Back Pain & Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms & What to Do

Key takeaways:

• Back pain and diarrhea have diverse causes, ranging from common to somewhat rare.
• If you are unsure what is causing your symptoms, call your doctor.
• If you are pregnant and experience these symptoms, call your doctor.

Back pain and diarrhea are not always related and have diverse causes. In this article, we’ll outline common causes of back pain and diarrhea, if they’re related, treatment options, and when to see a doctor about these symptoms.

Are back pain and diarrhea related?

Back pain and diarrhea can occur together. Several conditions can lead to these two symptoms. In some instances, such as kidney stones, diarrhea can lead to the cause of back pain.

Common causes of back pain and diarrhea experienced together

The list of conditions that cause back pain and diarrhea is diverse. Knowing the signs and symptoms of each can help determine the cause.

Viral infection

Viral infections such as gastroenteritis or influenza can cause generalized muscle aches and diarrhea. These muscle aches, known as myalgias, often affect muscles in the back.

You may also experience other symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, runny nose, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. It depends on the exact cause of your illness.

Inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is a family of conditions including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stools. They can also lead to extraintestinal (outside of the intestines) symptoms such as joint inflammation (arthritis). Arthritis can affect joints in the back.

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is caused by the immune system’s response to gluten, a protein found in wheat. This autoimmune disorder damages the intestinal lining, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Like inflammatory bowel disease, there are extraintestinal signs of celiac disease. Joint and muscle pain are present in 20-30% of patients with celiac disease. Joints and muscles in the back can be affected, causing back pain.

Kidney stones

When conditions are right, stones will form in the kidney. These then pass through the urinary tract causing symptoms such as back pain and bloody urine.

One risk factor for kidney stones is dehydration. Dehydration is a complication of prolonged or severe diarrhea. Signs of dehydration include dizziness, dry skin, cracked lips, dark urine, and muscle cramps.

Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea is any pain during menstruation. The cause of dysmenorrhea is not well understood. Women with dysmenorrhea frequently complain of lower abdominal or groin pain. This pain sometimes radiates to the lower back. There may be other symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and diarrhea.

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ behind the stomach and small intestines. It produces substances that digest food and control blood sugar. Pancreatitis can be either acute or chronic. In both acute and chronic pancreatitis, the pancreas may no longer be able to produce the substances needed to digest fat.

This leads to steatorrhea, a form of diarrhea characterized by large, greasy, foul-smelling stools. Both forms of pancreatitis are painful, causing ongoing abdominal or back pain. Diabetes may also be present.

Causes of diarrhea and back pain based on another symptom, condition, or situation

If you are experiencing symptoms in addition to back pain and diarrhea, these may point towards the cause.

Lower back pain and diarrhea

Lower back pain and diarrhea have several potential causes. The most likely would be a viral infection such as gastroenteritis or influenza.

Other possibilities include celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Both cause symptoms outside the gastrointestinal tract. These include joint pain and muscle aches. If you are currently menstruating, dysmenorrhea is another potential explanation.

Left or right back pain and diarrhea

Back pain isolated to one side is suspicious for a kidney stone. While stones can form in both kidneys at the same time, usually only one is affected. Diarrhea can lead to dehydration.

Even mild dehydration is a risk factor for forming kidney stones. If you have had diarrhea and begin to experience back pain on one side, you may have a kidney stone.

Back pain, abdominal pain, and diarrhea

Because it’s located in the back of the abdomen, pancreatic inflammation can cause back pain. An inflamed and damaged pancreas may not be able to produce the substances needed for fat digestion. When we cannot digest fat, this causes frequent loose bowel movements.

Abdominal pain and diarrhea are also common symptoms of both celiac and inflammatory bowel diseases. These conditions have what are known as extraintestinal manifestations. This is when symptoms unrelated to the GI tract occur. One common set of such symptoms includes joint and muscle inflammation, known as arthralgias and myalgias. These can affect the joints and muscles of the back, causing back pain.

Back pain, vomiting, and diarrhea

This grouping of symptoms can mean an infection such as gastroenteritis or influenza. It may also indicate the presence of pancreatitis. Typically pancreatitis causes abdominal pain, but it may not due to the location of the pancreas.

Back pain and diarrhea while pregnant

Back pain and diarrhea during pregnancy can have multiple pregnancy-related causes. This varies depending on the trimester of pregnancy.

In the first trimester, this may be due to the hormonal changes of pregnancy. In the third trimester, the back pain is frequently musculoskeletal in nature from the increasing weight the patient is carrying.

If you are experiencing back pain and diarrhea while pregnant, please call your doctor.

Read our guides on different types of diarrhea and common causes of diarrhea for more.

Treatment options for back pain and diarrhea

Treatment for back pain and diarrhea is often directed at the symptoms.

Rehydration

Rehydration is one of the mainstays of treatment for diarrhea. The best means of rehydration is drinking an oral rehydration solution or a low-sugar sports drink.

There are oral rehydration packets you can purchase at your local pharmacy. You can make a rehydration solution at home if you’d prefer.

Over-the-counter medication

Several potential over-the-counter therapies can help your symptoms. Probiotics restore normal intestinal bacteria destroyed by diarrhea. These can reduce the length of your illness.

Anti-diarrheal agents are also useful for your symptoms. But please speak to your doctor before starting these medications. These can make some infections worse and cause serious complications.

Some over-the-counter medications are helpful for back pain. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are safe for most patients. Avoid ibuprofen if you are pregnant, have stomach ulcers, or have kidney disease.

When to see a doctor about back pain and diarrhea

If the diarrhea and back pain begin to improve within 48 hours, you probably don’t need to see a doctor. If however the symptoms worsen or new symptoms develop, call your doctor.

You should see a doctor if:

• The diarrhea lasts longer than 48 hours.
• The symptoms are so severe you cannot complete normal daily tasks.
• You have a fever (temperature greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
• You notice bloody or dark-black (tarry) stools.
• There are signs of dehydration.
• If you have recently taken antibiotics and now have diarrhea.
• You are experiencing pain in your eyes or joints or sores in your mouth.

You should go to the emergency room if:

• You are experiencing severe abdominal pain.
• You have not made any urine for 6 hours.
• The patient is confused or having difficulty staying awake.

Questions to ask your doctor about back pain and diarrhea

• What do you think is causing these symptoms?
• Can I take over-the-counter medications for the symptoms?
• How long do you expect this to last?
• When should I call you back if I don’t think I’m improving?

Frequently asked questions: back pain and diarrhea

It is normal to have questions about your symptoms. Please ask your doctor any questions you have. While diarrhea can be an embarrassing subject, your doctor wants to help you feel better.

Are back pain and diarrhea a sign of COVID?

COVID, like any viral infection, can cause generalized muscle pains and diarrhea, depending on which organ systems it infects.

Are back pain and diarrhea a sign of cancer?

Only in very rare cases, such as a large pancreatic tumor. When symptomatic, pancreatic tumors usually cause jaundice and weight loss.

What does pancreatic back pain feel like?

Back pain from pancreatitis usually radiates from the abdomen to between the shoulder blades.

Managing back pain and diarrhea

Back pain and diarrhea have a list of causes from very common to rare. Speak to your doctor if you are unsure what may be causing your symptoms.

General Medicine follows a strict editorial process, including using real experts to write our articles, vetted primary sources, fact-checking, a secondary medical review, and updates as necessary. This article was medically reviewed and fact checked by Dr. Lane Thaut, DO.

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