Pain in the upper back after excessive... - British Liver Trust

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Pain in the upper back after excessive alcohol

Srirockz profile image
11 Replies

I had heavy drink continuously 3 days and suddenly the 4 th day my upper back started paining when i cough or when i strectch my hand..is any medical attention required

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Srirockz
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11 Replies

I used to get that upper back pain when I would drink heavily. My doc's didn't have a clue what was going on.

My own personal opinion is that my fatty alcoholic liver must have been pushing out on my ribs in front which torqued my spine in back. The bottom couple of ribs are known as "floating ribs" as they are not attached to the sternum in front. These ribs are however attached to the spine in back.

Fatty liver can increase with remarkable swiftness with heavy alcohol consumption, & fatty livers are known to increase in size. When this occurs, it must push these floating ribs out a bit which twists the vertebra in back.

I had this back issue come & go several times. Each time it was rather high up in my mid back, and was much more painful than my chronic low back issues. Cut back the alcohol, & it would resolve within a week. Glad those days are over!

Srirockz profile image
Srirockz in reply to

Hey thnx for replyin..means a lot..i have another doubts.my heartbeat is high..is it okk to hit the gym??or will make the pain worse?

in reply toSrirockz

Hi.

How high is your resting heart rate?

Srirockz profile image
Srirockz in reply to

Heart rate is back to normal now but the pain wont go still and stool is not normal..its been 4 days..and i already started hating alcohol now..

in reply toSrirockz

If your heart rate is back to normal I can't see why you can't do some moderate exercise and increase the level as and when your health improves. If in doubt speak to your doctor for advice. There's nothing wrong with hating alcohol !! All the best.

Srirockz profile image
Srirockz in reply to

Yup i did workout today and that increased d pain more it hurts in d upper back while couging or sometimes when i try 2 speak loudly...

AyrshireK profile image
AyrshireK in reply toSrirockz

Better to be safe and go and get checked out by your doctor.

in reply toSrirockz

You're not ready for a workout I was thinking of a 5 or 10 minute gentle walk! See your doc before you do anything else

L x

in reply toSrirockz

I haven't read anything about fatty livers being damaged by moderate exercise, but I would be careful not to create any situation where the liver area might receive impact (like boxing!).

Hope this resolves for you swiftly. Important to limit dietary sugars, particularly fructose in sodas and fruit juice (as well as alcohol!)

jo0ls profile image
jo0ls

Bit late now, but with sudden onset pain in the back and hand i would definitely want to rule out a heart attack.

jr1284 profile image
jr1284

Pancreatitis can cause pain to radiate into the back. If your abdomen is tender directly under your breastbone, you may have it. It is advised to seek medical attention but it can go away on its own. They will hook you up to an I.V. because you won’t be able to eat or drink anything (even water) for a few days.

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