Question
I have had a problem that has occured on the right side of my abdomen, which escallates to the right side of my back. Doctors keep saying that it may be a muscle problem, and to just keep taking advil. I have lived with this pain for almost 1 year now. Is there any type of procedure to tell if this problem that I'm experiencing actually IS a muscle related issue? Would an MRI check for pulled muscles, etc? Or is there any type of test that would tell me for sure that I have a muscle problem?

Answer
Dear Kristy,

The simple answer is to feel.  Use your hand.  Pressure will evoke soreness if it's a contracted muscle.  Feel your abdomen and your back.  If you aren't soft to the touch, you have contracted muscles.

Advil is not an answer.  You need to learn to relax the involved muscles.

Please see articles on somatics.com/page4.htm on pain for more detail and options for solving the problem.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold