Back & chest pain with bloating

I have had back pain for a few weeks now. It seems to travel around, low, mid, upper, neck, shoulders. I might do 15 to 30 minuets of activity and have to lay on the conch for hours. In addition I have been having sharp pains in the middle of my chest that are getting worse and my stomach is so bloated my cloths don’t fit and I look pregnant..

I have scoliosis and thought that perhaps the chest and stomach issues were because of my back, being crooked and irritated and leaning on my organs. So I have focused on trying to make my back better. I have been to a chiropractor several times as well as had numerous massages. I stretch and soak in the tub daily. I have tried various left over pain killers, with no improvement. Soaking in the tub will help for a few minuets to a few hours. A few times the massages were helpful for up to a couple days. Though I was not completely better, I was at least, able to function during that time.

Any thought on what might be causing this?  I did not have an accident or do anything to injure myself. With the pain lasting for so long, I am thinking I should go to the Doctor, but I am not sure which kind, since my symptoms are not confined to my back, ,I have no idea what I might have and what if any tests/treatment would help.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your back pain. Possibilities that may need to be considered include worsening of scoliosis curve, postural issues, neuro-muscular causes, referred pain from other regions etc. The chest pain and the bloated feeling are unlikely to be related to the back and caused related to the chest wall, GI, heart etc may need to be considered. I would suggest getting this evaluated by a primary care physician initially and depending on the cause diagnosed/ suspected, it can be managed accordingly or specialist care may be sought.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!