Does anyone here suffer with lower back pain when seated or on their back

Aw, poor you, wish I could help! And yes, I can at times feel lower back pain while seated or lying supine (on my back).

Before reading your post, I had never seen that pressure sensation described as a feeling of gas pressing on a nerve in the spinal cord. Same with a bloated sensation described as gas buildup under the rib cage. I'm not saying it couldn't be gas causing all the havoc, it very well might be. As someone who feels pressure (and in some cases, outright pain) in parts of my back, with terribly uncomfortable bloating at rib cage level, I can blame a few of my several chronic medical conditions: multiple sclerosis, degenerative spine disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

I blame the upper pressure/pain/bloated feeling (rib cage) on either multiple sclerosis (the MS "hug"😉 or IBS after it leaves the stomach and storms the gut, testing its intestinal fortitude.

I am so looking forward to the rest of the story! Cheers, Kim, moderator

Thanks for that Kim.

So sorry that you're dealing with that. I just wanted to share that several community members have pointed out that their digestive issues and back pain were related, like in this story: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/stories/gut-neck-problems-linked. Here are some further articles and forums about back pain and IBS: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/link-lower-back-pain-and-ibs, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/spine-ibs, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/forums/does-anyone-ever-experience-lower-back-pain. I hope this helps. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)

Here's something I picked up


IRRITABLE BOWEL SYMPTOMS

In digestive issues such as IBS, this may be due to excess gas being produced and pushing on organs or nerves, resulting in symptoms of pain and discomfort.
IBS AND GUT HEALTH CLINIC

CT scan showed the interposition of the transverse colon between the stomach and the abdominal wall (Fig. A). Obstructing masses were not detected. Barium enema in supine position confirmed that the splenic flexure along with the left side of the transverse colon existed firmly in the epigastrium (Fig. B). Splenic flexure syndrome was diagnosed. The reassurances of the absence of serious disorders and the advice to take decubitus position for sleep have made him comfortable.

The splenic flexure, the highest-reaching segment of the colon, may become distended as the gas rises to fill it. Splenic flexure syndrome is a disorder characterized by symptoms including bloating, fullness, and left upper abdominal pain, which are caused by the distended splenic flexure [1,2]. This syndrome has been recognized as a type of irritable bowel syndrome [3]. The amount of gas in the transverse colon seems to be related with functional bloating [4]. Treatment is directed to the reassurance of the patients of the absence of serious organic diseases [3]. Psychotherapeutic measures may be helpful in the individual case. Antispasmodics, adsorptives, sedatives, and antidepressants have yielded somewhat varied but generally disappointing results [2,3]. Biofeedback treatment can be effective in certain cases with dyssynergic defecation. Although it is not a life-threatening disease, quality of patients’ lives is often affected because of the lack of specific treatments. In conclusion, although this is a classic syndrome, it is sometimes underdiagnosed and thus distinguishing this syndrome from cardiac and other gastrointestinal disorders is important for clinicians. This case emphasized the importance of recognition of this syndrome for gastroenterologists to reduce the unnecessary repeated examinations.
INTESINAL RESEARCH

1. Berk JE,Gas. Haubrich WS, Schaffner FS, Berk JE, editors. Bochus gastroenterology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, WB Saunders: 1995. p.113–128.

2. Palmer ED, Deutsch DL, Scott NM Jr. Clinical experiences with the splenic flexure syndrome and the hepatic flexure syndrome. Am J Dig Dis 1955;22:194–197.
[Article] [PubMed]

3. Shafar J. The splenic flexure syndrome. Postgrad Med J 1965;41:148–150.
[Article] [PubMed] [PMC]

4. Lee HS, Kim JK, Sun JS, Lee KJ. Gastrointestinal gas and abdominal fat quantity measured by three-dimensional abdominal computed tomography in patients with functional bloating. Korean J Gastroenterol 2018;71:324–331.
[Article] [PubMed]

Chronic intestinal diseases like diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, food intolerances like lactose- or gluten-intolerance and small bowel bacterial overgrowth cause trapped gas, leading to back pain, per the Mayo Clinic.