Back Pain

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Back pain is when your lower or upper back hurts. Lots of people get it at some point. It can be a little or a lot of pain and last for a short or long time.

Back pain is very common, affecting 80% of adults at some point in their lives. It gets more common as you get older. Women get back pain more than men.

Back pain can happen to anyone, including kids and teens. Some things make it more likely to happen:

 

  • Age: Back pain is more common as you get older, usually around 30 or 40.
  • Being overweight: Having too much weight can strain your back.
  • Feeling stressed or sad: Being stressed or anxious can make your muscles tight and cause back pain.
  • Health problems: Some diseases like arthritis or cancer can make back pain worse.
  • Lifting wrong: Lifting things with your back instead of your legs can hurt your back.
  • Not exercising: If you don’t use your back and stomach muscles, they can get weak and cause pain.
  • Smoking: Smoking can hurt your back because it makes you cough, which can hurt your disks. It also makes it harder for your spine to get enough blood and can make your bones weaker.

Back pain can show up in different ways, like:

  • Achy or stiff feeling in your upper or lower back
  • Having trouble standing or sitting for a long time
  • Not being able to move your back as much as usual
  • Sharp or shooting pain that goes down your legs

Back pain can happen because of:

 

  • A broken bone in your spine
  • Arthritis
  • Bad posture
  • Doing too much or getting hurt
  • Having discs in your spine move out of place
  • Osteoporosis
  • Pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing sciatica
  • Scoliosis, which is when your spine curves
  • Straining or spraining your muscles

Your doctor will check your back and ask how much it hurts. They might do tests like X-rays or MRIs to see what’s wrong.

To find out why your back hurts, doctors might do these tests:

  • Blood tests: Checks for infections or other problems causing pain.
  • MRI or CT scans: Makes detailed images of bones, muscles, and nerves, which helps find issues like herniated disks.
  • Nerve studies (EMG): Measures nerve activity to see if there’s pressure from things like herniated disks or narrow spinal canals.
  • X-ray: Takes pictures to check for arthritis or broken bones, but can’t see muscle or nerve problems.

Treatment for back pain depends on what’s causing it and can include:

  • Acupuncture: Putting tiny needles in certain spots on your body to ease pain.
  • Chiropractic care: Using gentle adjustments to help with pain.
  • Exercise: Doing special movements or activities to make your back stronger.
  • Massage or hot/cold therapy: Rubbing or applying heat or cold to your back to make it feel better.
  • Minimally invasive treatments: Special procedures guided by images that don’t need big incisions.
  • Pain relievers: Like ibuprofen or acetaminophen that you can buy without a prescription.
  • Surgery: Sometimes, if nothing else helps, doctors might need to operate on your back.

Most times, back pain gets better on its own with rest, using over-the-counter pain medication, and doing gentle exercises. Talking to a doctor can help find out what’s causing the pain and the best way to treat it.

Your regular doctor can diagnose back pain and refer you to a pain specialist to find the cause and provide treatment.

You don’t usually need a referral to see a pain specialist. So, if you prefer, you can skip the visit to your primary care doctor and go directly to a pain specialist. But, some insurances might have their own rules about this.