appendix pain is usually on the right side beetween the belly button and the hip. Gallbladder pain in on the right side just below the rib cage. It can be also a bowel obstruction from any cause; no point to discuss this here. I strongly recommend you to go to emergency right away.

yes to both.

Spinal nerves arising from the thoracic part of the spinal cord innervate the trunk in the pattern of horizontal bands (picture), so a disorder in the thoracic spine does not affect the legs, if only the nerves (and not the spinal cord) are affected. Spinal nerves arise from the spinal cord in pairs; often only a nerve on one side is affected. CT or MRI of the spine can reveal the cause.

There could be more causes of muscle-related pain: increased muscle tension from stress or forced posture (including sitting and sleeping), muscle pains after exercise (due to built lacic acid), muscle strain (irritated muscle tendons), or (painful) muscle contractions triggered by pain from the spinal disorder, or other causes. Most of this muscle conditions would be tender to touch in various ways…

In all cases (spinal disorder, pinched nerve or muscle disorder), symptoms change with time and with body movements – not necessary with each and every movement, though.

When the cause is stress, rest from stress can help.

bloated abdomen, hard when touched, is likely from gas. This gas can be either in the small or large bowel. Large bowel extends from lower right abdomen up, then bends and goes horisontaly below the ribs and goes down on the left side of the abdomen. The article about LOW-FODMAP diet explains some of possible causes. If there is no improvement after few days of this diet, other causes should be considered.

The other cause of bloating could be related to either excess or lack of bile in the small intestine. Bile is often delivered into the intestine in excess after gb removal. But something could block the bile duct and hence the bile flow.

The pain in the leg could be from pinched sciatic nerve – either related to bloated abdomen or to a disorder in the lumbar spine (bulging/herniated disc, arthritis…). CT or MRI of the spine can show this.

if the symptoms arise from birth control pills, they would likely go away after stopping taking it. It is possible that pressure, bloating and constipation is caused by a certain substance in the birth control pills, including fructose or sorbitol that produce gas after being broken down by intestinal bacteria. Or have you changed the diet in meantime? Fruits, beans, soda, sugary foods can cause such symptoms.

Is it possible that a pinched nerve could be causing the pain in my back and abdomen area (even though I don’t have any pain running down my leg)?

Would a muscle sprain cause pain when applying pressure on the abdoment area?

by stomach being “scrunched up”, do you mean you can trigger the pain by squeezing the stomach muscles?

Two possible causes, among other, are
- strain or spasm of abdominal/back muscles
- a disorder in the thoracic spine: bulging/herniated disc, arthritis.

Spinal disorders can be evaluated by a CT or MRI. An orthopedist or physiotherapist can maybe evaluate by physical examination, if there is “only” a muscle strain or spasm.

where exactly you feel the abdominal pain? Just below the lower right rib? Symptoms you’ve described can arise from a disorder of the gallbladder or bile duct and resulting reflux of the bile into the stomach and mouth (biliary reflux). I recommend you to visit a gastroenterologist, who can perform an ultrasound of the abdomen and order other tests.