How Is Lipoma On The Lower Back Treated ?

Posted on Fri, 10 Jun 2011

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Fri, 10 Jun 2011 Answered on

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Question : I have a soft kind of oval shaped lump in my lower back on the left. I have seen my chiropractor...it is not a "slipped disc" or anything like that. he said it may be a swollen lymph node...my gen pract said no..its not a lymphnode because you would be showing signs of being sick with an infection. I am told it may be a sebascious (sp) cyst, or a fatty tumor. The other idea is its a torn muscle or a knot in my low back muscle. it feels like a black and blue when pressure is applied. I have been doing heavy lifting at work so my lower back i painfull anyway. but this lump concerns me.

Answered by Dr. Robert Galamaga (14 minutes later)

Hello and thanks for the query.

Your concern is understandable. While most of the time lumps in this area are benign and not worrisome we don't want to miss something which could be more rare and troublesome.

The most likely source of the swelling is a cyst or lipoma. Since you have associated pain I think it's worthwhile for you to see a general surgeon who might consider a biopsy or an excision of the lesion. This would give us a definitive diagnosis and would remove the speculation about all of this.

I recommend you request a referral to see a surgeon for consultation.

I hope this answer has been adequate and informative. Should you have additional questions I am available to address them.

Sincerely,

Dr. Galamaga

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar