What Causes Lower Back Pain?

Posted on Mon, 31 Mar 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 31 Mar 2014 Answered on

Mon, 21 Apr 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have a dull ache/pain in my lower back, but to the side of my body. It seems to be worse if I consume too much alcohol. I had blood tests some 4 months ago (for a broad range of things) and the kidney test came back fine. Given the amount of alcohol I drink or a regular basis though, I am a little concerned.

Answered by Dr. Ashish Verma (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer: can be pancreatitis Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for writing to HCM. In my opinion the back pain can be due to pancreatitis given your history of excessive alcohol intake. Also women are more susceptible to harmful effects of alcohol at the same dose as compared to males. But pancreatitis usually does not causes 'low' back pain, its usually in the middle. So I would order for an ultrasound abdomen to look for or rather rule out other causes like from the ovaries and the uterus, besides looking into the gross status of your pancreas. Also get a serum lipase levels (blood test) done to see for pancreatitis. Further management will depend upon the above results. Hope i had been helpful. Dr. Ashish Verma

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad