back pain while breathing

wargo · Newbie Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 14

During last month or so, I have been experiencing severe back pain while I am breathing. Sometimes that gets to the point that I have to take shallow breaths to keep the pain down. I had a chest x-ray last week that is showing there is something on my right lung but doctor was not sure what it is. For now, he recommended an antibiotic for pneumonia first to rule that out before they do a CT scan. I wonder if anyone ever experienced back pain while breathing, what it could be.

humpert · Newbie Joined: 18 Mar 2005 Posts: 17

I could share my experience with you, because I had the same problem with back pain while breathing. I do not know about you, but I have had no fever, cough, shortness of breath or any other symptom other than the back pain. However, my doctor also treated me with antibiotics for pneumonia. My back pain while breathing was usually better in the morning, but once I have been up for a while gets worse as the day goes on. My doctor told me that following my treatment with the antibiotic, chest x-ray should be clear and my back pain should be gone. He told me, if either the infiltrate or pain persists, after this therapy, I should have further testing and CT scan. One friend of mine had similar pain as two of us experienced. However, his problem was some sort of infiltrate in segment of his lung. Since doctor does not doubt this is my case, all I can do is to wait. I hope antibiotic therapy will help us with back pain while breathing, if not, there are so many diagnostic ways that could help us to conclude where our problem is.

c2gentry · Newbie Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 1

I am having the same thing. I've had it for about three weeks, everyday it just gets worse.

When I breathe it's like someone is stabbing me with a knife in my upper back. I also have been having horrible migranes, which echos the pain in my back, except it throbs when the back pain occurs.

I went to the doc on Thursday they did a chest xray. They saw something in my right lung, but couldn't make it out. They started me on antibiotics for pnuemonia and antibotics for a urinary track infection.

It's gotten worse since I've been on the medicine. I can only sleep in a recliner (sitting up), can't sleep fully reclined on my back or my side (back pain is intense.)

My appetite is so/so. If it isn't pizza or something really basic, I'm just not interested in it.

They have me scheduled for a CT scan on Monday. They possibly now think perhaps my heart is swollen??

Guest · Guest

I am having very similar symtoms. I had a migrain last week (I never get them ever) and this morning I woke up to very intense upper/middle back pain, reaching around to my chest and the pain is 10 times worse when I breath deeply. I, too, have been taking short breaths to pervent the pain from becoming stronger. Another curious thing, I have spotted irregularly twice during my cycle this month. Could this all be related?

Guest · Guest

I found it's coffee for me people that would make the pain worse as I drank even more, but allot more!---> Then this shortness of breath thing started..

If you didn't already know coffee stimulates your senses, there for enhances the effects even on pain, and if you didn't know medication too "Yyaaaa that’s the great part people... But as we all know, better to breathe in the long run then to kill pain lmao!!.. So I had to lower my coffee after quitting all together for a few weeks to be able to breathe again.. More pain you have the harder it is to breathe as we all know, especially if you have chronic back pain like me from a 50 foot fall on to a wrench in my bolt bag and BAM! In to your spine!.. The back muscles push on the lungs, etc, etc.. It will help some to get massage therapy, but for me, it helped make my back pain worsen too, but yet my muscles would be relieved, and please let me explain.. If you have L4, L5, bla, bla, bla, what ever the back problems up and down your back might be, as you might or might not know yet: you need those muscles to stand not having the disc press on the nerves in your back causing so much pain that your causing spasm in your back, hence your back goes out!!!.. Well as great as massage therapy is, and I do believe we all need it in the long run in life, in the end, after a half a hour to 45 min later of massage therapy I was not able to stand... My muscles would relax, and let the discs shift, therefore putting me in to spasm!!!.. But here is the kicker "I could breathe even better!!!".. But what I am talking about today is my trouble gasping for breath.. I noticed it come on more and more as I had good days and drank allot of coffee as I cruised the web as we all do, and the more I drank, the more nights or around nap times I noticed I would have shallow times of breathing gasping for breath, but couldn't figure at all where it was coming from since I never felt this before?... Now, I have been through the run of the mill with everything else pain wise, but this was a new one for me!.. Low and behold it was the caffeine in the coffee doing it, and I now get good sleep after a few days not drinking it at all... After trying to gasp for air for a week or so, It just suddenly came to me one night, and woke up telling my wife "it's the frigen coffee!!".. I stayed away from it for a week, but of course you get the headaches etc, from not having coffee, yes, even withdrawls from coffee sad to say people, it's all drugs in the end even if it's food.. So choose wisely what you take for pain, even health products are drugs, so read, read, read before you take it with your meds or better yet, "ask your pharmacist, he/she should know the effects of everything"...

Rico S Suav'e, out!!!!

Guest · Guest

Hi i think ive been experiencing the same thing I have not seen the doc yet but i will be goin in a couple of days. When i breathe in, lean forward, bend and twist i feel a sharp piercing pain especially in my lower back and all the way up my spine. Its been happening for a few weeks now i thought it would just go away but doesn't look like its going anywhere. I'm a bit worried as i'm only 19 and would expect back pains like this from someone older. Does anyone have any idea whats happening to me?

Guest · Guest

I've had a simular experience. I've been having severe back pains right under my lefts shoulder blade. I can't twist, bend and when I breath I feel extreme pain. When it started out it just felt like I pulled a mucsle but as the days passed it got worst. so onn the third day I went to the emergency room and saw a doctor. The doctor said she was going to take a x-ray and if she sees nothing wrong she is going to assume it is something called pleurisy. She gave me antibiotics and anti-inflammatory for it, and when I took it the first day it seemed to help and the pain was only minor but when I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night the pain was very bad. Also when I researched pleurisy it really didn't say anything about back pain more about chest pain. Did anyone experience this?

lisayc · Newbie Joined: 29 Sep 2008 Posts: 1

I too have been having this symptom. When I take a deep breath I get a pain under my ribs on the back right side. I went to the doctor and they gave me an anti-inflamatory. I refused to take it and have now gone to a chiropractor who thinks I have a rib out of alignment. It has been 3 days now since adjustment but to no avail. The pain is still there only when I take a deep lung filling breath. What on earth is this. I have had a few headaches, one really bad one, but I feel nothing out of the normal for me. This has really got me concerned. Anyone else have any outcome from CT scans they could share.

Guest · Guest

man i have upper right back pains when i breathe deep. i duno im hoping it'll go away. i just realized it a couple hours ago. im thinking it's because i fell on there a couple of days ago skateboarding. knocked the air outta me.

back pain while breathing

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