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General Information

Your "backbone" or spine is really a collection of small bones called vertebrae with disks in between them. These are all held in place by a series of muscles and ligaments. Back pain is often a result of strain or stress on these muscles. When that happens, they can't support the spine in the right manner and pain occurs. Since nerves from your spinal column go all through your body, pain in your back can lead to pain, weakness, and numbness in other parts of your body.

Back pain can come on all at once, or it can grow gradually over time. Often, nothing needs to be done, and symptoms go away by themselves in a few days. But if the pain is severe, if it lasts longer than a few days, or if it interferes with normal activity, you should consult your healthcare provider. Also, back pain accompanied by loss of bladder or bowel control, difficulty in moving your legs, or numbness or tingling in your arms or legs should receive immediate medical attention since it could indicate a serious injury to your spine and nerves.

Solving the problem of what's causing back pain and knowing what to do about it is difficult. Pain is not a good indicator of what is wrong with your back, only that there is a problem. Sometimes a lot of pain comes from a very slight injury while a serious one causes no pain at all.

Causes of Back Pain?

A lot of different things can cause back pain. In more than half the cases that are evaluated by a health professional, one specific cause cannot be identified. In general, though, any one or more of the following things can cause back pain:

• The most common cause of back pain is strains and/or sprains of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the back. Lack of physical activity or even poor posture can lead to a weakening of these muscles and cause pain.
• Problems with the lining on the discs between vertebrae, or a rupture of one of these discs can cause pain as the disc irritates or pinches a nerve.
• Back pain can be caused by a narrowing of the space in the vertebrae, a condition called spinal stenosis, which is more common in people over 40.
• A condition known as facet joint syndrome occurs when joints in the backbone become misaligned over time and the condition causes pain.
• Osteoarthritis, little growths of additional bone that are the result of the body trying to compensate for the wear and tear on the spine, can also lead to pain.

An infection, a tumor, or a serious traumatic injury to your spinal column can cause back pain. Being overweight can cause back pain because of the strain it puts on the muscles in the lower back, and arthritic disorders as well as some congenital and degenerative conditions may cause back pain.

Symptoms of Back Pain?

• pain in the back or legs
• stiffness and limited motion.

Back pain may be continuous or may occur only when you are in certain positions. It may occur in only one spot, or it may spread to other areas, most commonly down the buttocks and into the back of the thigh. Tingling or numbness in the calf or foot may indicate a herniated disk or pinched nerve. And an inability to lift your foot or weakness in your leg is a sign of nerve damage.

Treatment

Treatment will depend on whether the pain is acute or chronic. If it is acute, which means it is sudden and has a specific cause, such as an injury or a disease, the healthcare provider will try to locate the specific source of the pain and treat that. If the pain is chronic, which means it is persistent over a long period of time, and often can't be linked with a specific cause, treatment will focus on finding ways to cope with the pain.

For an acute episode of back pain, a doctor may recommend a few days of bed rest, though, usually, doctors advise some limited activity even during that time. Bed rest of more than a couple of days, however, often does more harm than good, and acute back pain sufferers are urged to become active as soon as possible.

Physical therapy is a common approach to treating back pain. Physical therapy helps strengthen the back, relieves pain, and improves function. Other treatments include acupuncture, massage, yoga, and chiropractic manipulation.

The doctor may recommend taking aspirin, or other anti-inflammatory medications; muscle relaxants; or other pain medications. Psychological counseling is a common part of treatment for chronic back pain to help patients develop strategies for coping with the pain.