What Causes Lower Left Back Pain?

Posted on Mon, 1 Aug 2016

Question: I am a 38 year old male who has been experiencing pain on the my Left side of my lower back, side and abdomen area. The location would be in middle between my hips and rib cage.
The pain is a dull pain and I seem to only get it when I stand or walk and can also feel pain if I press on the area. The pain has never been severe. I don't have the pain if i am sitting or lying down,
My stool is normal with no blood, and my urine is clear. I have slightly more gas than normal and a little bloated after evening meal.
I have been having this pain for 3 day now. Should I be worried?

Answered by Dr. Ralph Chambers (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX

Detailed Answer:
The first possibility would be a kidney stone and that would take a urinalysis and a ct scan of the abdomen and pelvis to determine. Usually these pass on their own in a few days.

The other possibility would be diverticulitis--an inflammation and infection of a small pouch in your colon. That can be treated with a round of two antibiotics.

You'll need to have a doctor examine you for this

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Veerisetty Shyamkumar

Follow up: Dr. Ralph Chambers (2 days later)

Thanks you for your answer, It’s been 5 days now and pain has subsided to the point that it’s barely noticeable although I can still feel slight pain with certain movements. Would this mean the kidney stone has passed? If so I never felt any pain when it passed, and I have always heard that passing a kidney stone is very painful.

Answered by Dr. Ralph Chambers (12 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Hello again

Detailed Answer:
Most kidney stones do pass and there can still be pain for a few days even after they pass. If all your symptoms resolve in the next few days there's no real reason to see a doctor about this

Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D