Treating Back Pain on the Lower Right Side
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi
Last week, we shared an article that explained some of the common reasons why someone might experience back pain on their lower left side. Today, we want to cover our bases and explore why someone might be experiencing pain on the other side. So below, we share some of the common causes of back pain on your lower right side.
Lower Right Back Pain
Similar to our sister post on pain on your left side, pain that is housed in your lower right side could be from a minor issue, or it could be something that requires immediate medical attention. Here’s a closer look at some of the general causes of pain in the lower right side of your back.
Soft tissue injuries
Soft tissue injuries can be mildly annoying or a major discomfort depending on what tissue you injured. For many people, pain on the lower right side is simply caused by a pulled muscle, a strained ligament, or a torn tendon. These can almost always be managed without surgery, and are typically caused by physical activity, overexertion or acute trauma.
Facet joint or intervertebral disc issues
Facet joint injuries or problems with your spinal discs can cause a whole host of symptoms, including shooting pain, numbness, leg weakness and restricted bladder activity, but it can also cause localized pain on your lower right side. Joint and disc issues are best managed with the help of a spine specialist who can take a closer look at the specific injury and tailor a treatment program to your exact injury. Rest, physical therapy, exercise and pain medications are often used in conjunction with one another in order to fix joint compression or herniated discs, but surgery may also be on the table if the problem is causing bowel issues.
Organ or pelvis problems
One of the more common organ problems that presents itself with symptoms of pain on the lower back right side is appendicitis. If you notice that the pain appears to come out of nowhere and it gets worse, head into an emergency room, because appendicitis can cause serious problems if your appendix ruptures inside your body. Other organ problems that can cause pain in your lower right hand side include ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the large intestine), kidney problems and gynocological disorders.
Infections
Finally, an infection of the spine typically presents symptoms of significant back pain along with a fever. This pain may be housed on your right side, and if it is accompanied by a fever, nausea or vomiting, head into a clinic as soon as possible to seek treatment.
It’s impossible to say exactly when you should seek treatment or just see if the problem resolves on its own when you’re dealing with pain on the lower right side of your back, but if you can’t pinpoint a moment of injury, or symptoms get worse, head to a spine specialist’s office. It’s better to be safe than sorry. If you have any questions about pain on the right side of your spine, or any general questions about back injuries, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
