Discomfort or pain in the back in the lumbar region, usually associated with two main reasons: problems with the spine or kidney disease. Moreover, the share of the latter accounts for no more than 5% of all pathological processes.
In order to differentiate these States, the doctor has to carry out a range of laboratory-instrumental investigations and to collect carefully the anamnesis of disease.
Lower back pain can be unilateral or diffuse. Patients describe their feelings in a variety of ways: “kidney pull”, “spin bakes or burns,” etc.
Despite the similarity of pain, each of these pathologies has a number of distinctive characteristics and symptoms, through which the specialist can make a choice in favor of a correct diagnosis.
Before you understand the questions about how to determine if You suffer from kidney or back, it is better to seek help from a qualified physician. Because only he can understand the true cause of the pathological state, and why it arose.
If the patient in the anamnesis there are data about previous inflammatory processes in the kidneys, the presence of stones, destructive processes in the spine or intervertebral hernias, the diagnosis process in such situations is facilitated. But this does not exclude a completely different nature to the poor health of the patient, and the emergence of a new disease.
More than 90% of cases the underlying cause of pain lies in diseases of the spine, because of its constant load
Characteristic signs of disease
Kidney disease
When back pain in the kidney area, the first thing you should think about the inflammatory component in this body. Especially if the pain is clearly localized on one side of the waist, there are any problems with urination, and there is no relationship of pain with physical activity or physical activity.
In addition to the above signs of kidney disease have a number of distinctive features:
- The pain is often unilateral, is localized to the right or left, has an aching or drawing feature has nothing to do with the movement of the human body and rarely gives in other anatomical region.
- If we are talking about renal colic, back in kidney area hurts very much, completely depriving the patient of the ability to travel and endure the discomfort.
- Lying down or sitting the pain, usually do not change their intensity and character of the manifestations, or decrease only slightly.
- The appearance of back pain in the region of one or both kidneys may be in direct communication with the preceding hypothermia, swimming in icy waters or stay on the drafts.
- There are signs of General intoxication syndrome, temperature changes of the reaction, a weakness, apathy, malaise.
- There are different symptoms of disorders of urination (cramps, spasms, etc.), urinary sediment becomes cloudy, flocculent appear on or other pathological impurities.
- When effleurage edge of his hand in the area of the anatomical projection of the affected kidney, the body begins to ache stronger.
If there are serious violations in the work of the kidneys, and deteriorate their main functions, in addition to pain, the patient can be concerned about the following complaints:
- numbers blood pressure becomes unstable, there is a tendency for them to increase;
- decreases the volume of daily urine output (with adequate intake of fluids during the day);
- appear different degree of edema on the lower extremities or on the face (in the morning that is connected with patient stay in a horizontal position during sleep, and accumulation of fluid in the tissues);
- the patient may deteriorate appetite, sometimes nausea or vomiting.
As a rule, the violation of kidney function will never go unnoticed to humans and, in addition to bright clinical picture, has some serious consequences and complications
Pathology of musculoskeletal apparatus
Diseases of the spine associated with its destructive-dystrophic processes have a number of distinctive signs by which they can be distinguished from diseases of the urinary tract:
- Pain often are “Central” in nature, that is localized directly in the midline, passing through the spine.
- Palpation in places of the greatest pain, is the pain above or below the place of its initial localization, because of the peculiarities of innervation of the nerve roots.
- The appearance of this symptom, usually preceded by weight training and rotations or tilts of the torso only increase the discomfort.
- The patient may lose the feeling in my right or left foot, there was a sensation crawling “chills” or other sensory disorders related to the violation of nervous impulse by a pinched nerve fibers.
- At rest the well-being of the patient improves, and exercise convenient posture can completely control an attack of pain.
- The patient has no fever, and there is absolutely no evidence of intoxication.
- After applying warming ointments or remedies with analgesic effects, the back muscles begin to hurt much less.
Often a pinched nerve root leads to pain in the back, but also deprives the patient’s ability to perform the movement in full
Other reasons
Much less the back near kidney hurts due to the following diseases:
- Inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs, especially in women of reproductive age.
- Gastrointestinal disease such as pancreatitis, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, peptic ulcer and others.
- Aneurysm of abdominal aorta, mezadenita, and others.
Diagnostic methods
In order to know the exact cause unpleasant symptoms, and their connection with diseases of the musculoskeletal system or pathological processes in the kidney, the doctor makes a number of laboratory and instrumental studies.
When questioning the patient pay attention to all characteristics of the pain, its intensity, time of appearance, the factors that preceded it, the relationship with physical activity, etc.
Physical examination allows the specialist to determine the origin of pain, by conducting special functional tests. Thus, a positive sign of a beating in the projection of the kidneys, indicates a pathological process in the tissues (with increasing discomfort).
A patient with back pain is subject to mandatory examination by a neurologist
The neurological nature of pain associated with destructive processes in the spine, it is possible to define and validate through a series of diagnostic tests. Typically, these patients have limitations of motion in the lumbar spine, impaired sensitivity of the lower extremities, positive symptoms of tension, etc.
Indicators of blood and urine in diseases of the musculoskeletal system are completely normal, while in renal disease there is a shift of indicators of inflammation (increased leukocyte and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, urinary sediment cylinders appear in a large number of erythrocytes and leukocytes and others).
For additional diagnostic renal pathology perform a test on Nechiporenko and trial of General (if necessary).
Sure all patients with suspected inflammatory processes in the urinary tract urine is sent for culture on a nutrient medium. Through this it is possible to establish the exact nature of the infectious agent and its sensitivity to antibacterial preparations.
Range of instrumental examination is quite wide, but in the early stages it is limited to the following procedures:
- Ultrasound of both kidneys, which assesses their condition, the presence of inflammation, calculi, lesions, condition of the Cup-pelvis-plating system and other components.
- Radiography of the lumbar spine, which shows all destructive processes, gryzenia protrusion, abnormal growths and more.
Thanks to modern methods of radiation and magnetic diagnostics, it is possible in the shortest possible time to determine the cause of back pain
If the received data are not sufficient for diagnosis, resort to additional diagnostic procedures. Methods CT and MRI allow us to most accurately judge all pathological processes occurring in different organs. They have the greatest informative value, because allow you to visualize even the smallest of education. The use of contrast agents are indispensable in determining the nature of the kidney disease. From these studies, you can start diagnostics if the situation requires it, or you allow the financial capabilities of the patient.
Never try to treat back pain, without knowing the nature of this condition. After all, there are procedures that one disease will help, while the other will only worsen your condition. In addition, an etiological treatment of the diseases of the kidneys and spine have completely different focus, so the medications incorrectly, not only will not bring the desired effect, but even can harm. Always seek help from a doctor that can establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe individualized treatment.
