by Life Span

 

 

Everyone knows that pneumonia is a lung infection, but few people know that it can also lead to back pain – in particular, pain that is associated with the midsection of the spine.

 

Back pain is one of the most common medical complaints, but most people are unaware that you don’t even have to be playing sports or lifting anything heavy to do something harmful to your back. There are a number of other medical conditions that can actually manifest themselves in back pain, and with some of them there is no way you could ever guess that they are responsible for it.

1. Bleeding in the Pelvis

The first unusual cause of back pain is bleeding in the pelvic area, although it is worth noting that this is highly unlikely unless there has been some known cause of trauma. People would never think about this causing pain since they feel that the two areas are not connected – but they are wrong. Instead, what can happen is that pelvic bleeding inadvertently puts pressure on nerves in the lower back – in particular the sciatic nerve – and this, in turn, leads to significant pain in the back. It is also worth noting that an infection in the same area can likewise result in these nerves being compressed in the same manner.

2. An Aortic Aneurysm

This is certainly something that you’d never guess could cause back pain, simply because people assume that, once again, the affected region is too far away to cause any back issues. However, what happens with this medical condition is that the aortic nerve, which is located in the abdomen, can develop an aneurysm. This can lead to swelling and, in some cases, it will result in lower back pain. This medical condition often has to be remedied by surgery, although some people may never experience any symptoms even though this in itself is a major medical issue.

3. Shingles

Shingles is often thought of as being an ‘old person’s disease,’ but that’s incorrect. This is actually an infection of the nerve endings in the skin, but these nerves are located in the spinal region. This will result in back pain, and, indeed, most sufferers will realize they have shingles due to this back pain even before any rash can appear. They will tend to feel the pain more in the lumbar region of the back, and this pain can linger for a considerable length of time due to the infection.

4. Pneumonia

Everyone knows that pneumonia is a lung infection, but few people know that it can also lead to back pain – in particular, pain that is associated with the midsection of the spine. Indeed, you may feel as if you have damaged a muscle, but if you have a fever or cough, then your doctor might consider the fact that you also have back pain to test for and diagnose pneumonia.

5. Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a condition that only women suffer from, since it is an issue with the female reproductive organs. However, a lot of women are unaware that this medical condition can actually lead to them also suffering from lower back pain. This is due to the fact that tissues become inflamed and swollen and this, in turn, puts more pressure on the body in general. Women with this condition will also find that the pain hits new heights when they are menstruating, and indeed this can help doctors to diagnose that they are suffering from endometriosis.

6. Kidney Stones

Kidney stones can, and often do, lead to severe back pain, and many people will feel as if they’ve pulled a muscle, while being completely unaware that they have kidney stones. Due to the location of the kidneys near the lower back, it is also not unusual for the pain to spread down one leg. The main area to look out for is the part of your back just below your ribs.

These are just six causes of back pain that you would likely never think of, and it’s easy to see why. What this should illustrate is that the medical issue causing the pain does not even have to be located in your back, since the root of the problem could easily be elsewhere. However, if you describe all of your symptoms, your doctor should be able to determine where the issue lies in order to correctly address it as quickly as possible.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.