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Suggest Treatment For Severe Lower Back Pain And Swelling In Ankles
Question: I am a 56 year old woman, smoker, and I am having severe lower back pain. I also occasionally have swollen ankles with visible veins.
Brief Answer:
I would recommend performing some tests:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would explain that it is necessary performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis of different causes that may lead to this symptomatology:
- a kidney disorder (stones, infection) can lead to severe back pain and swollen ankles.
- a backbone disorder (slipped or bulging disk) could also lead to severe back pain, but is not related to swollen legs.
- other causes of swollen legs would be: a liver disorder, varicose veins of the lower limbs, heart failure.
For this reason, I would recommend consulting with your attending physician for a careful physical exam and some tests:
- an abdominal ultrasound
- a lumbar spine X ray study
- some blood lab tests (complete blood count, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests, PCR and sedimentation rate for inflammation)
- an urine analysis.
If a kidney disorder or a lumbar spine disorder are excluded ( if all the above mentioned tests result normal), further tests may be needed (cardiac ultrasound and a Doppler ultrasound of the lower limb vessels).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Feel free to ask me again whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend performing some tests:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would explain that it is necessary performing a comprehensive differential diagnosis of different causes that may lead to this symptomatology:
- a kidney disorder (stones, infection) can lead to severe back pain and swollen ankles.
- a backbone disorder (slipped or bulging disk) could also lead to severe back pain, but is not related to swollen legs.
- other causes of swollen legs would be: a liver disorder, varicose veins of the lower limbs, heart failure.
For this reason, I would recommend consulting with your attending physician for a careful physical exam and some tests:
- an abdominal ultrasound
- a lumbar spine X ray study
- some blood lab tests (complete blood count, blood electrolytes, kidney and liver function tests, PCR and sedimentation rate for inflammation)
- an urine analysis.
If a kidney disorder or a lumbar spine disorder are excluded ( if all the above mentioned tests result normal), further tests may be needed (cardiac ultrasound and a Doppler ultrasound of the lower limb vessels).
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Feel free to ask me again whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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