It Sounds Crazy but Ulcers Can Cause Back Pain
August 2nd, 2008 Posted by: Zoe Beartoes
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.
What is an ulcer? An ulcer is a specific term that signifies any open sore, lesion or break in the skin or in a mucous membrane. A thin tissue that lines the inner surface of body openings such as a lining of the stomach and intestines is a mucous membrane. However as a generalized concept or as a most commonly referred to concept, people speak of ulcers that occur in the upper digestive system such as peptic ulcers. The digestive system comprises of esophagus, stomach, duodenum and intestines. Ulcers in the stomach are called gastric ulcers, and likewise there are duodenal ulcers and esophageal ulcers. Duodenal ulcers account for 80% cases of peptic ulcers.
They are many signs of ulcers. The most common sign is intermittent and irritating pain in the stomach this pain could also transit to other areas such as the back and shoulder blades, indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating, appetite loss and nausea. Can back pain be caused by ulcers? Yes, a few more common symptoms of ulcers are headache, itching and a choking sensation.
In the olden days it was generally believed by physicians that too much stress causes ulcers. The classic theory was based on the fact that high amount of stress can increase hydrochloric acid production. This acid is strong enough to hurt protective mucous lining of stomach and as a result causing an ulcer. Though this theory is still accepted by many physicians, but nowadays it has also been well established that bacterial infection is the prime cause of ulcers in more than 70 to 80 % patients.
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.
The use of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs as it’s called can also trigger ulcers. Commonly used by people as pain killers for headaches, sore muscles, menstrual cramps and other similar situations. Aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen belong to this family of NSAIDs, and excessive use of this category of drugs proves to be detrimental to the stomach lining and causes ulcers. Over consumption of alcoholic beverages and heavy smoking also damages the mucosal protection.
The first step towards diagnosing ulcers the doctor would first inquire about the symptoms. Besides the symptoms, the physician would look over the patient’s medical history for a family history of ulcers or stomach cancers, frequent alcohol consumption, smoking, patient’s age, weight loss, repeated nausea or vomiting incidences, back pain, history of using anti inflammatory drugs or other NSAIDs. Apart from looking into a patient’s history and symptoms, Endoscopy is a new approach to minimally invasive diagnostic medical procedure. It is also well accepted as one of the best diagnostic methods for ulcers. An Endoscope is a narrow tube which contains a light and tiny camera at its end to study the patient’s digestive system. When inserted down the patient’s throat the doctor can examine the walls of the stomach and duodenum. Endoscope has an option that enables it to also carry scissors in order to take small 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.
Ulcers and especially Peptic Ulcers do cause severe back pain. Such pain is likely to happen immediately after eating when some one is suffering from ulcers.
