Ulcers Can Cause back Pain
In cases of chronic back pain one might think, “Do Ulcers Cause back Pain?” A simple answer to this anxious question is ‘yes’, a peptic ulcer is a probable cause of back pain.
An open sore, lesion or break in the skin or in a mucous membrane is called an ulcer. The thin protective layer that covers / protects the inner surface of body openings like the lining of the stomach and intestines is a mucous membrane. However when people generally use the term ‘ulcers’, they usually mean the peptic ulcer (the one that occurs in the upper digestive system). The digestive system is made up of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum and intestines. Ulcers that occur in the stomach are referred to as gastric ulcers, and likewise there are duodenal ulcers and esophageal ulcers. 80% of peptic ulcers are duodenal ulcers.
There are many symptoms of ulcers. The most common sign of ulcers is an intermittent and irritating pain in the stomach this pain also transfers to other areas such as the shoulder blades, back, indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating, appetite loss and nausea. A few well known symptoms of ulcers are back pain, headache, itching and choking sensation.
Back in the day it was considered by physicians that excessive stress causes ulcers. The theory was based on the fact that excessive stress increases the production of hydrochloric acid. This acid is powerful enough to hurt the protective mucous lining of the stomach causing an ulcer. Although this theory is still accepted by many physicians, currently it is also established that bacterial infection is the primary cause for ulcers in more than 70 to 80% of the cases.
Gastric ulceration is most commonly caused by bacteria known as ‘Helicobacter Pylori’. It digs into the mucous layer of the stomach causing inflammation. Spicy foods stimulate the stomach to generate excessive amounts of acidic juices which is capable of burning the lining of the digestive tract and hence damaging the digestive system. Excessive amounts of either physical or emotional stress will aggravate an existing ulcer, although it’s not the rood cause of ulcer.
Besides infection, use of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs which is the acronym can also trigger ulcers. These NSAIDs are rampantly used by people as pain killers for headaches, sore muscles, menstrual cramps and other similar complaints. Aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen belong to this family of NSAIDs and excessive use of such drugs may prove to be detrimental to stomach lining and cause ulcers. Over consumption of Alcoholic beverages and heavy smoking habits could pose a risk of damaging the mucosal protection.
As a first step towards a diagnosis of ulcers, the doctor first inquires as to the symptoms the patient is having. Besides these symptoms, The physician would look over the patient’s medical history for a family history of ulcers or stomach cancers, frequent alcohol consumption, smoking, patients age, weight loss, repeated nausea or vomiting are also taken into consideration. Also incidences of back pain, history of using anti inflammatory drugs or other NSAIDS are looked into. Apart from looking into the symptoms and medical history, endoscopy is the latest method by which a minimal invasive diagnostic medical procedure. It is also accepted as the best diagnostic methods for ulcers. An endoscope is a narrow tube with a light and tiny camera at its end used to study the patient’s digestive system. When it’s inserted down the patient’s throat the doctor can start to examine the stomach lining and duodenum. An endoscope can also carry scissors in to take tissue samples of the mucous membrane for further examination of potential stomach cancer.
Imaging techniques are frequently relied on since not many patients are comfortable with the endoscope. During the procedure the patient is asked to drink a fluid of Barium. Barium is opaque and transparent to x-rays. The x-ray image of the patient’s digestive system can highlight abnormalities such as ulcers that may be present where the opaque substance appears as a white patch on the x-ray image. Many symptoms of ulcers can be treated with drugs easily purchased over the counter that are used to subdue the pain, nausea or general discomfort caused by ulcers.
Do ulcers cause back pain? Yes, ucers and especially peptic ulcers do cause severe back pain. Such pain is likely to happen immediately after eating when someone is suffering from ulcers.
Tags: Management