Gall Bladder and Back Pain

The gall bladder back pain is usually caused due to the inflammation or improper functioning of gall bladder, which is a small pear-shaped organ on the underside of the liver, in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. Its main function is to collect and store bile, which is used by the body to digest fats. Bile is made in the liver cells (hepatocytes) and consists of water, electrolytes, bile acids, phospholipids and bilirubin. It assists in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K.

Causes and Symptoms Of Gall Bladder Problems

Gall bladder diseases and problems are fairly common and affect both men and women.

Some of the gall bladder problems are caused by:

1. Production of toxic bile by the liver

2. Inadequate production of bile

3. Excess amount of cholesterol in bile, leading to the formation of gall bladder stones

4. Infection in gall bladder

5. Hormonal changes during pregnancy

6. Blood disorders or infections

The symptoms can vary from indigestion and nausea to vomiting and pain in the right upper abdomen. This pain also radiates to the lower back, resulting in gall bladder back pain.

Other symptoms include:

1. Fever due to inflammation in the gall bladder

2. Abdominal bloating

3. Severe heartburn and gas

4. Jaundice

5. Diarrhea

The lower back pain can be attributed to a gall bladder disorder problem that results in gall bladder pain called biliary colic. Biliary colic occurs when gallstones block the small duct that drains bile to the small intestine. Gallstones or biliary calculi are small stones formed from a mixture of cholesterol, bile pigment and calcium salts. The formation of gallstones is a very common disorder and affects approximately 15% of the people at the age of around 50.

However, in most cases, complication and infections don't arise until gallstones block a bile duct, which then leads to severe pain lasting from 30 min to several hours. In such circumstances, you must undertake an ultra sound test to confirm the presence of gallstones and then get the proper treatment with the help of a doctor.

Learning About Some of the Lower Back Pain Causes

There are many possible causes of lower back pain, making it very difficult to effectively diagnose such a condition for appropriate treatments. With a large percentage of the world population suffering from pain in the lower back area in any given year, it is important to learn to recognized some of these lower back pain causes.

Among the more obvious causes of pain in the lower area of the back are muscle strains, pulls, and tears. These typically happen when lifting too much weight, moving in an awkward fashion, or moving suddenly when the muscles are stiff. In fact, the causes are often a combination of the above, occurring in a single instance. However, many other types of pain in the back area could be attributed to such instances simply for lack of a more recognizable cause.

Regardless of whether the pain in your back is acute or chronic, seeing your doctor is an important step to take. While most back pains have relatively innocuous causes, there are some serious health conditions that can result in lower back pain and even innocuous pains can be debilitating without appropriate treatment.

Back pain becomes more likely the older we get. However, this appears to be greatly related to a corresponding tendency to lower fitness levels as we age. In other words, if your bones or muscles are getting weaker as you age, as is the case for most people, you will become more susceptible to a variety of conditions that cause pain in the back. Weaker, less flexible bones and muscles make us more susceptible to pulls, strains, tears, and fractures. To add insult to the back injury, it takes a lot longer for our body to heal as we get older.

Other common injuries that become even more common as we age are nerve damage, compression, and shifts. These can all be extremely painful. They can be made more likely and more severe if you allow your fitness levels to decline and maintain improper posture on a regular basis.

An old misconception is that bed rest will cure pain in the back. There are a some lower back pain causes for which this is true, but this is not true for the majority of causes. In fact, too much time spent lying down or sitting during the day is a common cause of pain in the lower area of the back. Exercise is a more common treatment for such pain than bed rest, but the proper treatment for you will be determined based on the diagnosis made by your doctor.

Back Pain and Osteopathy

Back pain has become a very common complaint the world over and is blamed on the modern lifestyle. It's a pain that causes disability in both active and inactive people, especially those who are past middle age. The costs of health system expenditure have been rising and back problems are the leading cause of this rise.

Your back is the part of your body that starts from the back of your neck and shoulders down to the top of your buttocks. Your spinal canal is located down the centre of the spine where your nerves are attached. These nerves are the transmitters of pain signals to your brain. Back pain is a symptom ranging from a dull, annoying ache to debilitating pain that may be caused by many things, including simple stress on the muscles and ligaments or some underlying medical condition. The pain can sometimes be acute, swiftly coming and going. Alternatively your pains may be termed as chronic, lingering for an extended period of time. This pain can be focused in either your upper back or the lower back.

Lower back pain is localised to your lower back, typically beginning from the lumbar or spinal region, down the flank, the buttocks, the hips or the groin. Radiating pain down the legs into the feet can also be traced to lower back problems. It can bring a feeling of numbness or "pins and needles" or what is known as "falling asleep of the limbs" in your lower leg or foot. Your pains may also be associated with changes in bowel motions.

Other sources of back pain can be an injury either inflicted or from an accident, a herniated disc or other spinal disc injury from degeneration and aging that may have caused rupture to the disc sac or a bulging disc. Medical conditions like urinary tract infections, gynaecological or prostatic disorders can also be the root cause of your pain. Another reason why a person will experience these pains is a condition called pelvic imbalance. Frequent poor posture causes one side of the body, its muscles and ligaments to develop more than the other side. This imbalance sometimes results in muscle spasm or nerve irritation which causes pain.

Upper back pain, on the other hand is pain on the upper part of the torso, including the shoulder blades and lower neck. This is also associated with the "pins and needles" symptoms and numbness in the upper limbs, arms down to the fingers. Headaches, migraines, chest pains, reflux or shortness of breath are some of the other symptoms associated with back problems. Poor posture and pelvic imbalance may also cause upper pain. In some cases, underlying medical conditions such as heart disease may also contribute. This can also combine with blackouts, tingling down the left arm, jaw pain and dizziness. A General Practitioner should be immediately consulted when a patient is having these symptoms.

For your back pain and back related problems, osteopaths are there to address your pelvic imbalance and disc injuries. Osteopathy can help you by re-aligning your pelvis, hips and lower back. This process stimulates the nervous system and thus may also help urinary tract infections, bowel disorders, gynaecological and prostate problems.

Osteopathy considers your physical needs to treat your upper back directly but also looks at the lower back and neck to make sure that the problem is not originating from there. They will take a look at your thoracic spine, rib alignment and your lower back alignment in a holistic approach to treating back pain.

Osteopaths also prescribe stretching and other exercises designed to prevent further pain. One of the fastest growing specialties in Australia addressing allied health problems is the practice of Osteopathy.

Low Back Pain and Sciatica: Chiropractic or Surgery?

Many people who suffer from low back pain also experience pain and numbness radiating into the leg. Some people even have muscle weakness in their leg or foot. This is called sciatica or sciatic nerve pain, and it is one of the most painful conditions one can experience. It can be debilitating, and causes many people to be disabled from their jobs and unable to enjoy spending time with family and friends.

If a person goes to their primary care physician they may first be given medication for the condition. If the medication is not effective they next may have an MRI of the lower back taken. If the MRI shows a lumbar disc herniation causing pressure on the sciatic nerve a referral to a surgeon may lead to a recommendation for back surgery called a "micro-diskectomy". But this is not the only treatment option to be considered.

Researchers have recently found that spinal manipulation of the lumbar spine is just as effective as micro-diskectomy for patients struggling with sciatica from a lumbar disc herniation. Overall patients who received spinal manipulation benefited to the same degree as those who underwent surgery. In United States, most spinal manipulation is performed by doctors of chiropractic. The research paper titled, "Manipulation or Micro-diskectomy for Sciatica? published October 2010, in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics noted that "after a year, no significant complications were seen in either treatment group, and the 60% of patients who benefited from spinal manipulation improved to the same degree as their surgical counterparts". The patient population, in the research study, included people experiencing chronic sciatica (symptoms greater than six months) that had failed traditional, medical management.

Another benefit from conservative treatment such as spinal manipulation is that it is less costly than surgery. One study noted that micro-diskectomy surgery in the United States averages $25,000 per procedure. The cost of chiropractic care for sciatica is usually much less than a 10th of the surgical amount. If chiropractic care for sciatic nerve pain was performed before surgery it could save the United States billions of health care dollars annually.

The research supports spinal manipulation performed by a doctor of chiropractic as a valuable and safe treatment option for those experiencing lumbar disc herniations and sciatic nerve pain. Those individuals experiencing sciatic nerve pain should consider spinal manipulation as the treatment to be tried first, only to be followed by surgery if unsuccessful.

How the Psoas Muscle Causes Back and Hip Pain

The biggest factor in back and hip pain is the psoas muscle. The number of problems caused by the psoas is quite astonishing. These include: low back pain, sacroiliac pain, sciatica, disc problems, spondylolysis, scoliosis, hip degeneration, knee pain, menstruation pain, infertility, and digestive problems. The list can also include biomechanical problems like pelvic tilt, leg length discrepancies, kyphosis, and lumbar lordosis.

What is the psoas?

The psoas (pronounced "so - oz") primarily flexes the hip and the spinal column. The psoas is a key core muscle. At about 16 inches long on the average, it is one of the largest and thickest muscles of the body (in animals it's known as the tenderloin). This powerful muscle runs down the lower mid spine beginning at the 12th thoracic vertebrae connecting to all the vertebral bodies, discs and transverse processes of all the lumbar vertebrae down across the pelvis to attach on the inside of the top of the leg at the lesser trochanter. The lower portion combines with fibers from the iliacus muscle, which sits inside the surface of the pelvis and sacrum, to become the Iliopsoas muscle as it curves over the pubic bone and inserts on the lesser trochanter.

What is the function of the psoas?

This has a number of diverse functions making it a key factor in health. The psoas as a hip and thigh flexor is the major walking muscle. If the legs are stationary the action of it is a bend the spine forward; if sitting it stabilizes and balances the trunk. The lower psoas brings the lumbar vertebrae forward and downward to create pelvic tilt.

When we think of smooth, elegant and graceful movement in dancers and athletes we are looking at the psoas functioning at it optimum. It requires that the psoas maintain the pelvis in a dynamically neutral orientation that can move easily and retain structural integrity. This creates positions of the spine that require the least muscular effort.

What are the common pain symptoms of the psoas?

When the muscle becomes contracted due to injuries, poor posture, prolonged sitting, or stress, it can alter the biomechanics of the pelvis and the lumbar, thoracic and even cervical vertebrae. Typically a dysfunctional is responsible for referred pain down the front of the thigh and vertically along the lower to mid spinal column. Trigger points are found above the path of the psoas on the abdomen. Frequently the quadratus lumborum muscles develop trigger point, as well as the piriformis, gluteals, hamstrings, and erector spinae.

It can torque your spine to the right or left, pull it forward and twist the pelvis into various distortions. Frequently one psoas will shorten and pull the spine and/or pelvis to our dominant side. The distortions of the spine and pelvis can also show up as a short or long leg. This all results in scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, trigger points, and spasms in back muscles trying to resist the pulling of the psoas.

It can pull the spine downward, compressing the facet joints and the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine. The pressure can cause the discs to degenerate, becoming thinner and less flexible. This degeneration makes the discs more susceptible to bulging or tearing, especially with twisting and bending movements.

What keeps the psoas in contraction?

The psoas will stay contracted because of postural habits and trauma. The way we stand, walk and sit can distort the psoas. If we walk or stand with our chin in an overly forward position the muscle will tighten. Sitting through much of the day it shortens to keep us bio mechanically balanced in our chairs. Over time we develop a "normal" way of holding the psoas that is dysfunctional.

Unresolved trauma can keep the psoas short and reactive. This is a primary muscle in flight, fight, freeze or defensive responses to danger. When survival is at stake, it propels the body to hit the ground running. When startled, it ignites preparation of the extensor muscles to reach out (grab hold) or run. Until the psoas is released the muscle may stay contracted and go into further shortening and spasm very easily.

Overly challenging exercises, stretches or release techniques for the psoas can sometimes do more harm than good. When the psoas is capable of contracting and relaxing normally it can be strengthened and lengthened.

Abdominal Exercise: How Does It Help In Reducing Lower Back Pain?

There are many causes for lower back pain, like retracted muscle, disc issues/problems, arthritis, or sacroiliac joint dysfunction. If you want to tackle lower back pain successfully, the important areas you need to address are beneficial abdominal workout routines.

A person's core stability depends mainly on abdominal strength. Thus, it prevents a swayed back as well as compacted nerves. Nevertheless, not all abdominal exercises are the same. So to prevent making your pain worse, you will have to select the correct abdominal exercises from the start.

To get it done effectively, you ought to know the main cause before doing any exercise.

Back Pain Causes

Low back pain is caused by these two reasons:

• Injury to the back or abdominal region


• Uneven muscle strength or muscle group imbalances

Muscle imbalances lead to postural dysfunction. It consist of spine's abnormal curvature and pelvis' abnormal alignment. Thus, abnormal alignment will cause wearing out of the joints, muscles, ligaments and discs.

Everyone should know that this pain doesn't happen in just one night. Ok, you may become symptomatic rapidly, but this happens over a long time period, it takes time where your back reaches the point of finally caving in, leading to pain in the lower back.

Back Muscle Imbalance

Muscle imbalance takes place when the muscles are overdeveloped in one part wherein the other side are being pulled out. These imbalances can also occur on any body part which may be due to your activities. There are actually several things that may give rise to this pain.

Once the muscle groups are unbalanced, misalignment will almost certainly take place. Postural dysfunction can take place following spinal shifts and muscle imbalances.

Abdominals and Their Role

The abdominal region is the place where pain starts. It is generally caused by short or tight muscles in the lumbar region. Either one of these will cause abnormal pressure on the spinal column and nerve irritation. Discs can become compressed resulting in tighter muscles and additional soreness.

Your abdominal muscles are those that tilt your hips under and return your spine to a neutral position. Your abdominals need to be used just enough to return the spine to a neutral position to prevent it from over-arching. Your abdominals aid your back to transfer from a bad postural position into a neutral position.

But conditioning your abdominal muscles doesn't instantly make them supportive of your spine or alleviate postural dysfunction. It is dependent on where the muscle imbalance is occurring, thus the postural dysfunction, performing an incorrect abdominal exercise might not have any benefit to you at all, or you could actually make the condition more painful.

Lower Back Pain Exercises - Heal Yourself at Home

Have you thrown your back out? Here are some lower back pain exercises that will quickly help you heal.

A few months ago, I was pretty busy out in the yard. I had to shovel and spread quite a bit of mulch. Unfortunately for my back, I wasn't paying that much attention to my posture. I let my lower back get round again and again as I lifted. Day after day this went on, until finally I reached down to pick some weeds and BAM! My back seized up.

Here are some lower back pain exercises that I used to get better in just a week or two.

First, I should note that these exercises are specifically designed to address injuries like disc herniation and bulging disks that can happen when you bend forward and/or sit with a rounded lower back, over and over again. This is a really common cause of lower back pain, but there ARE others. So, if the following situations apply to you, skip these exercises as they may do more harm than good.

Skip these exercises if you:

• Had your back give out while under a heavy load and think that there is probably some major tissue damage.


• Have a disorder called spondylolisthesis (if you have this you would most likely already know)


• Injured yourself while bending back (spinal extension injury)

And, as always, these exercises are provided for educational purposes only. Consult your physician before beginning any new rehabilitation routine.

First, Why Do I Have Lower Back Pain?

The brain causes the muscles in the lower back muscles to lock up and spasm to protect the vulnerable spine and discs. When we bend forward with a rounded lower back, day after day, we put excess stress on the discs. The vertebrae compress along the front of the spine and squeeze the discs toward the back of the spine, much like toothpaste is squeezed from the bottom of a tube towards the opening.

Eventually the discs will become injured and bulge out, pressing onto surrounding nerves. When your brain senses that this is happening, it triggers a back spasm to lock up and protect the spine, preventing any further damage.

These exercises help alleviate lower back pain by accomplishing two things. First they put the disc back into place. Then these movements activate the spine's supporting muscles, which let the brain know that everything is functioning as it should. Since these muscles are supporting the spine, there is no need for emergency support and the brain can relax the back spasms.

The Routine

1. MacKenzie Pressups - 10 repetitions


2. Hip extensions - 8 repetitions x 5 sec hold


3. Birddogs - 4 repetitions x 10 sec hold


4. Side bridges - 5 repetitions x 10 sec hold on each side

Afterwards, walk around and let your body feel how your spine's support muscles and structures are now properly aligned and activated. There will be less need for the brain to trigger the back spasms that cause you pain and stiffness.

MacKenzie Pressups

This exercise squeezes your discs from the back of the spine to the front, alleviating discs that are bulging towards the rear.

Lying down on your stomach with your hands beneath your shoulders, keeping your shoulder blades down and back, slowly arch your back, pushing your chest up while you breathe out. Keep your hips on the floor.

Lower yourself down slowly on your inhale.

Begin gently and only slowly increase your range of motion. This exercise may hurt a little on the first few repetitions. If it doesn't feel better after 3 or 4 reps, abandon this exercise.

Hip Extension

This exercise lets your brain know that your glutes are working to stabilize your spine.

Lie on the ground with your feet flat on the ground around shoulder width apart, your knees bent at about 90 degrees.

Raise your hips up towards the sky by pushing through your heels and flexing your glutes (butt muscles). Allow all other muscles to remain relaxed.

Keep your hips up with your glutes flexed for 5 seconds, then lower back down steadily. Do 8 reps.

Bird Dogs

This exercise activates the important spinal stabilizers called the multifidus and transverse abdominus, which help with fine stabilization between individual vertebrae.

Down on all fours, keep your hands and knees aligned with each other, as if they were sharing a plank.

Maintaining neutral spine position (flat back, essentially), slowly lift up one leg, straightening it as your heel moves away from your body. Next, keeping your shoulders packed down, raise the opposite arm out at a 45 degree angle (half of 90!). This will activate the often-dormant lower trapezius. Keep your hips stable while you do this exercise, don't let them shift as you raise your limbs.

Side Bridge / Side Plank

Lying on your side with your feet stacked on top of each other or with one foot placed in front of the other, place your elbow beneath your shoulder. Keep your other hand on your hip or leg.

Flexing your obliques and quadratus lomborum (side abdominal muscles), raise your hips up.

Don't bend at the waist. In fact, it is a good idea to do this exercise against a wall for the first few times, to allow you to get a feel for proper alignment. You want to be pretty straight, from your head to your feet.

Hold for 10 seconds, then repeat 5 times on right and left sides.

Walk Around

After you complete this circuit, stand up and stroll around, maintaining excellent posture. With any luck, your body should sense that everything is functioning as it should, and that back spasms aren't needed any longer.

How Often Should I Do This Routine?

Do these lower back pain exercises 2 to 3 times/day when you have just thrown your back out. After you heal, continue to perform this circuit for injury prevention.