Back pain can actually be caused by prostate cancer, and by the time this happens, the cancer has spread — it is at an advanced stage.
“In general, prostate cancer causes no symptoms,” begins Kenneth Peters, MD, chief of urology for Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI.
Dr. Peters continues, “In advanced cases, the cancer can metastasize to the bones, leading to back pain. Urinary retention or incomplete emptying of the bladder due to an enlarged prostate can at times be perceived as low back pain.”
Low back pain (LBP) has many possible causes, and there are different kinds of LBP, in that it can present in different ways.
Sometimes it’s accompanied by tingling or numbness radiating down a leg.
Sometimes LBP occurs only when you are in certain body positions, such as bending over, or standing up after sitting for long periods.
And there are people for whom LBP occurs only in the morning after getting out of bed, then dissipates soon after.
Sometimes low back pain is nearly constant but dull in nature.
The persistence is something to be concerned about, even if the level of pain is dull.
If you’ve been experiencing low back pain and it doesn’t seem to be related to certain body positions and/or has not gone away after a week or two, do not blow this off.
Rather, bring this to the attention of your doctor and ask that your prostate be examined and that cancer be (hopefully) ruled out.
Dr. Peters, in practice for 30+ years, is board certified by the American Board of Urology. One of his specialties is treating bladder pain.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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