Low Back Pain Exams And Tests
Medical history
- Because many different conditions may cause back pain, a thorough medical history will be performed as part of the examination. Some of the questions you are asked may not seem pertinent to you but are very important to your doctor in determining the source of your pain.
- Your doctor will first ask you many questions regarding the onset of the pain. He or she will want to know what makes the pain better or worse. The doctor will ask you questions referring to the red flag symptoms. He or she will ask if you have had the pain before. Your doctor will ask about recent illnesses and associated symptoms such as coughs, fevers, urinary difficulties, or stomach illnesses. In females, the doctor will want to know about vaginal bleeding, cramping, or discharge. Pain from the pelvis, in these cases, is frequently felt in the back.
Physical examination
Imaging
Nerve tests
- Electromyogram or EMG is a test that involves the placement of very small needles into the muscles. Electrical activity is monitored. Its use is usually reserved for more chronic pain and to predict the level of nerve root damage. The test is also able to help the doctor distinguish between nerve root disease and muscle disease.
Blood tests
What If Its Something Serious
Generally, simultaneous occurrences of stomach and back pain are relatively non-threatening and can be naturally remediated at home. However, there are some causes for concern, especially if the pain recurs often or simply does not subside. Some additional symptoms might indicate something more serious is going on.
Bloating, constipation, and spinal pain can indicate the presence of autoimmune disorders, such as Hashimotos thyroiditis, Celiacs Disease, and Sjogrens Syndrome. Those with different types of neuropathy sometimes report having these symptoms.
On a somewhat more rare occasion, spinal pain that leads into stomach pain can be an indicator of certain types of cancer. Women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer often report feeling back and stomach pain as well as experiencing increasingly worse constipation prior to their cancer diagnoses. What Can Be Done to Ease the Pain?
Spinal and abdominal pain can be annoying, if not downright challenging to deal with. There are a few steps you can take to reduce pain in stomach and back areas. One of the most vital steps you can take is to stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water will get the built-up fiber moving through your digestive system. This is especially important for people with disorders like Sjogrens who experience chronic dryness throughout their bodies.
Problems Affecting The Sacroiliac Joint
Thesacroiliac joints play a role to support and move the load of your upper bodyssection to the lower body.
Inflammationof the sacroiliac joints ,for example, can cause pain in the lower back and buttocks. The pain may alsoradiate to one or both legs. And it usually gets worse with stair climbing orprolonged standing.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Abdominal Pain
Abdominal pain may take several different forms. In addition to how severe it is, abdominal pain can be described in the following ways:
Generalized Pain This refers to pain felt in more than half of your abdominal area, and is typical of stomach viruses, indigestion, or gas as the cause of your pain.
Localized Pain This refers to pain felt in just one area of your abdomen, and is typical of a problem with an organ like your stomach, appendix, or gallbladder as the cause of your pain.
Cramping This type of pain come and goes, or changes in its severity or perceived position in your abdomen. Cramping is rarely serious and is typical of gas, passing a stool, or menstruation as the cause of your pain.
Colicky Pain
Its important to call your doctor if your abdominal pain is so severe that you cant move without feeling more pain, or sit still in a comfortable position.
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting that doesnt resolve
- Weight loss
- Abdomen very tender to touch
- Swollen abdomen
How Are Back Pain And Nausea Treated
Treatments for back pain and nausea will address the underlying condition. Anti-nausea medications can help the immediate symptoms subside. Examples include dolasetron and granisetron . You can take either of these medications while youre pregnant. If your back pain doesnt subside with rest and medical treatments, your doctor may evaluate you for a more serious injury.
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What Prevail Reasons Of Lower Pain In The Back 1
Typical reasons for low neck and back pain include lumbar stress, nerve irritability, back radiculopathy, bony advancement, and also problems of the bone and joints. Each of these is reviewed below.
Lumbar strain : A back pressure is a stretch injury to the ligaments, tendons, and/or muscle mass of the lower back. The extending case lead to tiny tears of differing degrees in these cells. Back pressure is taken into consideration one of the most typical reasons for lower back pain.
The injury can take place as a result of overuse, incorrect use, or trauma. Soft-tissue injury is generally categorized as acute if it has actually been present for days to weeks. If the pressure lasts longer than 3 months, it is described as chronic. Back stress usually happens in individuals in their 40s, however it can occur at any kind of age. The problem is characterized by local pain in the lower back location with onset after an event that mechanically stressed the back tissues. The extent of the injury ranges from mild to extreme, relying on the degree of pressure and resulting convulsion of the muscles of the lower back. Can Stress Cause Lower Back And Abdominal Pain
The medical diagnosis of lumbar strain is based upon the background of injury, the place of the pain, as well as exemption of nervous system injury. Usually, X-ray testing is only helpful to exclude bone problems.
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When Should You Be Concerned About Stomach Pain
Stomach pain isnt always a concern. However, it could be a sign of an underlying medical condition or emergency.
Go to the doctor right away if your pain is: Unmanageable Causing you to avoid eating or drinking Making it hard to keep food or beverages down for two days Accompanied by signs of dehydration
Some digestive conditions can become serious when paired with anxiety. Ulcers, for example, are exacerbated by stress. Irritable bowel diseases flare up in the face of anxiety. When a physical ailment is aggravated by anxiety, its important to take steps to improve your physical and psychological health.
The sensations that you feel in your body are there to give you information. Pay attention to how you feel. Even if its not incredibly bothersome, low-grade, chronic stomach pain is often an indicator that something is off balance.
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Problems Digesting Food Such As Feeling Full Quickly When You Eat Bloating Burping Or Wind
The pancreas plays an important role in breaking down food . It is common for pancreatic cancer to cause problems with eating and digesting food.
Symptoms of this include feeling full up quickly when you eat, bloating of your tummy, lots of wind, and burping. But these symptoms are common problems and arent usually due to pancreatic cancer.
Home Remedies For Abdominal Pain
Getting an accurate medical diagnosis is the first and safest step to relieve abdominal pain, because a doctor or other healthcare provider can perform an exam and order tests to rule out serious causes. However, if you have generalized abdominal pain and suspect it is due to minor gastrointestinal issues, consider these home remedies:
- Baking soda for
- Ginger to aid digestion and reduce nausea
- Heated compress on your belly for cramp-like pain
- Liquid diet of broth and watered-down, non-caffeinated sports drinks
- Lying reclined on your left side, which can help you pass gas
- Modifying your diet to exclude problem foods, such as dairy products, beans, broccoli, and potential allergens
- Blackstrap molasses for constipation
- Tylenol for pain or fever
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Wide Range Of Symptoms
One of the more surprising issues with some types of anxiety disorder is the way that they change sensations in our body. For example, for many, feeling full is a nice feeling. However, it can lead to a variety of natural body sensations, including:
- Feeling lightheaded
- Slight stomach discomfort
- Fatigue
In those without anxiety, these are natural. In people suffering from some degree of anxiety, those sensations feel much more pronounced and can trigger a full-blown panic attack.
Causes Of Acute Stomach Pain
- Eating Too Much. Eating too much can cause an upset stomach and mild stomach pain.
- Hunger Pains. Younger children may complain of stomach pain when they are hungry.
- GI Virus . A GI virus can cause stomach cramps as well as vomiting and/or diarrhea.
- Food Poisoning. This causes sudden vomiting and/or diarrhea within hours after eating the bad food. It is caused by toxins from germs growing in foods left out too long. Most often, symptoms go away in less than 24 hours. It often can be treated at home without the need for medical care.
- Constipation. The need to pass a stool may cause cramps in the lower abdomen.
- Strep Throat. A strep throat infection causes 10% of new onset stomach pain with fever.
- Bladder Infection. Bladder infections usually present with painful urination, urgency and bad smelling urine. Sometimes the only symptom is pain in the lower abdomen.
- Appendicitis . Suspect appendicitis if pain is low on the right side and walks bent over. Other signs are the child won’t hop and wants to lie still.
- Intussusception . Sudden attacks of severe pain that switch back and forth with periods of calm. Caused by one segment of bowel telescoping into a lower piece of bowel. Peak age is 6 months to 2 years.
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Can Ulcers Cause Back Pain
Back pain is one among the less common symptoms of peptic ulcers. Here is a brief overview of ulcer symptoms that may include pain in the back.
Back pain is one among the less common symptoms of peptic ulcers. Here is a brief overview of ulcer symptoms that may include pain in the back.
Ulcers are very common in humans, especially middle-aged people. Peptic ulcers develop on the mucous membrane that lines the inner surfaces of the stomach and the duodenum. Esophageal ulcers form in the esophagus. Ulcers in the stomach are called gastric ulcers, and those in the duodenum are called duodenal ulcers. While duodenal ulcers are far more common than gastric ulcers, esophageal ulcers are rare. It has been observed that alcohol abuse is a major cause for ulcers in the esophagus. Peptic ulcers are usually associated with Helicobacter pylori infection or long-term use of NSAIDs. Ulcers can cause various symptoms, and abdominal pain is the most common one. Ulcers can also cause back pain, which is a symptom that is usually associated with other medical conditions.
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Your Period Is Coming
In women and young girls, abdominal pain is common days before period will starts. Though severity may vary from woman to woman, you may also feel pain in your back.
If you just started having menstruation for the first time, dont be too concerned about this kind of pain. In most women, its normal and will become less severe as your period ends.
Heres an email I received from one of my readers
Hi Dr. Dunn,
I have been getting pain in my abdomen for about a week now and my period will start in few days time. Does this mean Im pregnant because Ive never had sex before?
If you are already a week close to your period and experience back pain and cramps, its normal.
During your menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone level begin to fall days before your next period. Because of this drop in hormones, you may start to feel different few days before your next period.
Some of the symptoms you will experience are breast pain, mood changes with anxiety or depression, headache, body weakness, and belly cramps.
What to do?
If you are feeling pain in your abdomen before and during your period, you should know that many other girls feel this way. It mostly occurs because of hormones changes and effect of prostaglandins on your uterus.
Pain will not be the same for all ladies, and you may have mild cramps or very bad menstrual cramps.
First, you should learn your signs of period coming, and then other causes of cramps before your period.
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A Word From Mindset Health
If you suffer anxiety and abdominal pain, and diagnostic testing finds no physical cause, you may have IBS. The gut-brain connection suggests how physical symptoms of IBS such as stomach aches may be linked to anxiety symptoms and stress levels. Seeking help from a mental health professional and receiving psychotherapies such as gut-directed hypnosis will offer the chance for your gut and mind to be healed as one.
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Back And Rib Pain: Causes Of Upper To Middle Back And Rib Pain
Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health
Issues with your muscles, ligaments, or ribs in your back can often cause rib pain in the back. The middle and upper part of your spine is called the thoracic region and it helps to support your upper body. Irritation, inflammation, back rib injury, strained or pulled back muscles, or a herniated disc can all cause pain in ribs and back.
Back rib pain or middle back pain is less common than lower back pain. However, pain in your upper or middle back can cause a lot of discomfort in your day-to-day activities. Depending on the cause of mid-back pain, you may have dull aches and discomfort between your shoulder blades. Sometimes, the back pain can feel as sharp and jabbing discomfort that suddenly gets worse. Or, back muscle stiffness may make lifting your arms sore and painful.
There are many ways to get rid of back and rib pain without having to turn to painkillers. For example, hot or cold compresses can help to increase blood circulation and speed up the healing process. Or, you may have to improve your posture to ease nagging pain and prevent rib pain in your middle back. In many cases, stretching exercises strengthen and flex the strained muscles and ligaments in your middle back to relieve pain.
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Problems With Spinal Discs
A herniated, ruptured, or slipped disc in the spine can cause middle back pain when moving your upper body. The back pain may feel worse when twisting or bending at the waist and may cause neck pain.
The Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy found that injuries to the discs in the cervical spine can cause pain that spreads to the upper thoracic spine. The type of pain in the thoracic area caused by spinal issues is described as severe, intense, debilitating back pain. These injuries can affect nerves that can also cause headaches and other neurological problems.10
Researchers from the University of Maryland report that a herniated thoracic disc can cause intense sharp pain that happens suddenly. However, you may have a herniated disc without back pain. This can happen if the ruptured disc presses on a spinal nerve and this can result in any of the following symptoms:11
- Muscle weakness
- Numbness in one or both legs
- Pain that travels through your body
According to a report in the journal International Surgery, a thoracic disc herniation can also cause chronic abdominal pain. The researchers suggested that it is possible to mistake symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome for thoracic pain that radiates from the middle back.12
Which Medicines Can Cause Abdominal
Some medicines can cause abdominal pain as a side effect. Common examples include:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen and
- ketoprofen
- antibiotics
If you, or someone you are caring for, has an episode of abdominal pain that you think may be related to a medicine, talk to your pharmacist or doctor. There may be an alternative medicine that is better for you.
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Is Your Task Causing Back Pain
A job that entails drawing, lifting, or turning with the low back can create injury and also low back pain. Even prolonged being in an unpleasant setting can trigger low back pain. Depending on your feet for hours at a time? That can cause lower back pain as well. The most effective means to prevent back pain is to understand if you are at threat.
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Characteristics Of The Pain
When does the pain occur? Always? More often in the morning or at night? If the pain comes and goes, about how long does it last each time? Does it occur after eating certain types of foods or after drinking alcohol? Abdominal pain that occurs after eating may be due to indigestion. Does pain occur during menstruation? These are typical questions your doctor may ask that may help determine the cause. For example, abdominal pain that comes on suddenly may suggest a sudden event such as the interruption of the supply of blood to the colon or obstruction of the bile duct by a gallstone .
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