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The lower abdomen of your body is quite a crowded place.
The location of your kidneys, your stomach, and both intestines, along with the often sore muscles of the lower back, it’s no surprise that lower back pain and nausea often go together, but lots of people don’t understand why both conditions are often felt at the same time.
Today, let’s go over the possible causes for both lower back pain and nausea.
Why Are Nausea and Lower Back Pain Connected?
The lower section of your back is home to many central nerves that are connected to the organs in the front of your abdomen.
Thus, something that causes nausea or discomfort in the front of your abdomen can easily spread discomfort or pain to your lower back just because of proximity to nerves and your spine.
Possible Causes for Lower Back Pain and Nausea:
1) Stomach Viruses or Food Poisoning
Many stomach bugs or intestinal problems are a result of either viruses or food poisoning. The technical term for an infected stomach is gastroenteritis, which can cause pain and inflammation in the stomach.
Such discomfort can easily radiate to your lower back, especially since there are so many major nerves in the immediate area.
Salmonella and other viruses like norovirus can be causes of this condition.
The stomach may cramp with either of these conditions or more, which may radiate discomfort to the back of the body.
Alternatively, the condition may cause the patient to vomit incredibly hard and frequently; this can cause the muscles of the stomach and lower back to become stiff and sore.
Consuming bland and easy-to-digest foods like whole-wheat toast can help to ease vomiting.
Plenty of water should also be consumed to prevent dehydration. You should also visit a doctor if gastroenteritis doesn’t clear up on its own after some days.
2) Liver Issues
There are many different types of liver disease, which often begins as a pain in the upper right part of the stomach before radiating to the back of the body. Liver cancer or cirrhosis can also cause steady pain in the abdomen which can radiate over to the lower back.
This can be accompanied by nausea as well.
Gallbladder disease is another possible cause of lower back pain along with nausea.
The gallbladder isn’t a direct part of the liver but instead sits beneath it in the upper right section of your abdomen. Gallbladder disease can create sharp and intense pain in the immediate area that spreads to their lower back.
Either way, both of these issues need immediate treatment by a medical professional. Head to the emergency room if the pain becomes too intense for you to concentrate.
3) Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis describes a condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed and infected.
It can cause either chronic or acute pain and nausea, particularly the sudden variety. Other symptoms may include a fever or a swollen or tender stomach.
This condition is very serious and can potentially be life-threatening.
Anyone with the symptoms should immediately seek an emergency medical center.
4) Kidney Infection/Stones
The kidneys sit on either side of the middle of your back, and closer toward the back of your body than the front. Pain in this area is often accompanied by lower back pain and nausea as a result.
You might feel pain in your kidneys from either kidney stones or an infection of the organs.
This can also cause pain to radiate your groin area at the same time as you experience nausea and lower back pain.
Kidney stones are collections of minerals and salts that failed to pass with your urine.
These usually require medical care to assess and treat them under medical supervision.
Kidney infections are much more serious and can potentially spread to other areas of your body if you don’t get treatment as soon as possible.
Antibiotics are the usual prescription.
5) Ulcer
Ulcers are breaks in your gastrointestinal membranes.
These can appear in various digestive organs like your intestines or stomach, and they can bleed and cause particularly intense pain.
They will often be accompanied by nausea, although they rarely radiate pain to the back of your body. Only especially deep ulcers or ones close to the back will cause back pain.
Either way, ulcers are very serious and require that you visit a doctor as soon as possible.
Doctors usually recommend prescription medication but, if serious, an operation may also be needed.
6) Diverticular Disease
This condition occurs when small sacs develop in the lining of your colon.
It’s a common condition, particularly in old people, and it can often be accompanied by an inflamed type of the condition called diverticulitis.
The sacs become inflamed and can even become infected.
Symptoms can include nausea and pain toward your lower back and groin. Your stomach may also swell at the same time.
This condition needs to be treated very quickly, as it can cause bleeding if it is left untreated.
In worst-case scenarios, it can puncture the wall of your colon and cause even more drastic side effects.
See a doctor immediately if you suspect you have this condition.
Conclusion
Overall, nausea and lower back pain combined are often a sign of a potentially serious issue.
It’s always a good idea to see a doctor if you aren’t sure about what’s causing your discomfort, as they can rule out whether or not you need special treatment or assistance.