Lower Right Back Pain - The Facts

Back pain is a very common condition, one which sufferers often visit their doctors to seek treatment for. The patient is looking for solutions or at minimum information pertaining to the problems that they are experiencing. The doctor may not be able to provide the information.

Lower Right Back Pain Information

The back is made up of the spine and vertebra the spinal column and nerves, ligaments, tendons muscles and this structure makes the back an incredibly flexible and mobile body area, but small changes in any of these components of the back can cause the back to become unbalanced, causing pain.
The following problems can occur which would cause such imbalances:

• Strained muscles


• Torn ligaments


• Joint stiffness


• Joint damage/ Injury


• Disc issues


• Nerve compression/Irritation


• Fractured bone

It is very common to experience stiffness, aching or pain in the lower back, lower right or lower left back. The reason is that the issues are common is because the lower back is susceptible since it is used when lifting, can be put out of balance through back posture as the upper body must be supported. This fact also leads to a higher likelihood of age related wear and tear being present, as we get older.

As mentioned previously, the lower right back pain can be caused by poor lifting technique, bad posture, or sporting injuries, and since the lower right and lower left back are made up of many muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and bones, these improper movements can cause injury or inflammation in one or more of these structures, leading to lower right back pain.

There are three types of muscles that broadly speaking act on the spine, and those are flexor, extensor and oblique muscles. The flexor muscles help you bend forward, or flex the spine, which would occur whilst lifting objects for example. The right flexor muscle may cause lower right back pain, the left flexor can also cause low right back pain due to imbalanced that might be cause by the left flexor.

The extensor muscles, which exist in the gluteal and lower back muscles and allow you to sit up straight, extending the spine may also become fatigued, or strained causing soreness. The lower right or lower left extensors may become inflamed or injured and cause back pain.

The oblique muscles, which attach to the sides of the spine, allow rotation of the spine allowing you to turn. Injury or straining of these muscles can cause a large number of problems due to imbalances that will likely occur.

In addition to simple muscle strain, injury to ligaments, joints, and bones can also cause muscle pain. If one of these structures is injured or inflamed, back muscles can go into spasm, drastically limiting your movement and cause pain in the lower right back.

Stress is a common cause of pain in the lower right back. Stress will make your back muscles tighten. This happens to every muscle in the body, as we move into a "fight or flight" response. Muscles that are tightened lack the energy they need to support the spine. If the stress is frequent, and measures are not taken immediately to relieve it, lower right back pain can easily develop.

Severe Lower Right Back Pain

Lower right back pain that lasts more than two week is duration or if the pain is intense and does not ease for a week, or you experience numbness or tingling, then immediate medical advice should be sought. It may mean that rest is required, or medication to take down inflammation or a battery of tests needs to be done to find out the cause. Whilst rest may be recommended, it is still a good idea to do a small amount of exercise, 30 minutes a day if possible, to prevent the muscles from weakening, or the joints from seizing up.

If the muscles weaken, they will not protect or support the back as completely, and so may result in further unnecessary injury. The rest / severe back pain event cycle will continue, with the situation becoming worse every time, unless care is taken to prevent the cycle from continuing.

Symptoms of Lower Right Back Pain

To be able to fully and quickly treat back pain, you need to be aware of the causes of lower right back pain, and the symptoms that may be experienced. This can involve understanding what location the pain is felt in, the type of pain, and the severity of that pain. Does the pain move around, or is it concentrated in one area?

1. Numbness in buttocks or extending down leg - You may have a herniated disc - see a doctor immediately. This may also be sciatica caused by a trapped nerve, in which case you may want to consider consulting a chiropractor.


2. Pain from twisting, or bending? - You may have pulled a muscle, or you may have a herniated disc - see you doctor.


3. Blood in the urine - You may have a kidney issue. See a doctor immediately.

Lower Right Back Pain Treatments

The pain can be helped by having stronger more mobile muscles in the back, as they will be better able to support the spine, and prevent further issues.
If the spine is stiff, and not in the neutral position, it is worthwhile visiting a chiropractor to get your spine reset toward the neutral position. This course of treatment will not happen immediately, but really does work.

Gentle exercise initially, to build up the strength in the back should be performed, and nothing that causes intense pain. You're doing it wrong, or have another issue if that happens, in which case visit your doctor. Any exercise should also be accompanies by gentle stretching both before and after exercise.