Question: For the last few months I've had on and off back pain (both lower and up and down the two large muscles on either side of my spine). I also periodically get some tingling/numbness in one spot near my left shoulder blade and some dull pain in the center of my spine. The pain has been worse on the right side from the start, radiating into my rib cage area under my arm. I have a 25 pound baby, who I carry on my right side with my hip kicked out to the left, so my guess is this, plus lifting her up and down, and sitting on the floor slouching are to blame.

But, today out of nowhere the pain increased in severity quickly and intensely. From about the middle of my back on the right side all the way around my rib cage I have a sharp pain that is worse with twisting and with breathing deeply. I could feel a dull pain if I wrapped my hand around my rib cage on that side and press. I couldn't tell if the pain was muscles, bones, or something else like my lungs. I took ibuprofen and it did little for the pain. Then, a few hours later while I was stretching my right arm over my left shoulder, the pain disappeared suddenly.

The general pain throughout my back remains, though, and this morning I woke with some more pain on the left side of my back/ribs/muscle in/around my armpit than I've had until now (it was mostly focused on the right side) and more tingling/numbness in my calf, ankle, and toes. The tingling/numbness is not constant, but comes and goes. I also occasionally get the sensation of cold water pouring down my leg. The tingling/numbness is also still present next to my left shoulder blade.

Additionally, now and then (maybe a few times a day) I'll get a creaking/rubbing sound in what seems like my right lung. It happens when I breath in and out, but I can also make it happen if I expand my chest wall without taking a breath. Could this be a tightened muscle rubbing? I read about pleural friction rubs, so also wonder if it could be that. It happens most often when I'm sitting and it's only on the one side.

I have had no cough or breathlessness. And there isn't really any pain in my chest. The severe pain was in my mid-back and around the right side around my ribs. The creaky feeling I get in my chest/lung area is just a creaky sensation, no pain, and comes and goes. It's affected by both movement and breathing but isn't constant and isn't painful at all.

I haven't done an imaging. Pain is somewhat reduced with ibuprophen but not completely. But the severe pain I had yesterday hasn't returned. That lasted only for a few hours and disappeared suddenly (what could cause that??).

Thanks!

The pain in my back does radiate to my right side rib area. Sometimes my chest feels tight but I think that's from anxiety. The tightness comes and goes, usually leaving when I relax. Is it possible to have pulmonary embolism that causes minor symptoms like this for weeks, or would that produce severe symptoms fairly quickly?