In some cases, severe back pain that has not resolved after an initial course of treatment can be the result of ‘ referred’ pain from the vital organs…
Lower down the page is a list of associated conditions you may want to have a look at …
This includes information on: Pancreatitis, Gall stones, Kidney Stones, and Interstitial Cystitis
Severe back pain can be related directly to the spine, or it can also be channeled through the nervous tissue indicating several different possible conditions that range from simple to serious…
Since each of your vital organs has nervous tissue that travels to the nerve trunks of the spine, as we see in this illustration…
Vital organs in distress will emit signals of pain through these nervous system pathways that wind their way through your back …
These pain signals alone can cause severe back pain….
Back pains come in varied forms such as sharp and stabbing, dull and radiating, traveling or staying well localized, to one side (uni-lateral) or on both sides (bi-lateral), pain occurs in movement only, or at rest only, or both rest and movement…
I cannot emphasize how important it is to describe the pain as specifically as you can to your practitioner because’ it hurts there doc’ does not give us much to go on…not in a seven to ten minute window of time…
Think critically about what might have happened before you go in to be treated, even taking down a few notes can be a great help to your practitioner and ultimately to yourself…and this way you will help yourself by avoiding a generic diagnosis…specific is what your aim is, right?
So, specific information about the when it happened, what type of pain it is, and how often it occurs, and what you are doing when it occurs, can yield a specific treatment …
Also, expect your doctor to note what you are saying, and if they are not writing or typing, prompt them to do so politely. Those notes are a legal document (in any part of the world) and by law need to be accurate since…
your case could be the unusual one, and it is a doctors responsibility to know what the unusual case sounds like…
If Severe Back Pain Persists After Treatment You Should Look Into…
Pancreatitis Referral
Symptoms…
- Pain in the abdomen just below ribs that radiates to the back…
- Eating increases discomfort…
- The pain is commonly described as a ‘boring sensation’..
One scenario here is the pancreas is literally digesting (lysing) itself with its own enzymes…
- Pancreatitis can include nausea and vomiting…
- can last for a week or several years…
- Middle aged and elderly people tend to be susceptible…and the condition is commonly linked to gall stones…
This leads to a range of chemical reactions that cause the pancreas to swell, and this can be at the root of severe back pain by the time the condition is on its way to becoming serious…
If Gall Stones Are The Problem.
Gall stones are variable in size and shape…
- If one or more get stuck at the junction of the bile duct and pancreatic duct there will be pain…
- There will be no bowel sounds in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen…for treatment purposes your belly is divided into four parts. Listening with a stethoscope should yield bowel sounds in all of these parts. Gall stones will muffle or silence the upper right portion…
An ultra-sound scan is the best test for gall stones or other blockages in the gut area…
The picture illustrates stones which are hard and toxic. If you think about these causing aggravation to nerve tissue; it is not difficult to see why a few of these could cause severe back pain…
- Acute cases will involve a hospital visit …
- Drinking alcohol will worsen your situation should you have gall stones…
The medical community will advise surgery to remove the stones or the whole gall bladder…
Gallstones, however can also, be dissolved. The deciding factors on how to proceed will depend on:
- How damaged the gallbladder is…
- How big the stones are…
If you have been in severe pain for several months, seeing your phycisian for an Ultra-sound scan and advice may be the way to go…
If the stones are large and the gallbladder is damaged, there may be danger in doing a cleanse as the stones can get stuck on the way out and cause an increase in pain…
If you are not having symptoms but are over 60, female, enjoy a fatty diet, or are of Native American Descent, you are pre-dispositioned to having gall stones and may wish to try a cleanse with :
- Apple cider vinegar…
- Lemon juice…
- Peppermint…
- Psyllium Husk…
- Vegetable juice…
- Dandelion Root Supplement…
In this day and age of juicers and the Nutri-Bullet and the Nutra-Ninja, it is easier than ever to make a healthy juice. I make two juices a day for myself and enjoy them a great deal; and have noticed improvement in my skin and hair as well…
Please be aware that these are commonly used options, but it is best to have yourself checked first if you suspect that you have reason to have gallstones to make sure cleansing is safe for you…!
Kidney Stones Are Painful Due To Irregular And Often Spikey Formation.
If pain is due to kidney stones you will have:
- Medium to severe back pain in the middle of the back on one side…
- Pain in the abdomen and or groin…
- Possible blood in the urine…
If the urine contains excess of waste products such as calcium, phosphorous and oxalate, stones may form. This condition is more probable if you are :
- A male and…
- Over weight, between 20 and 40…
To stay cleaned out…up your water intake, add fresh lemon to your water…in addition drink an array of fruit juices, fresh…When you have kidney stones, a juicer can become a best friend!
When severe back pain is present it is telling you that in order to regain your health, some changes are required…
If the stones are causing your back to hurt, you may need to take measures to dissolve or break them up, and fortunately, there are many ways to do this…But first…
Assessing your situation with imaging (x-ray, scan) first is best. Sometimes the stones are too big to dissolve with simple treatments and you could be put in more distress or even danger should a stone get stuck on its way out!
NOTE:
Some people are genetically predisposed to this condition…so a talk with members of your extended family will be useful…
Four Ways Kidney Stones
Are Dissolved Without Surgery…
You will need to get assessed by a professional and it may be that dissolution of your kidney stones will be possible without surgery…
- Increase your intake of water; adding slices of lemon to your water is an effective way of dissolving stones…
- One tablespoon of apple cider vinegar each day on its own or in water…
- Alpha blockers…are prescribed medication that relaxes the muscle tissue inside the viscera that enables the stones to pass…
- Shock Wave Lithotripsy…will involve anesthesia as the procedure can be painful…
Before you endeavor to use any of these methods…
Please insist on an ultra-sound scan to make sure that the pain is from kidney stones, as many other diseases can overlap with this kind of pain…
Imaging is necessary to give you the full story regarding what exactly is causing you to have severe back pain…
A Correct Diagnoses For
Interstitial Cystitis Is Critical
- If you are experiencing severe low back pain…usually on one side
- Prescribed medicines are not helping and in some cases making it worse…
- You have frequent urination and there is an absence of a urinary tract infection…
- The bladder is painful when full, less painful after urination…
You should book in with a Urologist. If you are female and can find a female Dr. this can be helpful. Because IC has primarily become a ‘women’s’ issue, the female Dr.s have more of a concern with issue…
Causes Of IC:
- Immune system attacks the bladder tissue…
- A molecular component in the urine damages tissues of the bladder…
- Changes in the functioning of the nerves connected to the bladder…
- A spontaneous release of Histamines and other chemicals can produce symptoms of IC…
- The bladder wall may be defective allowing substances in the urine to irritate the bladder…
If these symptoms bring you to your doctors office, and your doctor discredits your assessment, please be politely assertive and ask them why your assessment is incorrect …
If you are not satisfied with their answer, thank them for their time and inform them that you will be getting a second opinion…
This is a necessary move as you will not gain anything from allowing for bladder discomfort or the severe back pain to stay in your life…
- This condition can scar your bladder badly and ruin the flexibility of the bladder tissue leading to a much more difficult situation in the future if it is not dealt with effectively…
Persistence and journaling time, date, pain type, what measures you have takes and which professionals you have contacted is key in receiving the help you need!
Disclaimer – This is information on joint pain. I teach, but I do not diagnose, prescibe or treat people who contact me. You are responsible for your condition using your own best judgement combined with what you have learned. Just a heads up – bodies carry unusual differences from time to time, in saying that, you could be one of those rare and unusual beings; if you are in doubt, please contact a physician in your area, so you can rule it out.
Move Freely and Knowledgeably and Be Well!
Dr. Jo
P.S… “Greater certainty of your condition alone can be a powerful form of pain relief.”