Back pain is a condition that affects millions of people’s health every year. Most people experience it at some point in their lives. At any given time, pain research shows that around 25% of adults are suffering from back pain.
The human back is made up of a complex network of muscles, ligaments, tendons, discs, nerves, and bones called vertebrae. All of these structures work together to provide both stability and movement. They also serve to protect important structures like the spinal cord within the spinal canal, as well as nerve roots. A disruption to any of these structures can trigger an episode of back pain.
Most episodes of back pain fall into the category of acute pain, where symptoms resolve within 2-6 weeks. For some, however, symptoms can linger for up to 2 months. Only a small portion of people will go on to develop chronic low back pain where the pain persists for over 12 weeks.
Back pain can be divided into 2 main categories:
For most episodes of acute back pain, the underlying cause is an injury to the soft tissues in the back, such as a muscle strain or ligament sprain. These injuries are common and typically occur after an accident or from heavy activity- especially if it is something that a person is not used to. This may trigger mild to severe pain and can also cause muscle spasms at times.
Chronic pain is often complex and multi-dimensional and can occur with or without any kind of initial injury. It can be very difficult to identify one underlying cause since there are typically many contributing factors that result in this condition. Factors such as physical health and mental health, fitness/activity levels, and stress levels are just a few examples of elements that can contribute to the development of chronic pain.
Neuropathic pain usually results from an upset to the nervous system itself, such as with nerve compression or irritation. Neuropathic pain can be either acute or chronic. Symptoms of nerve pain can include shooting, burning or sharp pain, numbness or tingling, and increased sensitivity to touch. Conditions that irritate the sciatic nerve, for instance, can cause shooting pain and symptoms into the leg. Leg pain and numbness or tingling can sometimes travel as far as the toes with sciatica and often feels worse when the nerve is stretched with certain legs’ straight positions.
Occasionally, some medical health conditions can cause acute or chronic back pain, such as kidney stones or spinal stenosis. Other medical health conditions, such as osteoporosis, can increase a person’s risk of developing broken bones, such as compression fractures in the spine. There are even some connections between certain musculoskeletal and skin diseases, such as psoriasis arthritis. It is always important that medical health providers screen patients for underlying medical health issues that may require further investigation during their assessment.
There are plenty of effective ways to treat lower back pain, but extended bed rest isn’t one of them. While short rest breaks and changing positions can help, research shows that staying in bed too long can slow your recovery. Here is how we support and assess back pain:
There are many different ways to effectively treat lower back pain. One thing that should be avoided, however, is bed rest. Academic research institutions have shown that while some rest and position changes may be needed at times, complete bed rest is no longer recommended because it can make back pain worse. Laying in bed too long has been shown to delay recovery and cause muscle weakness and stiffness.
