Kidneys help remove liquid waste from the body. When urine contains a lot of chemical substances – more than what the urine can dilute – kidney stones can form, and they can cause a sharp pain in the side and the lower back region.
As well, organs such as the kidneys, pancreas, colon, and uterus are located near your lower back. All of these can be responsible for pain in the left side of your lower back, so there are many potential causes.
Pain may start following inflammation or irritation of an internal organ, or may be a sign of infection. These conditions will usually produce other symptoms with lower right back pain that more specifically narrow down the source.
Blood and tissue cancers such as multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and melanoma can all cause lower back pain.
See a GP if: back pain does not improve after treating it at home for a few weeks. the pain is stopping you doing your day-to-day activities. the pain is severe or getting worse over time.
A pulled muscle would not feel hot, tingling, or electric like an irritated nerve root would. The pain would only subside while you are relaxed and resting, as the tension and spasms are alleviated. However, the pain would most likely flare up when you get up to move again.
Back pain caused by fecal impaction
It's possible for fecal impaction to cause low back pain. Fecal impaction occurs when a piece of dry stool is stuck in the colon or rectum. The pressure in the rectum or colon can result in pain radiating to the back or abdomen.
"Straining a muscle or spraining a ligament are the most common causes of lower back pain," says Dr. Palmer. "While they can be serious, these common causes of lower back pain aren't long-lasting — taking anywhere from a few days to heal or, at most, a few months."
You feel kidney pain in the area where your kidneys are located: Near the middle of your back, just under your ribcage, on each side of your spine. Your kidneys are part of the urinary tract, the organs that make urine (i.e., pee) and remove it from your body.
Posture. Another common cause of lower back pain in women is poor posture. Poor posture puts unnecessary strain on the spine and muscles in the back, which can lead to pain and discomfort. Women are especially susceptible to poor posture due to factors such as wearing high heels or carrying heavy purses.
Liver pain can be dull and nonspecific, but it can also be severe. It may result in a backache. Liver pain is sometimes confused with a pain in the right shoulder, or in the abdomen, or the kidney. Many liver diseases and other organ conditions can cause liver pain.
Definition. Kidney pain — also called renal pain — refers to pain from disease or injury to a kidney. You might feel kidney pain or discomfort as a dull, one-sided ache in your upper abdomen, side or back. But pain in these areas is often unrelated to your kidneys.
Back pain often occurs because some people who are experiencing stress tense their muscles unconsciously. Stomach pain and bloating are more common in people who have stress as well as an underlying condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Many stomach issues can cause referred back pain, meaning that although there's a problem in the abdominal cavity, you're feeling it in your back. Referred pain is similar to, but not quite the same as, radiculopathy.
Acute low back pain is most often caused by a sudden injury to the muscles and ligaments supporting the back. The pain may be caused by muscle spasms or a strain or tear in the muscles and ligaments. Causes of sudden low back pain include: Compression fractures to the spine from osteoporosis.
Inflammatory pain would more likely be of insidious onset and of longer duration (i.e. more than three months) whereas mechanical pain tends to be more acute and can often be linked to an injury.
Back pain red flags – Night Pain
Back pain that worsens at night or while you're sleeping might indicate something more severe like an infection or cancer. This is especially true if you also have other symptoms in addition to your back discomfort when you sleep or relax.
Contact your health care provider for back pain that: Lasts longer than a few weeks. Is severe and doesn't improve with rest. Spreads down one or both legs, especially if the pain goes below the knee.
Common Causes of Chronic Back Pain
Arthritis of the spine —the gradual thinning of the cartilage inside the spine. Spinal stenosis —narrowing of the spinal canal that may lead to nerve pain. Disc problems, such as a herniated or bulging disc. Myofascial pain syndrome—unexplained muscle pain and tenderness.
Chronic back pain is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated. About 20 percent of people affected by acute low back pain develop chronic low back pain with persistent symptoms at one year.
When back pain is caused by a cancerous spinal tumor, it typically: Starts gradually and worsens over time. Does not improve with rest and may intensify at night. Flares up as a sharp or shock-like pain in the upper or lower back, which may also go into the legs, chest, or elsewhere in the body.