that is unpredictableAcute pain on the right side often radiates backwards, i. e. it radiates even though its epicenter is in the front of the body.
Dull pain in right side
The second type of pain syndrome in terms of variety, differing from the first in much less high intensity. The main disadvantage of dull pain is its methodology and persistence. Such painful sensations do not go away for a long time, they constantly bother a person, even in a dream. Dull pain is easier to endure due to the low intensity, but at the same time it is less well relieved by medication, since in such cases it is important to act directly on the causes of the pain syndrome.
pain in the right back
One of the types of dull pain radiating from another department to the back in most cases, especially common with various diseases of the organs. In addition, aching pain is often a sign of overexertion of the back muscles, which can be caused not only by physical exertion at work or in the gym. Pain on the right under the ribs from behind occurs due to muscle tension due to a long forced stay in an uncomfortable position.
Drawing pain in the right side
The second type of dull pain, which is also characterized by monotony, constancy and duration. The intensity of pain in this case is also small, but all dull pains have one 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 again becomes sluggish. That's why pulling pains got such a name, they cause a feeling that something is pulling on a muscle or bone, for example when a pulling pain radiates from the lumbosacral region to the right leg.
In addition to the above gradation, the main division of pain syndrome into types is the division into weak and severe pain. Unfortunately, these indicators are subjective, since they depend on the individual characteristics of the organism of each individual. First of all, we are talking about sensitivity, pain threshold, but in any case it is very important to convey the intensity of the experienced unpleasant sensations 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 point out a possible cause of the discomfort, but also to approximately understand at what stage of development the pathological process is.
Why does it hurt and why?
As already mentioned, there are a variety of causes of pain in the right hypochondrium from behind, as well as above or below the chest region, but also on the right. At the same time, the pain syndrome differs strikingly in terms of intensity, character and 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 in the right side of the back:
osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is the leader in frequency and prevalence, it 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 adjacent tissues. At the same time, the condition of the spine deteriorates sharply, there is a violation of the roots 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 chest or lumbar region. In nature, the pain is often dull, aching, or aching, and is aggravated by bending over, careless movements, and physical exertion.
radiculitis
A pathology associated with damage to the roots of the spinal cord, in which the patient experiences severe pain, dull or acute, depending on the person. With this disease, pain often radiates not only to the right side of the back, but also to the scapula, right shoulder, etc.
hernia
The formation between the vertebrae that contributes to the protrusion of the intervertebral disc. This pathology is accompanied by a constant pain syndrome with unpleasant sensations of pain or pulling. With an intervertebral hernia, the pain increases during the day, in the evening there is a peak in intensity. Pain is inflicted on the right hypochondrium when it is formed at the level of the corresponding pair of vertebrae. Sharp movements, lifting weights or palpation of the site of hernia formation react with sharp, severe pain in the back.
spondylosis
Deformation of the spine caused by the proliferation of the bone tissue 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 are at the same time dull, aching, pulling in nature, do not weaken even when lying down or sleeping.
The four points described above relate exclusively to pain caused by diseases of the back and spine, hernias, osteochondrosis, protrusions, etc. But beyond that, 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 localization of pain depends on the location of the stones. When they are formed in the lower part of the ureter, severe pain appears in the lower back, giving to the side.
sciatica
A feature of sciatica is injury to the sciatic nerve, after which it becomes inflamed in a certain area. Since the sciatic nerve is the longest in the body and begins in the lumbar region, pain radiating to the back is not uncommon with this condition. By nature they are sharp, strong, stabbing, but they appear in attacks 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, 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 can also resemble renal colic. In this case, renal colic is an independent disease of the kidneys, which is also accompanied by pain in the right side from behind. However, in this case, the pain syndrome is very strong and, with the development of pathology, it can cover the entire lumbar region.
liver disease
As you know, the liver is located on the right side of the abdomen. Accordingly, the pathologies of this organ are very often accompanied by back pain on the right side. Among the pathological processes, the most unpleasant and painful are hepatic colic or cirrhosis. An even greater threat is a rare liver rupture, in which a person experiences 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 to the back. These are acute forms of gastritis, gastric ulcers, intestinal colic, etc. However, diseases of this type are accompanied by other symptoms (nausea, stool disorders, vomiting, etc. ).
diseases of the respiratory tract
In this case, lung diseases are directly implicated, of which pleurisy (inflammation of the pleural tissues), pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) are considered the most common, and tuberculosis is also among the possible problems. In any case, pain on the right side occurs when the right lung is affected. The pains are of a different nature, mostly sharp and stabbing, worsening when coughing.
cardiac pathologies
Coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction are mainly considered. At the same time, pain sensations appear in the back, on the right side of the back in the chest area due to belt pain, they are acute and stabbing in nature, aggravated by exertion, coughing, deep breathing, etc.
Inflammation of the gallbladder 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 appear mainly after eating junk food and alcoholic beverages. The clinical picture is complemented by nausea, vomiting, a feeling of bitterness in the oral cavity.
pregnancy
Pain in pregnant women is more common at the beginning or middle of the third trimester. This is explained by the growth of the fetus, since in the later stages it reaches a rather large size, which significantly increases the load on the expectant mother's back. In addition, pain sensations arise because the center of gravity shifts or individual muscles are more heavily loaded. In such cases, pain may appear in the lower right corner, it appears mainly in the lumbar region and disappears when the woman is at rest.
Of course, we must not forget about another very common factor - mechanical damage. In this case, the causes of discomfort are blows, bruises, sprains, dislocations and fractures. This point can also 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 the pain syndrome on the right side from the back, even knowing all possible variables. Therefore, causal diagnostics and pain treatment 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 any complaints, will refer you to a narrow specialist. Depending on the underlying cause of pain in 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 requires a number of diagnostic measures, which also differ depending on various factors. First, the doctor conducts an initial examination with palpation of the site indicated by the patient. Only after the examination does it become clear which examinations are necessary:
- 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 specific organ, etc.
Any method allows you to identify a problem in a specific area, detect damage to organs, the spine, etc. It is only important to remember that contacting a doctor in such cases is mandatory, and self-medication is strictly prohibited.