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If one side of back pain is affecting your quality of life, then know that you are not alone. As per World Health Organization, “Low back pain affects 60 per cent to 70 per cent of people at some point in their lives. Children and youngsters have a lower incidence rate than adults, although it is increasing”. So, whatever your age is, having back pain especially one-sided is common but the root cause may vary from person to person.
It might be a trivial cause that subsides with rest, or it may also be an indication of something graver.
Only after addressing the root cause of your pain with appropriate treatment, you can get rid of this asymmetrical pain.
The following are some of the most common causes of back hurts on only one side:
Your lower back or the lumbar spine, and the hip region have multiple joints like facets joint in your lower back, the sacroiliac joint that makes your lumber dimples, and the hip joint that connects your pelvic to the thigh bones and further to your legs. Whenever these joints undergo wear and tear, they present with pain on the affected side which is usually in the lower back and hip pain on one side. Overuse and aging are common reasons.
If you are diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis of one hip, or inflammation of the sacroiliac joint, it could be the primary cause of pain. These conditions are usually diagnosed with imaging investigations like X-Ray and MRI which is prescribed by your orthopaedic or spine specialist.
The treatment is usually conservative such as NSAIDs for pain relief, therapeutic exercises, cold packs, and steroid injections. Surgery is the last option.
Soft tissues of our lower back and the hip area includes muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia. Any injury to soft tissues may lead to a localized pain on a particular spot.
You may experience discomfort after a sudden jerk, hit or thrust while dancing, playing or road traffic accidents. Sprain, strain, and cramp are yet other reasons for acute low back pain on either the left or right sides, originating from soft tissues.
Muscle weakness is one of the most dominant reasons for asymmetrical pain that gives you ache again and again. The reason is obvious, in our busy lives, we tend to become sedentary and forget to prioritize exercises due to which the muscles undergo deconditioning.
Interestingly, people who are very active with their morning stretches and strength training at the gym also report one-sided pain. This is because the muscle has four major functions that are Flexibility, strength, endurance and stability.
You may do your stretches for flexibility, and weight training for strength, having said that, précised stability exercises and endurance training are often neglected. The symptoms first appear as soreness, then recurrent spasm and eventually becomes chronic low back pain.
The only remedy to muscle weakness is stabilization exercises for the lower back focusing more on the side of the pain.
The disc between two spine bones or intervertebral disc as called scientifically are often the reason for one-sided pain. Since these discs are a cushion-like structure, any excessive load like heavy lifting can increase the pressure of the disc. This overall reduces the space in the spinal column and eventually hit the delicate nerve around it resulting in sciatica.
Heaviness, stiffness, pain, tingling and numbness are symptoms indicating that disc can be the potential cause of one-sided pain. In severe cases, symptoms include weakness and reduced sensation in the foot and toes.
A physical therapy routine aiming at spine rehabilitation is considered the most effective treatment option of spinal disc bulge and herniation, while ‘nerve-root-block injection’ and spine surgery only in circumstances when six to eight weeks of conservation treatment has failed.
If you are on the road to motherhood and back pain on one side in pregnancy is your concern then, explore the reasons for such pain. The most common is reason is the change in the physiology of the body. During pregnancy, the joints and the ligaments expand to create space for the fetus and often gives one-sided discomfort. GERD and indigestion also add to the pain.
In most cases, the pain subsides with rest and does not indicate anything concerning. However, it is recommended to report to your doctor about your experience.
Uneven pain is not always a sign of musculoskeletal problems, often internal organs are the source of pain. Such pain is called referred pain. Any problem such as stone or infection in your colon, kidney, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and uterus may refer to the pain to your mid-back, lower back and one side of the abdomen.
A detailed examination, history and investigation like Ultrasound confirm the diagnosis, and treatment is prescribed suitably by your primary healthcare provider.
If your one-sided pain is excruciating and making you sleepless. It is important to consider an opinion from a specialist as in rare cases this pain can be an alarm.
Although the chances are marginal but serious spine and hip pathologies often show up symptoms like sweating, sudden bladder bowel issues, recently developed muscle weakness, poor balance and coordination, and rapid weight loss.
Remember, it is better to seek an opinion while we can seize serious problems at an early stage.
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