Why does this hurt?

DaveC426913

DaveC426913

Valued Senior Member
This pain has piqued my curiosity. I've been to a doctor, so I'm not looking for medical advice, I'm just trying to make what 'House' calls a differential diagnosis.

I have a dull ache that I would have thought were my kidneys if the doctor hadn't said it's too low for that.
It runs inside from my back to my belly, both sides.
I have had lower back pain before, from straining my back. This is a similar ache (for comparison), but not in the same place. This is out in my 'wings'.
On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 1 or 2. So not debilitating.

What's strange is that it does not hurt when I am vertical.
It is only when I go to bed and lie down. Within about 15 minutes the ache starts, and tends to last until I get up. It's enough to cause me to toss and turn to relieve the ache.
It hurts when I breathe in very deeply.
If I sniff hard, (which works my diaphragm) I can induce the pain (whether that's by the change of pressure within my abdomen, or the flexion of my back muscles I'm not sure.)
The reason it's weird is because there is NO ache during the day, no matter what I do. Usually, muscle ache would be there in the background, just not bothering me. I cannot induce any ache during the day.

I have ruled out constipation.
It's not a kidney infection. Tests ruled that out.
I have not gained any weight. (A distended belly might cause this kind of ache.)

Any ideas?
 
The deep breath inducing pain sounds like pleural effusion. But I don't know of any nerve bundles that alone could compress to cause something that sounds like sciatic pain. I say compressed because a pinched nerve would be much sharper pain, but pinched/compressed nerves do often present non-localized pain.
 
DaveC426913 said:
This pain has piqued my curiosity. I've been to a doctor, so I'm not looking for medical advice, I'm just trying to make what 'House' calls a differential diagnosis.

I have a dull ache that I would have thought were my kidneys if the doctor hadn't said it's too low for that.
It runs inside from my back to my belly, both sides.
I have had lower back pain before, from straining my back. This is a similar ache (for comparison), but not in the same place. This is out in my 'wings'.
On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 1 or 2. So not debilitating.

What's strange is that it does not hurt when I am vertical.
It is only when I go to bed and lie down. Within about 15 minutes the ache starts, and tends to last until I get up. It's enough to cause me to toss and turn to relieve the ache.
It hurts when I breathe in very deeply.
If I sniff hard, (which works my diaphragm) I can induce the pain (whether that's by the change of pressure within my abdomen, or the flexion of my back muscles I'm not sure.)
The reason it's weird is because there is NO ache during the day, no matter what I do. Usually, muscle ache would be there in the background, just not bothering me. I cannot induce any ache during the day.

I have ruled out constipation.
It's not a kidney infection. Tests ruled that out.
I have not gained any weight. (A distended belly might cause this kind of ache.)

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Could still be some lower back issue, possibly (muscles, nerve pinch etc). One test might be to try a different mattress for a few nights (harder or softer) and see if that makes any difference. I don't know your age, but presume doc has ruled out nasties such as abdominal aneurysm etc.
 
exchemist said:
Could still be some lower back issue, possibly (muscles, nerve pinch etc). One test might be to try a different mattress for a few nights (harder or softer) and see if that makes any difference. I don't know your age, but presume doc has ruled out nasties such as abdominal aneurysm etc.
Click to expand...
Doc didn't do a thorough test. Just ruled out kidney infection.

Yeah, it's gotta be muscular. It's symmetrical. Both sides of my back (though not centre).
 
When you're lying down and the pain comes on, are you lying on your back or your front?
If you lay down in that position during the day, would it induce the pain?

My first reaction, if I had your symptoms, though, would indeed be that it's muscular, and I would just go for over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.

For more left-field suggestions, I know someone whose first sign of their arthritis was worsening sleep due to back pain.
The pain only really occurred during the night, seemingly due to lack of movement.
They were in their 60s at the time, but it's not exactly restricted to those of such age.
How long have you had the pains?
 
Baldeee said:
When you're lying down and the pain comes on, are you lying on your back or your front?
Click to expand...
Doesn't seem to matter.

Baldeee said:
If you lay down in that position during the day, would it induce the pain?
Click to expand...
That would make a good differential.

Baldeee said:
My first reaction, if I had your symptoms, though, would indeed be that it's muscular, and I would just go for over-the-counter anti-inflammatories.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Prolly.

Baldeee said:
How long have you had the pains?
Click to expand...
Just a week.
 
Jeeves said:
Might consider hernia?
Click to expand...
Oh. That had not occurred to me...

I've been describing it as feeling like my connective tissue is being pulled as my organs shift, knowing that that's not really a thing. But a hernia. That's a thing.
 
I'm only guessing. Muscle-pull is another possibility, but i think you would have noticed when it happened. Worth a look, anyway.
 
DaveC426913 said:
This pain has piqued my curiosity. I've been to a doctor, so I'm not looking for medical advice, I'm just trying to make what 'House' calls a differential diagnosis.

I have a dull ache that I would have thought were my kidneys if the doctor hadn't said it's too low for that.
It runs inside from my back to my belly, both sides.
I have had lower back pain before, from straining my back. This is a similar ache (for comparison), but not in the same place. This is out in my 'wings'.
On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 1 or 2. So not debilitating.

What's strange is that it does not hurt when I am vertical.
It is only when I go to bed and lie down. Within about 15 minutes the ache starts, and tends to last until I get up. It's enough to cause me to toss and turn to relieve the ache.
It hurts when I breathe in very deeply.
If I sniff hard, (which works my diaphragm) I can induce the pain (whether that's by the change of pressure within my abdomen, or the flexion of my back muscles I'm not sure.)
The reason it's weird is because there is NO ache during the day, no matter what I do. Usually, muscle ache would be there in the background, just not bothering me. I cannot induce any ache during the day.

I have ruled out constipation.
It's not a kidney infection. Tests ruled that out.
I have not gained any weight. (A distended belly might cause this kind of ache.)

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Crushed Sciatic nerve Dave?
Is the pain similar to "pins and needles" tingling type sensation?
ps: I'm no doctor ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top