Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: October 7, 2025
Back pain is annoying enough when it’s not paired with other symptoms, but for many people their spinal discomfort is regularly accompanied by feelings of nausea. What’s causing these symptoms to present together, and more importantly, what can you do to treat both of these issues? In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the connection between back pain and nausea.
Back Pain And Feelings Of Nausea
Let’s dive right into why your back pain may develop with feelings of nausea and how you can work to overcome the problems. As you’ll see, knowing what’s causing your symptoms is key, so it’s always wise to schedule a consultation with a provider if you are unsure why your symptoms are developing. Here’s a look at some of the most common reasons back pain develops with nausea.
- Kidney Issue – The first problem that can lead to back pain and nausea isn’t actually an issue rooted in your spine. Kidney conditions, particularly problems like kidney stones or an infection, oftentimes cause a few different bodily responses, mainly back pain, nausea and vomiting. Your primary care doctor can conduct some tests to see if a kidney stone or an infection is causing your discomfort, and they’ll be able to refer you to a specialist or provide some helpful information for overcoming the kidney issue.
- Disc Problems – Disc issues can commonly present with nausea because of how they impact nearby nerves. A shifted spinal disc can compress on nerves that regulate processes in the stomach or with your digestive system, and this can bring about feelings of nausea. Targeting the nerve compression can oftentimes lead to complete symptom relief. You can read more about overcoming nerve compression on this blog, but tactics like physical therapy, low impact exercise, an anti-inflammatory diet and weight management can oftentimes help relieve nerve compression and irritation.
- Medication Side Effects – If you’re trying to manage back pain with medications, it’s not unusual to find that one side effect of these medications is nausea. Switching prescriptions can potentially help with these side effects, as can taking your medications with a meal. Others may find that it’s best to pivot away from a passive treatment option like medications and towards more active interventions like physical therapy or exercise. You should talk to your doctor if your medications are causing you to feel nauseous.
- Unmanaged Stress – As we’ve talked about on this blog in detail in the past, poorly managed mental and emotional stress can have a physical impact on your body. If you’re stressed, your body inherently tenses up, and this prolonged muscle tension can lead to pain and discomfort in your spinal muscles. Stress also triggers the production of the hormone cortisol, and cortisol imbalances can leave you feeling nauseous and anxious. Fortunately, getting better at managing stress can help put both back pain and nausea at bay. Work on reducing stress in your life, but when it develops (and it will), challenge yourself to find healthy ways to manage it. Exercise, deep breathing, mindfulness or simply throwing yourself into a hobby you enjoy can help you get a handle on stress and the symptoms it’s causing.
Don’t let back pain, nausea or a combination of the two negatively impact your life. Connect with your primary care physician to determine what’s causing your symptoms and to develop an optimal treatment strategy. If that treatment plan involves a referral to a spine specialist, we’re here for you. Connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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