According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), lower back pain is most likely to occur in individuals between 30 and 50 years of age. Possible causes include sports injury, a problem with spinal disc or muscle strain. Any of these issues can cause pain that exists only on the right side of your back. Be sure to talk to your doctor for a professional diagnosis before treating your injury.
Possible Muscle Causes
If you overexert yourself by lifting something heavy or overstretching the muscles of the lower back, injury can occur. These muscle strains can cause pain and discomfort in the area. NINDS points out that such injuries can also cause muscle spasms in the area. If the pain exists only on the right side of your back, then you likely pulled a muscle in this area.
Possible Other Causes
A number of nerves emanate from the spinal cord in the lower back, and these nerves can be pinched by an injury to the vertebrae. NINDS states that overexertion or compression may cause a vertebral disc to bulge outward from its normal position. This bulging can put pressure on the nerves as they exit the spinal cord. Slipped or ruptured discs result in lower back pain, which can radiate through the area and down the leg. Pain on your right side indicates that a disc in this area may have ruptured.
Lower Back Pain Treatment
The Mayo Clinic points out that most lower back pain is corrected with a few weeks of home treatment and attention to the injured area. Over-the-counter pain medications can help with pain in the area. Your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant that is not helped with over-the-counter drugs. Physical therapy and exercise may be prescribed to increase the strength and flexibility of the area, which helps prevent further injury. If none of these methods prove effective, your doctor may try injections to ease muscle inflammation.
Surgery for Lower Back Pain
Surgery is a last resort and is usually needed if your pain is the result of a ruptured disc, as there are no surgical treatments that are effective for muscle injury. The surgery might fuse two vertebrae to prevent painful movement, replace an artificial disc to act as a cushion between your spinal bones, remove the part of a disc that is compressing your nerve or remove a small section of the vertebrae to allow for unimpeded passage of the nerve.
Talk to a Professional
If you have lower back pain, be sure to discuss with a medical professional. Your doctor will help you rule out serious causes for your pain and provide treatment options to correct the issue. He will also advise you on your workout regimen. Certain weight lifts and cardiovascular exercise should be avoided, as they may exacerbate the injury.
