What Organs Can Cause Lower Back Pain?

What Organs Can Cause Lower Back Pain
1. Kidney problems – There are several types of kidney problems, Two common issues that can lead to lower back pain are kidney stones and kidney infection. Kidney stones Kidney stones can lead to lower back pain on either side or both sides, between your hips and ribs in the back of your abdomen.

  • This is referred to as flank pain.
  • Over half a million individuals² wind up in the emergency room each year because of kidney stone issues.
  • There’s an 11% risk of kidney stones in men and 9% in women².
  • Idney stones can make it painful and difficult to urinate while the stone is moving through your kidney, ureters, and into your urinary tract and bladder.

During this process, you may also feel lower left back pain. You may experience nausea and/or vomiting and may notice blood in your urine. Kidney Infection Kidney infection or acute pyelonephritis (APN) is a severe type of urinary tract infection (UTI).

  1. Each year there are around 250,000 cases³ in the United States.
  2. You may experience intense or dull pain on the left side of your lower back if your left kidney has an infection.
  3. Idney infections typically begin in the bladder and urinary tract and spread to your kidneys.
  4. This causes kidney pain and inflammation.

You might also experience other symptoms, including:

Nausea Vomiting Fever Stinging or painful urination.

Pain is generally felt above the hip, next to the spine, and tends to get worse with pressure or movement.

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Can lower back pain be a symptom of something else?

Lower back pain is very common. It can result from a strain (injury) to muscles or tendons in the back. Other causes include arthritis, structural problems and disk injuries. Pain often gets better with rest, physical therapy and medication. Reduce your risk of low back pain by keeping at a healthy weight and staying active.

Overview Symptoms and Causes Diagnosis and Tests Management and Treatment Prevention Outlook / Prognosis Living With

Lower Back Pain

Overview Symptoms and Causes Diagnosis and Tests Management and Treatment Prevention Outlook / Prognosis Living With Back To Top

What part of back hurts with pancreatitis?

What is it? – Mid-back pain can be a sign of pancreatic cancer. The pain can be caused by a tumour invading nerves or organs that lie near the pancreas. Some people also report that they feel pain in their shoulder or under their shoulder blade. Other people feel pain in their back and abdomen (tummy) at the same time.

When should I worry about lower back pain?

When should I see a doctor if I have lower back pain? – In many cases lower back pain stops on its own. But if it doesn’t, here are some guidelines on when you may want to start seeking professional help:

If the pain lasts four weeks or longer If the pain keeps getting worse as time goes by If you are experiencing other symptoms, such as fever, major weight loss or weight gain, loss of function or weakness in extremities, bladder problems, etc.

What are red flag signs for back pain?

Other constitutional symptoms – Perform a complete review of systems on all patients presenting with low back pain, giving special attention to those with unexplained weight loss, night pain, or pain at rest. In general, unintentional weight loss requires a workup for malignancy; however, when it is accompanied by back pain it is particularly worrisome for metastatic disease.

How do you tell if lower back pain is muscle or kidney?

In general, back pain will be related to your muscles, occurs lower in your back, and causes a consistent ache. If it’s kidney pain, it’ll likely be higher, near your ribs. You may feel waves of severe pain and possibly have a fever. The pain may also be stronger on one side.

What part of your back hurts from kidneys?

Where do I feel kidney pain? – 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.

The urinary tract is made up of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. You may feel kidney pain on only one side or both sides of your back. Having pain in these areas does not always mean there is something wrong with your kidneys. Because there are muscles, bones and other organs around your kidneys, it can be hard to tell what exactly is causing your pain.

If you have constant pain you think may be caused by your kidneys, talk to your doctor.

Can bowel issues cause back pain?

Conditions That Cause Lower Back Pain and Constipation – It is also possible that you do not have IBS, but have constipation, which is also linked to lower back pain. Both constipation and lower back pain are fairly common medical issues, and are often nothing to be concerned about, but if they occur suddenly at the same time, it is advisable to see a doctor, as it might be a sign of a more serious issue.

Bowel obstruction

A bowel obstruction is a gastrointestinal condition in which digested material cannot pass normally or as it should through the bowel. A bowel obstruction can be caused by fibrous tissue that compresses the gut, which can develop many years after abdominal surgery.

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Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus. In individuals with endometriosis, the tissues that should be lining the uterus can be found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or the intestines. Bowel symptoms are very common with endometriosis, as is back pain.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a condition in which an individual experiences widespread muscle pain and tenderness. It is often accompanied by fatigue, altered sleep patterns, memory problems, and mood problems. Those with fibromyalgia can experience long-term back pain, and up to 70% of fibromyalgia patients have functional bowel disorders like IBS, constipation, and diarrhea, according to a study conducted by the University of Health Sciences, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Liver disorders

Liver disorders include a wide range of conditions that damage the liver and prevent it from functioning properly. Common liver disorders are cancer, cirrhosis, and hepatitis. When the liver swells, it can press on the nerves in the lower back, which leads to back pain.

Peritonitis

Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, which is the tissue that lines the inner wall of the abdomen and covers and supports most of the abdominal organs. It is usually caused by infection from bacteria or fungi. With this condition, inflammation of the lining of the abdominal wall can occur, which can lead to pain, nausea, vomiting, and constipation.

Urinary tract infections

A urinary tract infection is an infection of any part of the urinary system, from the kidneys and ureters to the bladder and urethra. The most typical symptoms associated with a UTI are a strong, persistent urge to urinate, a burning sensation when urinating, and urine that appears cloudy, but constipation and bowel problems can also come along with UTIs.

Can colon pain be felt in the back?

Large Intestine – Inflammation of the large intestine (colon), or ulcerative colitis, can also cause lower back pain. Other symptoms include abdominal cramps and rectal pain.

How long is too long for lower back pain?

What research is being done? – The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke ( NINDS ) is to seek fundamental knowledge of the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ), the leading supporter of biomedical research in the world. As a primary supporter of research on pain and pain mechanisms, NINDS is a member of the NIH Pain Consortium, which was established to promote collaboration among the many NIH Institutes and Centers with research programs and activities addressing pain.

On an even broader scale, NIH participates in the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, a federal advisory committee that coordinates research across other U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies as well as the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

The NIH HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative, launched in April 2018, is a trans-NIH effort (which NINDS co-leads) that aims to prevent opioid addiction and provide more non-drug treatment options for chronic pain. Back pain is one of the most common pain conditions worldwide and is a major contributor to the prescribing and use of opioids in America.

The treatment of low back pain is a specific area of focus of the Initiative. The Back Pain Consortium established through HEAL will conduct studies to better understand the mechanisms of common pain conditions such as chronic low back pain, develop improved diagnostic and treatment tools, and identify, prioritize, and test therapies that reduce the need for opioid use for millions of Americans.

For more about the HEAL Initiative, see https://www.nih.gov/heal-initiative, NINDS-funded studies are contributing to a better understanding of why some people with acute low back pain recover fully while others go on to develop chronic low back pain. Brain imaging studies suggest that people with chronic low back pain have changes in the structure and function of certain brain regions.

Other research seeks to determine the role of brain circuits important for emotional and motivational learning, and memory in this transition, in order to identify new preventive interventions. Furthermore, several studies are being conducted to identify and characterize bidirectional neural circuits that communicate between the spinal cord to brain, which are aimed at discovering and validating new interventional targets for low back pain.

Different studies are looking at the response to placebos in individuals with acute and chronic back pain. For example, one study is designed to examine brain properties for placebo response and critically assess the neurobiology of placebo pain relief for individuals with chronic pain. Another study is assessing ibuprofen plus acetaminophen compared to ibuprofen plus placebo in treating acute low back pain.

In addition to NINDS, other NIH Institutes— including the National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Center on Complementary and Integrative Health—fund research on low back pain.

More information on NIH efforts on back pain research and on other disorders can be found using NIH RePORTER ( http://projectreporter.nih.gov ), a searchable database of current and past research projects supported by NIH and other federal agencies. RePORTER also includes links to publications and patents citing support from these projects.

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How do I know if my back pain is serious?

When to see a doctor – Most back pain gradually improves with home treatment and self-care, usually within a few weeks. Contact your health care provider for back pain that:

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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 Causes weakness, numbness or tingling in one or both legs Is paired with unexplained weight loss

In rare cases, back pain can signal a serious medical problem. Seek immediate care for back pain that:

Causes new bowel or bladder problems Is accompanied by a fever Follows a fall, blow to the back or other injury

What are yellow flags in back pain?

Cite – Michael K. Nicholas, Steven J. Linton, Paul J. Watson, Chris J. Main, the “Decade of the Flags” Working Group, Early Identification and Management of Psychological Risk Factors (“Yellow Flags”) in Patients With Low Back Pain: A Reappraisal, Physical Therapy, Volume 91, Issue 5, 1 May 2011, Pages 737–753, https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20100224 Close

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Navbar Search Filter Mobile Microsite Search Term Search Originally the term “yellow flags” was used to describe psychosocial prognostic factors for the development of disability following the onset of musculoskeletal pain. The identification of yellow flags through early screening was expected to prompt the application of intervention guidelines to achieve secondary prevention.

  1. In recent conceptualizations of yellow flags, it has been suggested that their range of applicability should be confined primarily to psychological risk factors to differentiate them from other risk factors, such as social and environmental variables.
  2. This article addresses 2 specific questions that arise from this development: (1) Can yellow flags influence outcomes in people with acute or subacute low back pain? and (2) Can yellow flags be targeted in interventions to produce better outcomes? Consistent evidence has been found to support the role of various psychological factors in prognosis, although questions remain about which factors are the most important, both individually and in combination, and how they affect outcomes.

Published early interventions have reported mixed results, but, overall, the evidence suggests that targeting yellow flags, particularly when they are at high levels, does seem to lead to more consistently positive results than either ignoring them or providing omnibus interventions to people regardless of psychological risk factors.

  • Psychological risk factors for poor prognosis can be identified clinically and addressed within interventions, but questions remain in relation to issues such as timing, necessary skills, content of treatments, and context.
  • In addition, there is still a need to elucidate mechanisms of change and better integrate this understanding into the broader context of secondary prevention of chronic pain and disability.

Kendall and colleagues 1 coined the term “yellow flags” to encompass psychological risk factors and social and environmental risk factors for prolonged disability and failure to return to work as a consequence of musculoskeletal symptoms. The concept of yellow flags sparked much attention and debate and was adopted in some guidelines on the early management of work-related low back injuries.2– 4 However, as with many such guidelines, their impact on clinical practice is unclear.5 Even the definition of psychosocial risk factors has been criticized as so broad as to be meaningless.6 Kendall and colleagues 1 identified a number of psychological risk factors and social and environmental risk factors for disability and work loss.

These psychological risk factors included fears about pain or injury, unhelpful beliefs about recovery, and distressed affect (eg, despondency and anxiety). The social and environmental risk factors included workers’ perceptions that the workplace is unsupportive and overly supportive health care providers.

The monograph provided a guide to the assessment of yellow flags that included a clinical interview and a psychosocial screening questionnaire. This approach assumed that individuals at risk for poor outcomes could be identified on the basis of either a small cluster of highly salient factors or the cumulative combination of several factors.

Because many of these factors are potentially modifiable, the monograph also contained additional advice on how to incorporate cognitive-behavioral change principles into early management. In recent years, the focus of research on yellow flags has been more specifically applied to occupational contexts.

Main and Burton 7 have argued that, in these contexts, the term “yellow flags” should be reserved for more overtly psychological risk factors, such as fears and unhelpful beliefs, whereas the social/environmental (workplace) risk factors could be divided into 2 categories: (1) workers’ perceptions that their workplace is stressful, unsupportive, and excessively demanding, which they termed “blue flags,” and (2) the more observable characteristics of the workplace and nature of the work, as well the insurance and compensation system under which workplace injuries are managed, which they termed “black flags.” More recently, a distinction has been drawn between psychological risk factors that might be considered essentially “normal,” but unhelpful, psychological reactions to musculoskeletal symptoms (eg, the belief that pain necessarily implies damage) and clearly “abnormal” psychological or psychiatric factors or disorders (eg, posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression) suggestive of diagnosable psychopathology.8, 9 It has been suggested that the normal but unhelpful psychological reactions should be described as yellow flags, and those meeting criteria for psychopathology should be termed “orange flags.” 8, 9 The primary significance of this distinction is to differentiate yellow flag factors, which might be amenable to change by suitably trained health care providers such as general medical practitioners and physical therapists, from orange flag factors that probably require specialist mental health referral.

Flag Nature Examples
Red Signs of serious pathology Cauda equina syndrome, fracture, tumor
Orange Psychiatric symptoms Clinical depression, personality disorder
Yellow Beliefs, appraisals, and judgments Unhelpful beliefs about pain: indication of injury as uncontrollable or likely to worsen Expectations of poor treatment outcome, delayed return to work
Emotional responses Distress not meeting criteria for diagnosis of mental disorder Worry, fears, anxiety
Pain behavior (including pain coping strategies) Avoidance of activities due to expectations of pain and possible reinjury Over-reliance on passive treatments (hot packs, cold packs, analgesics)
Blue Perceptions about the relationship between work and health Belief that work is too onerous and likely to cause further injury Belief that workplace supervisor and workmates are unsupportive
Black System or contextual obstacles Legislation restricting options for return to work Conflict with insurance staff over injury claim Overly solicitous family and health care providers Heavy work, with little opportunity to modify duties

table>

Flag Nature Examples Red Signs of serious pathology Cauda equina syndrome, fracture, tumor Orange Psychiatric symptoms Clinical depression, personality disorder Yellow Beliefs, appraisals, and judgments Unhelpful beliefs about pain: indication of injury as uncontrollable or likely to worsen Expectations of poor treatment outcome, delayed return to work Emotional responses Distress not meeting criteria for diagnosis of mental disorder Worry, fears, anxiety Pain behavior (including pain coping strategies) Avoidance of activities due to expectations of pain and possible reinjury Over-reliance on passive treatments (hot packs, cold packs, analgesics) Blue Perceptions about the relationship between work and health Belief that work is too onerous and likely to cause further injury Belief that workplace supervisor and workmates are unsupportive Black System or contextual obstacles Legislation restricting options for return to work Conflict with insurance staff over injury claim Overly solicitous family and health care providers Heavy work, with little opportunity to modify duties

Table 1 Summary of Different Types of Flags

Flag Nature Examples
Red Signs of serious pathology Cauda equina syndrome, fracture, tumor
Orange Psychiatric symptoms Clinical depression, personality disorder
Yellow Beliefs, appraisals, and judgments Unhelpful beliefs about pain: indication of injury as uncontrollable or likely to worsen Expectations of poor treatment outcome, delayed return to work
Emotional responses Distress not meeting criteria for diagnosis of mental disorder Worry, fears, anxiety
Pain behavior (including pain coping strategies) Avoidance of activities due to expectations of pain and possible reinjury Over-reliance on passive treatments (hot packs, cold packs, analgesics)
Blue Perceptions about the relationship between work and health Belief that work is too onerous and likely to cause further injury Belief that workplace supervisor and workmates are unsupportive
Black System or contextual obstacles Legislation restricting options for return to work Conflict with insurance staff over injury claim Overly solicitous family and health care providers Heavy work, with little opportunity to modify duties

table>

Flag Nature Examples Red Signs of serious pathology Cauda equina syndrome, fracture, tumor Orange Psychiatric symptoms Clinical depression, personality disorder Yellow Beliefs, appraisals, and judgments Unhelpful beliefs about pain: indication of injury as uncontrollable or likely to worsen Expectations of poor treatment outcome, delayed return to work Emotional responses Distress not meeting criteria for diagnosis of mental disorder Worry, fears, anxiety Pain behavior (including pain coping strategies) Avoidance of activities due to expectations of pain and possible reinjury Over-reliance on passive treatments (hot packs, cold packs, analgesics) Blue Perceptions about the relationship between work and health Belief that work is too onerous and likely to cause further injury Belief that workplace supervisor and workmates are unsupportive Black System or contextual obstacles Legislation restricting options for return to work Conflict with insurance staff over injury claim Overly solicitous family and health care providers Heavy work, with little opportunity to modify duties

Given these developments in the flags concept and the length of time they have been in circulation, it seemed timely to reappraise the utility of yellow flags: first, as risk factors for the development of persistent pain and associated disability, and second, in terms of their value in the identification of “at-risk” cases for targeted intervention.

When should I get my back pain checked out?

When Should I See a Doctor for Back Pain? – Content When your back first starts to hurt, try taking an over-the-counter pain reliever (for example, aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen) and applying ice in the first 48 hours. You may apply heat after 48 hours.

  • You may need to take it easy for a while, but “it’s best to stay as active as tolerated, and to avoid absolute bed rest,” said Dr. Guo.
  • If your back pain lasts more than two weeks and keeps you from participating in normal, daily activities, see your family doctor.
  • If your pain is severe, you should see a doctor sooner.

You should seek urgent medical care if you have:

Fever associated with back pain Back pain after trauma Loss of bladder or bowel control Loss of strength in your arms and legs Unexplained weight loss associated with back pain

Also, always be more cautious if you have special risk factors for cancer, infection, or fractures that may affect the spine.

What underlying conditions cause back pain?

Strain – Back pain commonly stems from strain, tension, or injury. Frequent causes of back pain are:

strained muscles or ligamentsa muscle spasmmuscle tensiondamaged disksinjuries, fractures, or falls

Activities that can lead to strains or spasms include:

lifting something improperlylifting something that is too heavymaking an abrupt and awkward movement