How to use this site.
Pain is fuzzy. It can not be measured by an instrument. More importantly, many diseases can cause the same or similar pain (as in the case of abdominal pain or chest pain or even knee pain), and the same disease can cause vastly different pain or no pain at all in different people, such as the case of ischemic heart diseases. Pain can not be interpreted alone, it must be understood in its context.
The website serves as a guide HOW to trace pain to its site of generation by using symptoms. It is designed as a tool for understanding of pain.
Few things is absolute in life. Always allow margin for exceptional pain.
It is not the goal of this website to diagnose nor treat disease or patient.
Pain is fuzzy. It can not be measured by an instrument. More importantly, many diseases can cause the same or similar pain (as in the case of abdominal pain or chest pain or even knee pain), and the same disease can cause vastly different pain or no pain at all in different people, such as the case of ischemic heart diseases. Pain can not be interpreted alone, it must be understood in its context.
The website serves as a guide HOW to trace pain to its site of generation by using symptoms. It is designed as a tool for understanding of pain.
Few things is absolute in life. Always allow margin for exceptional pain.
It is not the goal of this website to diagnose nor treat disease or patient.
Lower back pain
Lower back pain (LBP) can be broadly divided into two categories. One is local LBP and the other with pain traveling down to the legs. Both are discussed here.
Local LBP usually is caused by a variety of structures including spine, spine joint (facet joint), spine ligament, disc, bone, muscle. Additionally, primary and metastatic tumor, cancer, and/or adjacent organs such as kidney, and ureter can also be the site of pain.
Each structure and its diseases can cause pain. These diseases can be traced by the pain and its associated symptom.
Local LBP usually is caused by a variety of structures including spine, spine joint (facet joint), spine ligament, disc, bone, muscle. Additionally, primary and metastatic tumor, cancer, and/or adjacent organs such as kidney, and ureter can also be the site of pain.
Each structure and its diseases can cause pain. These diseases can be traced by the pain and its associated symptom.
The shade of redness indicates the intensity of pain. Violent pain is bright red while moderate pain is lighter.
This following group of middle to low back pain is usually in the mid-line along the spine. The pain is usually severe and sharp like a knife jabbing or mild. It usually has an acute onset after a fall, near fall, a twist of back, lifting a heavy object or a small child,or even sudden violet cough or sneeze. The pain can happen immediately or hours or days later.
The pain usually is much worse with any movement but more so with sudden unexpected movement such as cough, laughing, or sneeze, sitting up or getting up. It is much better with remaining absolutely still, either sitting or lying flat.
This pain usually happens in seniors or patient with poor health/nutrition, and/or with history of cancer. The following showed such pain in different locations.
The pain usually is much worse with any movement but more so with sudden unexpected movement such as cough, laughing, or sneeze, sitting up or getting up. It is much better with remaining absolutely still, either sitting or lying flat.
This pain usually happens in seniors or patient with poor health/nutrition, and/or with history of cancer. The following showed such pain in different locations.
Lower back pain stays local to buttock or "hip" area without traveling elsewhere. The pain may be worse with walking or climbing stairs but no pain at rest.
The buttock area has a lot of muscles such as gluteus, piriformis, and pelvic bone, the hip joint and its ligament. Muscle strain, ligament sprain, joint or bone fracture, infection, arthritis, inflamed bursa, herniated organ, nerve impingement and blood vessels blockage can all cause pain. They show themselves differently.
Again, the location of pain in this area only give us half the story. The other half of the pain symptoms are how did it happen, what makes the pain better and worse, retrospectively. The circumstance provides the answer to its cause.
The buttock area has a lot of muscles such as gluteus, piriformis, and pelvic bone, the hip joint and its ligament. Muscle strain, ligament sprain, joint or bone fracture, infection, arthritis, inflamed bursa, herniated organ, nerve impingement and blood vessels blockage can all cause pain. They show themselves differently.
Again, the location of pain in this area only give us half the story. The other half of the pain symptoms are how did it happen, what makes the pain better and worse, retrospectively. The circumstance provides the answer to its cause.
Lower back pain traveling down to legs or in buttock /"hip" area that is worse with walking or climbing stairs but no pain at rest.
Low back pain traveling to flank or groin area, worse with coughing or urinating (peeing). Urine may smell or looks red (blood in it!).
Lower back pain traveling down to legs worse with bending or coughing.
