Definition
Flank pain on the right side is a non-specific symptom that can indicate many different conditions. Flank pain is generally described as a pain that runs along the lateral rear area of the trunk. It can sometimes be located above the hip or below the costal arch.
Different forms of pain can be distinguished. They are also decisive in the diagnosis. The pain can be very acute or even chronic.
In this case, one means a pain that persists for several months. The pain can run parallel to the ribs around the body and radiate into neighboring regions. A flank pain is very often one-sided. It is more common on the right side, since there are various organs that can hurt when changes occur.
Causes for flank pain right
The causes for flank pain on the right side are broadly diversified. The type of pain and the time of its occurrence can greatly limit the possible causes. After sporting activities involving force or rotation, the muscles of the abdominal wall and back can be strained, pulled and damaged.
In this case, pain is often provoked by breathing and movement in particular. Diseases of the skin at the level of the right flank can also manifest themselves in pain. A common disease in old age is shingles, which in most cases leads to pain along the flank in a horizontal line.
If these causes are out of the question, one has to think of a disorder of the abdominal organs on the right side. This can affect the kidney, the urinary tract, the intestine, the liver, the gall bladder or the pancreas. The kidney causes typical unilateral flank pain when the kidney, renal pelvis or upper urinary tract is inflamed.
Since the kidneys are paired, the pain can occur on the right or left side. Such inflammations are often caused by untreated cystitis and are more common in women than in men. Likewise, urinary stones can form in the renal pelvis from the urine and block the urinary tract.
This can also cause severe unilateral pain at the level of the flank. The intestine must also be considered in case of right-sided pain. The pain is mostly located in the front part of the abdomen, but can radiate into the flanks.
A frequent disease associated with this pain is appendicitis. A very large organ of the right upper abdomen is the liver. It can be painfully altered by various processes.
In rare cases, it can also become inflamed, for example by hepatitis viruses. In some diseases it swells and presses from the inside against the adjacent diaphragm and costal arch. This can lead to typical flank pain on the right.
The gallbladder is closely anatomically related to the liver. Just as in the kidney, stones can develop here which may block and obstruct the bile ducts. This is accompanied by severe pain on the right side.
The pancreas can also be responsible for blocking the bile ducts. In rare cases, the pancreas may be enlarged. In the case of prolonged flank pain, a doctor must clarify the possible organic causes.
The potential underlying diseases range from harmless changes to serious illness. Liver pain is a rare cause of flank pain on the right side. The liver is the largest and heaviest organ of the upper abdomen and is mainly located on the right side just below the diaphragm.
It plays a major role in digestion and in many detoxification and metabolic processes in the body. Patients suffering from diseases affecting the liver are often tired and have digestive problems. Diseases that can be behind liver pain are hepatitis, fatty liver, liver cirrhosis and also liver cancer.
Liver problems can also occur during pregnancy and must be clarified by a doctor. The bile is an important digestive juice and is transported from the liver together with the secretions of the pancreas into the small intestine for digestion. In between, parts of the fluid can be stored in the gall bladder below the costal arch.If there is a high proportion of cholesterol in the fluid, stones can form which, depending on their size, can block the bile ducts and cause congestion.
This is generally a very painful disease that often requires surgery. Sudden, seizure-like pain can occur in temporal relation to eating and radiate in a belt-like manner into the flanks. Flank pain on the right side, accompanied by flatulence, indicates a problem of the digestive tract.
Gastrointestinal complaints are very common in the population. Accompanying symptoms can be diarrhea, a feeling of fullness and general symptoms such as fever, aching limbs and fatigue. Viral pathogens can cause inflammation of the intestine and lead to nausea and upper abdominal pain that runs down the flanks.
Food intolerances also lead to these symptoms. A common example is lactose intolerance, where the body is unable to break down the milk sugar lactose. As a result, many gases are produced in the intestines, which lead to flatulence and pain.
Gluten intolerance can also trigger such symptoms. Especially muscular tension and injuries can lead to flank pain on the right side. Among other things, the abdominal wall consists of several muscle layers that allow the upper body to rotate and straighten up.
These muscles can be tense, pulled or torn and thus be a primary cause of flank pain. On the other hand, the abdominal muscles can be painfully tense in the context of acute inflammatory diseases of the abdomen. This often affects the intestine, which is inflamed in such a way that every time pressure is applied to the abdominal wall, the muscles become painfully tense.
