What does back pain mean on the right, left and under the ribs?

If there is any pain, you should be wary, especially if it is pain in the right hypochondrium, radiating to the back. Such pain in the back under the ribs, like other soreness, means that a person is sick. Pathological processes pose a health hazard. Today we will look at some conditions in which the back hurts on the right under the ribs or the pain syndrome manifests itself on both sides.

Often, if there is pain on the left under the ribs in the back from the back or on the right, then pathological changes occur in the body, and there are also problems with the spine. A patient who is bothered by pain in the right or left hypochondrium, radiating to the back, needs to understand the nature of the pain and identify additional symptoms. So, the root cause of the pain will be determined, then the specialist will prescribe therapeutic measures.

How can it hurt?

Radiating pain can suddenly spread and be localized in various parts of the body, even if its source is far away. Subjectively, pain is perceived differently. A person can:

• Prick. This painful condition occurs during physical activity. In acute pancreatitis on the right side, there may be a stabbing pain on the back side, even if the person does not move.
• Burning, cutting, also causes acute pain. Such sensations occur with vertebrogenic pathologies and dysfunction of internal organs.
• Pull, whine. A person develops severe pathological changes.
• Sweep. Such sensations occur with pinched vertebrae, radiculitis, rheumatism and other problems. The lower back and lower thoracic spine are affected.

Types of pain

Pain on the left under the ribs can manifest itself in different ways, for example:

• Sudden.
• Shingles.
• Chronic, little noticeable.

Pain that occurs sharply under the left ribs signals an inflammatory process in the duodenum, with a malfunction of the digestive tract. So, with a stomach ulcer, the strength of the pain forces you to bend over, wrapping your arms around your stomach. An ulcer is characterized by symptoms such as bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, hunger, headaches, and irritability. The girdle nature of the pain indicates the probable presence of stones in the bladder, pancreatitis, ectopic pregnancy or ruptured spleen. In such cases, urgent hospitalization is indicated.

Therapeutic pathological conditions

When a patient is bothered by pain on the right under the ribs, and also feels nauseous, these are signs that the pancreas is inflamed; the pathological process occurs in acute or chronic form. The patient experiences an unpleasant sensation, and the pain syndrome will spread beyond the boundaries of the inflammatory process; there will be pain in the right hypochondrium from the back. The person is weakened and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) occurs.

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Dull back pain in the right hypochondrium with nausea occurs with pathological changes in the liver (hepatic cirrhosis, liver inflammation, malignant neoplasms). In addition to pain in the back on the right under the ribs, the following symptoms are observed:

• Yellow skin color.
• The patient is pale and weakened.
• He feels nauseous and suffers from dyspepsia.
• He is indifferent to food.

Pain on the right and side, after eating, occurs with an inflamed duodenum. Even with duodenitis, pain radiates to the back, scapular area. The person feels sick and vomits, he sweats a lot, is weakened, belches bitter air, and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract is observed. If there is pain under the right rib, there is a bitter feeling in the oral cavity, then such symptoms are typical for problems with the gallbladder and ducts that remove bile. The painful sensations will radiate to the shoulder area on the right, the person will have a feeling of burden on the right, he is weakened, and sometimes vomits.

If your side hurts, you should see a doctor.

Dull pain with distension occurs with chronic cholecystitis, and a person with stones in the gall bladder also suffers from such unpleasant sensations. The pain syndrome occurs cyclically, it is related to the time when the patient eats. Dietary nutrition will prevent such pains; they will occur less frequently and become less intense. Dull pain also occurs with gallbladder dyskinesia.

The gallbladder contracts poorly, the pain is stabbing and aching in nature. They will pass thanks to dietary nutrition and proper treatment. With pain on the right in the hypochondrium, the ducts that remove bile may be inflamed, and the inflammatory process will be localized in the duodenum proximally. With inflammation of the stomach, the pain syndrome is localized on the right under the costal area, and both diarrhea and constipation can be observed. The pain will go away within 2 hours after the patient eats or in the morning on an empty stomach.

Often pain on the right or both sides is a symptom of terminal conditions; the patient requires emergency assistance.

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Pain due to pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys

In acute cholecystitis, the pain syndrome is localized on the right, radiating to the cervical, right shoulder, and scapular areas. Severe hyperthermia is observed, the patient shudders, he is weakened, he feels nauseous, and vomits repeatedly. This pathology is associated with the presence of stones located in the gall bladder. They block the release of bile. In liver pathologies, the pain is sharp, occurs in paroxysms, and has a stabbing nature.

If the pathological process is on the left, then pain will appear in the left side

Liver colic occurs due to spasms, stones, and oncological processes. Due to the fact that the bile does not flow, the gallbladder is greatly stretched, and the patient vomits repeatedly. With kidney pathologies, pain may appear in the back on the right with irradiation to the genitals. Urinary excretion will be impaired, the patient will become weakened, and will feel sick. This pain syndrome is also characteristic of acute pyelonephritis. If the kidney is inflamed, urination will be impaired.

The causes of pain syndrome are that a person is sick:

• Chronic pyelonephritis.
• Renal polycystic disease on the right.
• Chronic pancreatitis.
• Inflammation of the kidney on the right side.
• Parasitic pathologies in the liver, bile ducts.

With renal colic, the pain syndrome is unbearable, located in the lower back on the right with irradiation to the groin. With hydronephrosis, the pain is similar to renal colic, but occurs in waves. With pyelonephritis and nephritis, severe pain on the right side and behind, similar to colic. The patient has hyperthermia, muscles and joints hurt.

The cyst is characterized by aching pain, occurs periodically, and grows. The patient has impaired urination and swelling. Pain syndrome from the right hypochondrium occurs in acute appendicitis, although the cause of the pain is located downward in the abdominal zone. It is reflected and felt under the costal area and up the abdomen.

Pain in pathologies of the heart and lungs

Pain in the subcostal area is a common symptomatic manifestation of pathology of organs located in the chest. She is observed:

• with pericarditis;
• myocardial infarction;
• pleurisy.

The problem area is recognized by identifying additional symptoms. If there is a pathological process in the organs located in the chest, then hyperthermia is observed, the person is weakened. He suffers from shortness of breath, he coughs often, and sometimes he has pain in his back under his ribs. With pleurisy, when a person swallows or hiccups, it hurts; it may hurt on the left under the ribs or on the left behind. Pain syndrome also occurs in acute pneumonia. To make a correct diagnosis, other symptoms are established:

• The patient coughs and produces sputum and pus.
• Hyperthermia, which appeared after the patient became hypothermic.

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Oncology and traumatization

Painful sensations can be caused by a change in size of the diaphragm, which compresses other internal organs, hernias, diaphragmatic malignant neoplasms and their destruction due to trauma to the abdominal region.

May hurt due to injury

Pain in the right hypochondrium is caused by traumatic effects:

• Broken ribs.
• The liver is damaged.
• The kidneys and gall bladder are ruptured.

Also, pain syndrome can begin when a person turns sharply, bends over, or when organs come into contact with the ribs.

Pneumonia

In pneumonia, the inflammatory process affects the lungs. It can affect the alveoli and bronchi, and both the left and right sides can become inflamed. If the patient experiences pain from the right hypochondrium, from the back, then the right lung is inflamed. If the disease continues for a long time, then the person will experience pain from the back under the costal area and in the chest area.

With pneumonia, the body temperature can rise to 39.6 ºС, the patient will feel weakened, and physical and mental activity will decrease. Hyperhidrosis will also appear at night, appetite will decrease, the person’s muscles, joints and head will ache, and consciousness will be confused. At first, a person will suffer from a dry cough, which over time will become wet, shortness of breath will appear, and pain in the chest area may increase over time when inhaling.

Other signs of the disease will appear:

• Hyperemia of the skin on the affected side.
• Herpetic rash on the side where the lung is inflamed.
• Abdominal pain.
• The person will begin to vomit and lose bowel movements.

How is it diagnosed and treated?

If pneumonia occurs, then the help of a specialist in the field of pulmonology is required. He will collect anamnesis, examine the patient, and additionally prescribe an X-ray examination with fibrobronchoscopy, CT. Blood and sputum are also examined for the presence of bacteria, and a biochemical blood test is performed. Pneumonia is treated in a hospital under medical supervision. For treatment, antibacterial agents with vitamins, macroelements, expectorants, and bronchodilators are used.

Lung diseases

Lung diseases such as pneumonia, pleurisy, tuberculosis due to inflammation and damage to organ tissue by infections and bacteria cause pain in the front and back of the chest, which radiates to the hypochondrium.

Pathologies of the respiratory organs

If a person has pain closer to the back, in the lumbar region, then he may have pathologies of the respiratory system. He may be sick:

• Pleurisy.
• Pneumonia.
• Pneumothorax.
• Cancer of the bronchi and lungs.

With respiratory pathologies, pain may not be severe, but over time its intensity increases. Often the patient complains of pain during movement, wheezing in the lung tissues, cutting pain under the left rib, which intensifies during coughing.

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The pain syndrome may intensify during inspiration; when the patient exhales, the pain decreases. Frequent pain indicates oncological processes with metastases to neighboring organs and tissues, with the formation of large necrotic foci. For pain on the side, impaired respiratory or heart rhythm, the patient requires inpatient treatment

In pregnant women

In a pregnant woman, pain on the right under the costal area is associated with pathologies in the internal organs, and the cause may also be of a different nature. The expectant mother will experience pain due to the increased size of the organs, and they are displaced. In addition, pain may appear in the left hypochondrium from the back.

Pain in the back from the right hypochondrium may be dull

To exclude pathological processes, with frequent and long-lasting pain in the subcostal area of ​​a pregnant woman, it is recommended:

• They undergo a medical examination.
• They donate urine and blood for laboratory analysis.
• They do an ultrasound.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

Inflammations, tumors, and ulcers can form in various parts of the intestines or stomach.

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Most common diseases

Osteochondrosis

With osteochondrosis changes, dystrophy occurs with degeneration of the discs located between the vertebrae. Back pain on the left side under the ribs behind or on the right side behind the back can be nagging and lasts a long time. Often, over time, a person’s back always hurts under the ribs, and the lower back is also painful. Symptomatic manifestations are extensive. The affected spine is characterized by stiffness of movement, the spinal column loses flexibility.

How to diagnose and treat?

Treatment is carried out by a neurologist. The specialist collects anamnesis and examines the patient. Additionally, X-ray examination, CT, and MRI are indicated. Therapy is aimed at reducing inflammation and pain. As a rule, they treat:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Chondroprotectors.
• Muscle relaxants.
• Vitamins and macroelements.
• Physiotherapeutic procedures.

Pain under the ribs on the left

Pain on the left under the ribs is primarily caused by heart disease. This pain is pronounced and is described by patients as sharp, stabbing, dagger-like. With ischemia, heart attack, acute heart failure, pain occurs that cannot be tolerated, so you should immediately call emergency help rather than try to attempt self-treatment.

Diseases of the paired organs cause the same symptoms on the left side as on the right side of the torso. Pain on the left side under the ribs is caused by:

• pathologies of the lungs, pleura;
• intercostal neuralgia;
• injuries - cracks in bones, displacement of fragments;
• mastopathy, breast cancer;
• diseases of the spine.

If it hurts on the left under the rib after running or intense exercise, this may be due to dysfunction of the spleen. Pain in the spleen is also caused by:

• infectious diseases;
• injuries;
• parasitic diseases;
• spleen abscess;
• cirrhosis of the liver;
• blood pathologies;
• benign/malignant neoplasms.

In addition to abnormalities of the spleen, the lower left rib hurts when pressed in the case of inflammatory and ulcerative lesions of the stomach walls.

What is on the left under the ribs can be seen in Fig. 2. but algia is caused not only by disease of the organs located on the left. Algia is reflected, radiating, phantom, so it is possible to say for sure that only a specialist can hurt in the left side under the rib after an examination.

Spondylosis

With this pathology, spiky bone growths grow along the edges of the affected vertebrae. The pain syndrome is not constant, it can ache on the right under the ribs at the back, at the back under the ribs, in the lower back. The person feels tired, stiff, and the pain will intensify when weather conditions change. When a neurological examination has been performed, the doctor will prescribe an X-ray examination, CT scan, and MRI. Therapeutic measures are complex, symptomatic, physiotherapeutic procedures are used. Surgery is performed according to indications.

Treatment

If you have any troubling symptoms, you should see a doctor who, after a detailed interview and examination of the patient, will order blood tests and imaging, usually first an x-ray of the spine, and if internal diseases are suspected:

• Abdominal ultrasound
• X-ray
• CT
• MRI

If pain appears in the spine itself, it is recommended to take painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs (orally, intramuscularly, ointments, gels) and relax the muscles.

For some patients, rehabilitation and physical therapy are indispensable for the full treatment of the spine and joints. Daily exercise, even done on your own at home (depending on the cause, of course), can significantly reduce symptoms.

Pain with radiculitis

The soreness will appear unexpectedly and may disappear suddenly. When it appears again, it becomes intense. It will also intensify if you lift your straight leg while lying on your back. The leg will reflexively bend if a person wants to sit down from a lying position. Acute pain will appear when a person sneezes or coughs. The pain will intensify if you tilt your head forward. It is difficult to remain in one position for a long time, and if a person is motionless, the pain will subside.

It may sting in the side

At night, a person’s health worsens, he sweats, his face turns pale.

What changes occur in the hypochondrium during the act of breathing?

The diaphragm, which serves as the upper border of the hypochondrium, is an active participant in the act of breathing. It, together with the chest, provides respiratory movements. The goal is to create negative pressure in the pleural cavity so that the lung tissue stretches as much as possible and air enters it during inspiration.

The anatomical structures of the “sigh”, in addition to the diaphragm, include the external intercostal muscles. When contracting, the ribs move upward, the chest increases in volume, especially in the lower sections. This is facilitated by additional contraction of the diaphragm. As you inhale, it flattens and descends towards the abdominal cavity.

At rest and during exhalation, the dome moves towards the chest. In people of different build types, it is possible to breathe predominantly through thoracic breathing (more typical for women, depending on the work of the intercostal muscles) or abdominal breathing, when the main participant is the diaphragm.

As it moves, it simultaneously pulls the abdominal organs with it. The liver is “attached” to the inside of the diaphragm by a powerful falciform ligament. Dense connective tissue fibers attach the gallbladder to the lower surface of the right lobe of the liver. Sometimes the cecum with a vermiform appendix and loops of the small intestine are located here.

During exhalation, the internal intercostal muscles and the abdominal wall are actively engaged. They apply pressure from below on the organs located in the upper floor of the peritoneum and the diaphragm in order to reduce the volume of the chest. By contracting simultaneously with the abdominal muscles, the diaphragm increases pressure in the abdominal cavity.

The respiratory center of the medulla oblongata regulates the sequence of these movements, transmitting nerve signals through the spinal canals.

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The greater the resistance of the lung tissue (loss of elasticity during sclerosis, inflammation), the more the muscles tense. Their work increases significantly with an increase in breathing frequency and physical activity.

With forced breathing, the muscles of the neck, back and chest are involved in the process

Neuralgia

If pain bothers a person between the ribs, then these are manifestations of neuralgia. This pathological condition is not only interconnected with vertebrogenic pathologies, but also with other underlying causes. Pain on the right side appears sharply and increases when the patient takes a deep breath. Also, the pain will spread not only from the front side, but also from the back.

If the pathological process is bilateral, then the pain will become encircling. A person feels “goosebumps” crawling longitudinally between the ribs, and the skin goes numb. During the examination, it is necessary to exclude cardiac pathology, in which pain syndrome may appear in the pericardial area.

Gender dependent

Although all people are susceptible to lumbar pain on the right side, the causes of its occurrence often depend on gender.

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In men

When lower back pain on the right in men is not justified by disorders in the spinal region, there is damage to the internal organs. The syndrome in its acute form informs about the presence of pathologies affecting the prostate gland. The same symptom manifests itself in the formation of benign hyperplasia, as well as inflammation of the prostate. The pain radiates to the lower extremities, accompanied by discomfort in the groin area, frequent and difficult urination.

Aching, nagging pain in the lower back on the right in males is a consequence of pathological processes affecting the prostate, ureters and testes. The syndrome is observed in the following cases:

• for inflammation;
• dropsy;
• urethritis;
• cancerous tumors;
• dilation of veins in the testicles, etc.

At the same time, not only does the right side hurt and radiate to the lower back. There may be disturbances in urination and bowel movements, as well as a noticeable deterioration in sexual function. All these symptoms are a reason to immediately contact a specialist.

Among women

Pain in the sides of females also has its own characteristics. If a woman has lower back pain on the right side, it is possible that her reproductive system has undergone an inflammatory process. In addition, it happens that pain in the right side of the waist in women appears due to diseased ovaries, cysts or organs located in the pelvis.

In addition to general causes, lower back pain in the weaker sex is often associated with the characteristics of the female body

Factors when a woman has back pain closer to the lower back are often excess weight. The spine of obese women is constantly exposed to excessive stress, becomes deformed and becomes the cause of this syndrome.

There is no universal recipe for eliminating lower back pain on the right. The treatment regimen is established by the attending physician on an individual basis, depending on the diagnosed disease that caused negative sensations.

It is quite difficult to completely avoid lower back pain, but it is still possible to reduce the risk of this phenomenon. To do this, you need to optimally load the spine, eliminate a sedentary lifestyle and excess weight gain, lead a healthy lifestyle and regularly visit your doctor.

When does a person need help?

The ambulance is called in terminal conditions:

• Unexpectedly, there was severe pain in the side area; the pain lasted for 38–45 minutes.
• The person vomits bloody substances profusely, feels bitterness in the mouth, and hyperthermia appears.
• Pain increases during physical activity.
• The pain syndrome suddenly disappeared.
• Antispasmodic drugs do not help eliminate pain.
• Hematuria is observed.
• The patient became worse and became confused.

How to avoid unpleasant sensations?

The right approach will help protect yourself from many diseases, the symptom of which is pain in the right hypochondrium, radiating to the back. You just need to follow simple preventive measures. Pain in the right hypochondrium, radiating to the back, is a symptom that should immediately alert you. Don't wait for a miracle - go to a specialist who will select the right treatment. Slowness can lead to a variety of problems, including disability and death. It is not recommended to use traditional medicine without a doctor's permission.

How to help, who will help?

Since pain on the right side, in the back area, is a symptomatic manifestation of dangerous pathologies, self-medication is contraindicated. The person must take a horizontal position and drink a tablet pain reliever. When pain appears, you should contact a specialist in the field of therapy. If necessary, he will refer you to other specialists involved in:

• Surgery.
• Gastroenterology.
• Cardiology.
• Gynecology.
• Traumatology.
• Infectious diseases.
• Endocrinology.

If the pill does not help, you need to urgently call an ambulance. Analgesics should not be taken in large doses, since the clinical picture of the disease will be distorted and it will be difficult to establish a diagnosis. Only qualified medical care will restore not only health, but also save lives.

Causes of pain in the left hypochondrium

In the upper part of the abdominal cavity on the left, which is limited by the lower ribs, there are several important internal organs:

• Intestines.
• Left kidney and ureter.
• Spleen.
• Pancreas.
• Left side of the stomach.

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The cause of pain and spasms are all kinds of changes in the functioning of any of the organs mentioned above. Discomfortable sensations appear in the abdomen and back, and can be felt in other parts of the body. The pain syndrome itself is also very diverse: it can be sharp, dull, burning, aching, etc. It can be difficult for the patient himself to clearly understand which specific organ is suffering and how exactly the situation can be corrected.

Therefore, it is impossible to do without qualified assistance from medical workers in this matter. However, it is useful to know some characteristic symptoms of common pathologies so as not to aggravate the problem.

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