Back Pain FAQ

Personally I’ve never had back pain before, unless of course it’s after doing back workouts, but that’s to be expected.

I always believe in muscle balance of my abs, core and back. Maybe that’s why I’m back pain free all this while. However I’ve friends who have chronic back pain and it looks awfully distracting and painful. Here’s a FAQ for you to learn more of back pain.

Back pain (also known “dorsalgia”) is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.

The pain can often be divided into neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain or tailbone pain.

It may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain; it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas.

It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may be radiate into the arm and hand), in the upper back, or in the low back, (and might radiate into the leg or foot), and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.

Back pain is one of humanity’s most frequent complaints. In the U.S., acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for physician visits.

About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.

The spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities.

Back Pain

There are several potential sources and causes of back pain. However, the diagnosis of specific tissues of the spine as the cause of pain presents problems.

One potential source of back pain is skeletal muscle of the back. Potential causes of pain in muscle tissue include Muscle strains (pulled muscles), muscle spasm, and muscle imbalances.

Another potential source of low back pain is the synovial joints of the spine (e.g. zygapophysial joints). These have been identified as the primary source of the pain in approximately one third of people with chronic low back pain, and in most people with neck pain following whiplash.

Lower back pain

Lower back pain can make many everyday activities painful. Learn common treatments to relieve lower back pain in this medical video.

Low back pain (sometimes referred to as lumbago) is a common symptom of musculoskeletal disorders or of disorders involving the lumbar vertebrae and related soft tissue structures such as muscles, ligaments, nerves and intervertebral discs.

An acute lower back injury may be caused by a traumatic event, like a car accident or a fall. It occurs suddenly and its victims will usually be able to pinpoint exactly when it happened.