bruised feeling on my side and middle back?

I am 26 years old and have had problems for the past year with my middle back/rib/side area. They did a mri and sent me to a spine specialist but found nothing. Its not an all day thing its only when I lay on my side and it wakes me up all hours of the night as well. It just feels like a bruised pain and gets so bad I have to have my husband help me out of bed, but when I get moving around it goes away. I'm so frustrated and just want some answers. Any suggestions as to what it could be?

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to comment on the situation. With a normal MRI structural defects and degenerative conditions of the spine are practically ruled out. This could possibly be related to postural defects of muscle spasm. You might benefit from physiotherapy that would help in improving posture and improving the strength of the back muscles. Anti-inflammatory medication may also be beneficial for pain relief. If this does not seem to help I would suggest consulting an internist to consider possibilities such as micronutrient deficiencies, hormonal/ endocrine imbalances, autoimmune conditions etc, that could present similarly.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!