Right-Side Back Pain: Spine, Muscle or Kidney?
"Doctor, the pain is only on the right side. Is it my kidney?" I hear this question often, and the worry behind it is fair. The right side of the back sits over muscles, the spine, the right kidney, and close to the liver and gallbladder. The pain can come from any of them. The good news: a few simple features usually point you in the right direction. Muscle or spine pain: the most common cause Most back pain, on either side, comes from muscles, ligaments and the small joints of the spine. Doctors call it non-specific or mechanical back pain. Typical features: Started after lifting, bending, a long bus ride or sleeping awkwardly Worse with movement, bending or twisting; easier when you lie still Tender to press on the muscle beside the spine No fever, no change in urine Pain that shoots down the back of the right leg below the knee, with tingling, suggests a pinched nerve (sciatica), usually from a disc. Kidney stone pain feels different Comes in wav...