What Are The Symptoms And Causes Of Back Pain?

Does it seem almost impossible for you to go about your day without feeling excruciating pain in your back? Or does bending over to pick up something feel like torture? You may be suffering from chronic back pain.

While lower back pain or upper back pain is a fairly common condition that most people face irrespective of age, persistent back pain may result from various underlying causes. The most common pain that people experience is lower back pain, shoulder pain, or muscle strains in the back. However, before finding out the cause and treatment for back pain, let us first understand the different kinds of back pain.

Types of back pain

1) Acute Back Pain: Sudden sharp or acute pain in the back results from an injury to the muscles or ligaments. An injury causing a fracture to the spine or a tear in the muscle fibres may give rise to acute back pain. This generally does not heal without seeking immediate medical help.

2) Chronic Back Pain: Having persistent back pain, whether in the upper or lower half of your back which refuses to go away, can be called chronic. While it is more common with increasing age, conditions like arthritis of the spine are a leading cause of chronic back pain.

3) Lumbar Radicular Pain: Lumbar radicular pain in the back is of the more severe kind and happens to an injury to the nerve roots of the lumbar spine. The pain feels like a highly intense, stabbing pain from the lower back to the leg, causing numbness and tingling.

How Does Back Pain Become a Chronic Illness?: Since back pain is a common condition, many people neglect it, assuming that it will heal independently. However, prolonged periods of ignored back pain may convert into chronic illness if you don’t seek timely medical help.
The onset of back pain may be due to accidents, acute sports injuries, workplace injuries, improper lifting practices, or weak back muscles. Pregnancy is also a significant factor for back pain amongst women. While these conditions need proper medical attention, there could also be underlying causes like tumours in the spine, arthritis, and the likes, which need urgent medical care.

What is the symptom of back pain?:
While back pain on its own may keep recurring due to various causes, that which continues to trouble you and makes your daily activities difficult may show symptoms at its onset. Be observant about symptoms like-

– Numbness or Tingling
– Excruciating pain, especially at night
– Weakness
– Radial pain shooting down the leg
– Unexplained weight loss

What causes back pain?: The most common causes of back pain are accidents and injuries due to sports. However, poor posture and long hours of sitting affect your back and weaken the muscles. Since the shoulder and neck muscles are connected, stress could be another cause of pain in the shoulder and back muscles.

While most pains go away with good exercise and warm compressions, cause for concern rises if there are symptoms of chronic illnesses like spinal tumours, arthritis, sciatica, spondylitis, etc. Such severe conditions may require back surgeries to heal completely. If you’re looking for the best chronic back pain treatment hospitals, Sancheti Hospital, Pune, is an excellent one. With well-qualified and famous surgeons, you can rest assured about the well-being of your back.

How to prevent back pain?: Making a few changes and incorporating them into your daily life will go a long way in helping you ease your back pain. While seeking professional medical help is extremely important, it is also essential that you take the initiative to maintain good health and thus keep chronic illnesses and aches and pains at bay. Here are some ways to prevent or ease your back pain-

1. Exercise
2. Build muscle strength and flexibility
3. Maintain a healthy weight
4. Quit smoking
5. Avoid lifting heavy objects
6. Correct your posture
7. Ensure your back is comfortable with good support when sitting

People also ask:

1. How do I know if my back pain is serious?While most back pains are harmless and are no cause for alarm, you should seek immediate medical attention if there are symptoms like high fever, stomach discomfort, sudden shooting pain in the back, unexplainable weight loss, and reduced bladder function.
2. What organs can cause lower back pain?Sudden pain in the lower back may result from poor functioning of organs like kidneys, appendix, pancreas, and large intestines. Since they are near the lower back area, disruption in their function may come out as one of the symptoms of lower back pain.
3. How can I fix my back?Most of your back pain problems will go away with proper exercising and releasing the muscles. Unknowingly we harbour tension in our muscles, which reflects as back or shoulder pain. With correct posture and good low-impact exercises, you can fix your back pain. However, if the pain is persistent, it is best to seek medical help.
4. What is the best medicine for back pain?An Ibuprofen or Tylenol are pain-relievers which may give you temporary relief from your nagging back pain. However, it is best if you do not self-diagnose and visit a doctor to get appropriate and adequate professional care for your chronic back pain. Visiting the best hospitals like Sancheti Hospital, Pune, will help you diagnose the underlying cause and get timely treatment.