Question
Hi, my mum has constant back pain. The pain is roughly between her 9th and 10th rib on the right side. It is shooting pain in roughly 4 cm X 4 cm area.

She has been taking pain killer but it doesn't help. My mum is in her 40s

Please help me.
Can you let me know the cause of the back pain and how to treat it?
Thank you

Answer
Pain in the back can be caused by several factors,  however,  what your mum is experiencing sounds suspiciously like a condition called shingles.  Shingles is the activation of the chicken pox virus that has lain dormant in the dorsal nerve root ganglion of your mother.  This usually is accompanied by a rash in that exact area, but it's not always the case.  Sometimes there is only the excruciating pain without the rash.  Go to the doctor and try to relieve her stress levels.  
If it turns out not to be shingles, see your local chiropractor as it could possibly be a rib that has been knocked out of its proper alignment, which can also be very painful.  If that is the case the chiropractor can do gentle maneuvers to realign the rib and hopefully alleviate your mother's symptoms.