Painful lumps on back

[sal555]

Hello,
For a long time now my girlfriend has had these lumps that she gets on her back.  They are about the size of a marble maybe a little bigger.  She tells me to rub her back in certain spots because it hurts and these lumps are the reason for the pain.  They feel like fatty tissue.  "Rubbing them out" helps aliviate the pain a lot.  They are almost all the time around her lower back but sometimes also in the middle of her back.  She asked her doctor about them and they told her theyre just "stress balls" and that rubbing them was basically all she could do for them.  They seem to come and go, but they occur very often (at least twice a week).  Any ideas on what they could be, other than "stress balls"

[megsFL]

I have them as well. Lower back on either side of my spine. Small ones have sprung up further out toward my ribs and upper back. Thats nice of you to rub her back as yes they are very painful and cause radiating pain. Mine hurt though terribly when touched. No one has explained why they happen though, have you any news on that?

[kittyluv1]

It is possible that the "lumps" are fat deposits under the subcutaneous tissue that are benign lipomas. If they move easily with touch and feel soft and do not cause significant pain with pressure, they usually do not require any treatment.  If they grow in size and her discomfort increases secondary to where they are (close to nerves, etc) they could be removed surgically.  Based on the description given, it would probably not be necessary for numerous lumps to be removed, if any.  I'm not familiar with the terminology of "stress balls", but it may be helpful to evaluate the times when these lumps become more visible and see if there is any connection to activity, fatigue etc.