Back pain when breathing

Many people experience back pain, which many factors can trigger. Back pain when breathing is a common type of pain experienced by Americans. Backache can be caused by minor or major problems and should always get prompt medical attention. The good news is there are ways to ease the discomfort of lower back pain when breathing and reduce the effects on your ability to breathe easily.

Why Back Pain Worsens When Breathing

Back pain intensifies when you breathe due to several reasons. When you inhale, the diaphragm muscle contracts and pushes downward on the stomach, putting pressure on the spine. This is worsened if you have a hunched-over posture from sitting at a desk all day or carrying heavy loads. Additionally, your abdominal muscles push upward on the spine when you exhale, increasing the pressure on the discs in your back, which can cause pain.

Conditions Associated With Back Pain From Breathing

If you have back pain when breathing, an existing condition must be present. These conditions can range from mild to needing urgent medical attention.

These conditions can cause pain when you inhale or exhale, but the pain is usually worse when you breathe in.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine curves from side to side, and it is a common condition that affects about three percent of the population.

If you have scoliosis, the abnormal curvature in your spine can cause pain when you breathe. This pain may be felt in your back, chest, or ribs.

Overweight

Carrying extra weight causes stress on your back. If you are overweight, breathing can cause pain, and back pain is the most common condition that causes people to lose weight.

Weight loss will help with your back pain and make it easier to breathe without discomfort or pain.

Herniated Disc

A herniated disc occurs when the material between the vertebrae in your back pushes through and presses on a nerve. This is typically experienced as pain when breathing, coughing, or sneezing.

Treatment for this type of pain will depend on how severe it is. Back braces can help align everything, so nerves aren't affected by the herniated disc pressing. In more severe cases, surgery may be required to remove some of the herniated discs.

Pulled Muscle

A common ailment that causes back pain is a pulled muscle. The strained muscles can cause dull to sharp pain depending on the severity of the tear. This type of pain is often felt when breathing deeply or coughing.

Rest, ice, and compression are the best ways to treat a pulled muscle. This will help keep the muscle from further tearing and reduce inflammation. If the pain persists for more than two weeks, you should see a doctor.

More Serious Conditions

The following conditions require you seek medical attention right away. The underlying condition in this category causing the back pain is life-threatening, and urgent medical care is needed. This back pain is often more sudden and can result from a serious accident.

Heart Attack

In addition to back pain when breathing, other heart attack symptoms include pain in the arm, jaw, or stomach, along with shortness of breath. Back pain can also be felt on both sides of your body, including nausea and vomiting.

If you experience these symptoms, call 911 immediately as this is a severe condition that requires emergency medical care!

Lung Cancer

Having back pain when breathing can also be a symptom of lung cancer. Other symptoms of lung cancer can include coughing up blood, chest pain, and difficulty breathing.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is essential to see your doctor as soon as possible for a diagnosis. Lung cancer is a very serious condition that requires treatment.

Pulmonary Embolism

A pulmonary embolism is when a blood clot or other foreign object enters the lung. Back pain when breathing is a common symptom of this condition, and coughing up blood and chest pain on one side.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately! A pulmonary embolism can be fatal without immediate medical attention!

Vertebrate Fracture

If you suffered a traumatic injury, there could be a chance your back pain when breathing is due to a vertebrate fracture. This is a break in one of the bones that make up your spine.

If you are experiencing back pain after a fall or other traumatic injury, go to the nearest emergency room for evaluation. Back pain when breathing can be a sign of a more serious injury!

Fractured Rib

A fractured rib can lead to pain when breathing and should be examined further. While there is not much that needs to be done to aid a broken rib to heal, you should get checked out to make sure it did not puncture any internal organs. Severe pain and difficulty breathing are common symptoms if your broken rib is more serious.

Pain Relief For Less Serious Conditions

If your condition is not in the serious category and a doctor has diagnosed the problem, you can try to treat it at home. Self-help ranges from over-the-counter pain killers to self-help to correct posture and strengthen muscles.

NSAIDs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen can relieve pain caused by a condition. These are sold at pharmacies under the names Advil, Motrin, or Ibuprofen, to name a few.

These medications have mild side effects, including stomach problems, so it is best not to take any more than you need to and only when necessary.

Massage

If your lower and upper back pain is muscle-related, a massage can help soothe the muscle strain. There are massage guns and wands that allow you to do it yourself, or you can get one from a professionally trained masseuse.

Exercise

If your back pain results from weak muscles or being overweight, strengthening your back muscles and losing weight from exercise is a great long-term relief option.

Starting to work out can be intimidating, and lifts must be done with good form to avoid further injury. A doctor can prescribe physical therapy, so you can get help from a medical professional instead of figuring it out on your own.

Rest

In the situation of a strained back, rest allows your muscles to rebuild the damaged tissue. Being inactive can be difficult for an active person, but the strained muscle can only repair itself if it is not strained further.

Posture

Good posture reduces a lot of strain in your back and, in turn, can relieve lower and upper back pain.

Be sure to have a straight back and keep your shoulders squared when sitting. When standing, use a wide stance and keep your weight evenly distributed on both feet.

In addition, there are posture correctors you can wear under your clothes to help.

Natural Medicine

Eastern medicine can help some people dealing with pain. Some common forms of natural treatment are acupuncture and chiropractic care.

Acupuncture is performed by sticking skinny needles into strategic points on your body. This is said to help with pain relief and restore energy flow in the body.

Chiropractic care is a form of massage that manipulates the spine to relieve tension and restore alignment.

Both of these treatments should be performed by a licensed professional.

CBD

A new way people are trying for pain relief is CBD. Studies are still ongoing, and the verdict is still out if CBD can legitimately help, but ongoing trials look promising. It is widely available and has some tremendous anecdotal reports of it helping with minimal side effects.

About CBD LION

Since 2017 CBD LION has been producing high-quality CBD products that are enjoyable and effective. Our founders came from one of the largest recreational and medical cannabis companies, where they formulated many of their products. With an opportunity to use their knowledge and help people on a much larger scale, they moved to CBD.

With CBD having so little regulation, here at CBD LION, we go above and beyond to self regulate to ensure you are consuming a product you can trust. Our products are packaged in our ISO 7 certified cleanroom. From there, each batch is two-time 3rd party lab tested with the test results easily accessible from the QR code on the label.

Our award-winning product line has something with everyone, ranging from CBD oil tinctures, capsules, chocolates, gummies, bath bombs, lotions, and roll-ons.

In Conclusion

Back pain is a significant problem for many Americans. Difficulty breathing goes hand in hand with back pain. To eliminate the back pain when breathing, you need to address the underlying cause. The conditions making deep breaths difficult can range from a heart attack, spinal injury, chest infections, and more. These conditions, in some cases, can be addressed with over-the-counter medicine, physical therapy, and diet. Other underlying conditions causing difficulty breathing from back pain can be a medical emergency such as a heart attack or lung cancer.

Regardless of the condition you think you are suffering from; you should see a doctor as the conditions should be addressed right away regardless of severity.