Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionCausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentDifferential Diagnosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definition
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Differential Diagnosis
Back mice are painful masses of fat in and around the hips, the end of the spinal column (sacrum), and lower back. Depending on their cause and severity, treatment options may include self-care, alternative therapies, and medical treatments such as surgery.
What Are Back Mice?
“Back mice” is a term that usually refers to painful lumps of fat (lipomas), usually on the lower back. However, it can also be used to describe fibrous tissue or other types of nodules in this location.
In some cases, back mice protrude (herniate) through thelumbodorsalfascia, the network of connective tissue that covers the deep muscles of the low and middle back. Subcutaneous back mice develop in the tissue under the skin.
Back mice can be a result of many different co-occurring conditions that can lead to their formation. These conditions include:
Signs of back mice include:
Back mice can often be seen under the skin and may feel firm or rubbery. They are typically tender to touch and can make it hard to sit in a chair or lie on your back, since they often appear on the hip bones and sacroiliac region.
Lipomas on lower back.DermNet /CC BY-NC-ND
DermNet /CC BY-NC-ND
A physical exam may provide enough information to diagnose a lipoma. However, sometimes imaging and laboratory tests are done. These may include:
Do Back Mice Show Up on MRI?Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans provide high-quality information for diagnosing lipomas like back mice. MRI scanning presents different views of soft tissues, with image quality that’s often reliable enough to limit the need for a biopsy.
Do Back Mice Show Up on MRI?
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans provide high-quality information for diagnosing lipomas like back mice. MRI scanning presents different views of soft tissues, with image quality that’s often reliable enough to limit the need for a biopsy.
Back mice are usually benign (non-cancerous), so there’s usually no reason to remove them. Your healthcare provider may recommend taking a watchful waiting approach—coming in regularly for exams to monitor the mass for any changes.
Treatment to manage back mice may include:
Additional treatments under study include yoga, vibration therapies, and ultrasound-guided manual techniques.Electrical stimulation also shows promise in treating back mice pain.
The fatty deposits can have a range of causes, as do the sources of nerve pain. Apart from back mice, your healthcare provider may need to consider and rule out other causes such as:
Painful lipomas are also can occur withfibromyalgia, a chronic condition that involves abnormal pain signals.
Summary
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dąbrowski K, Ciszek B.Anatomy and morphology of iliolumbar ligament. Surg Radiol Anat. 2023 Feb;45(2):169-173. doi: 10.1007/s00276-022-03070-ySeyedhoseinpoor T, Taghipour M, Dadgoo M, Sanjari MA, Takamjani IE, Kazemnejad A, Khoshamooz Y, Hides J.Alteration of lumbar muscle morphology and composition in relation to low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J. 2022 Apr;22(4):660-676. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.10.018Bicket MC, Simmons C, Zheng Y.The best-laid plans of “back mice” and men: a case report and literature review of episacroiliac lipoma.Pain Physician. 2016;19(3):181-188.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Lipoma and Atypical Lipomatous Tumors.Rovaris MF, Prall JM.Episacroiliac Lipomas: A Possible Undetected Cause of Non-specific Low Back Pain.Phys Ther Rehabil Sci2023;12:413-8. doi:10.14474/ptrs.2023.12.4.413Kelley M, Knight S.Trapping “Back Mice”: A novel approach to the evaluation and treatment of painful Subfascial fat herniations.Grove J, Lester MLR.Lipoma excision.J Med Insight.2023;2023(268.18). doi:10.24296/jomi/268.18Peev I, Spasevska L, Mirchevska E, Tudzarova-Gjorgova S.Liposuction Assisted Lipoma Removal - Option or Alternative?Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2017 Oct 14;5(6):766-770. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2017.186. PMID: 29104686; PMCID: PMC5661715.Bond, D.Chiropractic Treatment of the Back Mouse.Cañis Parera M, Expósito Izquierdo M, Cabré Vila JJ.Historical Review of Studies on Sacroiliac Fatty Nodules (Recently Termed “Back Mice”) as a Potential Cause of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2021 Dec;10(2):1029-1050. doi:10.1007/s40122-021-00321-5Beltran K, Wadeea R, Herbst KL.Infections preceding the development of Dercum disease.IDCases. 2019 Dec 19;19:e00682. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00682Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liposarcoma.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dąbrowski K, Ciszek B.Anatomy and morphology of iliolumbar ligament. Surg Radiol Anat. 2023 Feb;45(2):169-173. doi: 10.1007/s00276-022-03070-ySeyedhoseinpoor T, Taghipour M, Dadgoo M, Sanjari MA, Takamjani IE, Kazemnejad A, Khoshamooz Y, Hides J.Alteration of lumbar muscle morphology and composition in relation to low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J. 2022 Apr;22(4):660-676. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.10.018Bicket MC, Simmons C, Zheng Y.The best-laid plans of “back mice” and men: a case report and literature review of episacroiliac lipoma.Pain Physician. 2016;19(3):181-188.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Lipoma and Atypical Lipomatous Tumors.Rovaris MF, Prall JM.Episacroiliac Lipomas: A Possible Undetected Cause of Non-specific Low Back Pain.Phys Ther Rehabil Sci2023;12:413-8. doi:10.14474/ptrs.2023.12.4.413Kelley M, Knight S.Trapping “Back Mice”: A novel approach to the evaluation and treatment of painful Subfascial fat herniations.Grove J, Lester MLR.Lipoma excision.J Med Insight.2023;2023(268.18). doi:10.24296/jomi/268.18Peev I, Spasevska L, Mirchevska E, Tudzarova-Gjorgova S.Liposuction Assisted Lipoma Removal - Option or Alternative?Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2017 Oct 14;5(6):766-770. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2017.186. PMID: 29104686; PMCID: PMC5661715.Bond, D.Chiropractic Treatment of the Back Mouse.Cañis Parera M, Expósito Izquierdo M, Cabré Vila JJ.Historical Review of Studies on Sacroiliac Fatty Nodules (Recently Termed “Back Mice”) as a Potential Cause of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2021 Dec;10(2):1029-1050. doi:10.1007/s40122-021-00321-5Beltran K, Wadeea R, Herbst KL.Infections preceding the development of Dercum disease.IDCases. 2019 Dec 19;19:e00682. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00682Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liposarcoma.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Dąbrowski K, Ciszek B.Anatomy and morphology of iliolumbar ligament. Surg Radiol Anat. 2023 Feb;45(2):169-173. doi: 10.1007/s00276-022-03070-ySeyedhoseinpoor T, Taghipour M, Dadgoo M, Sanjari MA, Takamjani IE, Kazemnejad A, Khoshamooz Y, Hides J.Alteration of lumbar muscle morphology and composition in relation to low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J. 2022 Apr;22(4):660-676. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.10.018Bicket MC, Simmons C, Zheng Y.The best-laid plans of “back mice” and men: a case report and literature review of episacroiliac lipoma.Pain Physician. 2016;19(3):181-188.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Lipoma and Atypical Lipomatous Tumors.Rovaris MF, Prall JM.Episacroiliac Lipomas: A Possible Undetected Cause of Non-specific Low Back Pain.Phys Ther Rehabil Sci2023;12:413-8. doi:10.14474/ptrs.2023.12.4.413Kelley M, Knight S.Trapping “Back Mice”: A novel approach to the evaluation and treatment of painful Subfascial fat herniations.Grove J, Lester MLR.Lipoma excision.J Med Insight.2023;2023(268.18). doi:10.24296/jomi/268.18Peev I, Spasevska L, Mirchevska E, Tudzarova-Gjorgova S.Liposuction Assisted Lipoma Removal - Option or Alternative?Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2017 Oct 14;5(6):766-770. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2017.186. PMID: 29104686; PMCID: PMC5661715.Bond, D.Chiropractic Treatment of the Back Mouse.Cañis Parera M, Expósito Izquierdo M, Cabré Vila JJ.Historical Review of Studies on Sacroiliac Fatty Nodules (Recently Termed “Back Mice”) as a Potential Cause of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2021 Dec;10(2):1029-1050. doi:10.1007/s40122-021-00321-5Beltran K, Wadeea R, Herbst KL.Infections preceding the development of Dercum disease.IDCases. 2019 Dec 19;19:e00682. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00682Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liposarcoma.
Dąbrowski K, Ciszek B.Anatomy and morphology of iliolumbar ligament. Surg Radiol Anat. 2023 Feb;45(2):169-173. doi: 10.1007/s00276-022-03070-y
Seyedhoseinpoor T, Taghipour M, Dadgoo M, Sanjari MA, Takamjani IE, Kazemnejad A, Khoshamooz Y, Hides J.Alteration of lumbar muscle morphology and composition in relation to low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J. 2022 Apr;22(4):660-676. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2021.10.018
Bicket MC, Simmons C, Zheng Y.The best-laid plans of “back mice” and men: a case report and literature review of episacroiliac lipoma.Pain Physician. 2016;19(3):181-188.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Lipoma and Atypical Lipomatous Tumors.
Rovaris MF, Prall JM.Episacroiliac Lipomas: A Possible Undetected Cause of Non-specific Low Back Pain.Phys Ther Rehabil Sci2023;12:413-8. doi:10.14474/ptrs.2023.12.4.413
Kelley M, Knight S.Trapping “Back Mice”: A novel approach to the evaluation and treatment of painful Subfascial fat herniations.
Grove J, Lester MLR.Lipoma excision.J Med Insight.2023;2023(268.18). doi:10.24296/jomi/268.18
Peev I, Spasevska L, Mirchevska E, Tudzarova-Gjorgova S.Liposuction Assisted Lipoma Removal - Option or Alternative?Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2017 Oct 14;5(6):766-770. doi: 10.3889/oamjms.2017.186. PMID: 29104686; PMCID: PMC5661715.
Bond, D.Chiropractic Treatment of the Back Mouse.
Cañis Parera M, Expósito Izquierdo M, Cabré Vila JJ.Historical Review of Studies on Sacroiliac Fatty Nodules (Recently Termed “Back Mice”) as a Potential Cause of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2021 Dec;10(2):1029-1050. doi:10.1007/s40122-021-00321-5
Beltran K, Wadeea R, Herbst KL.Infections preceding the development of Dercum disease.IDCases. 2019 Dec 19;19:e00682. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2019.e00682
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Liposarcoma.
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
