Back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to a doctor, and it is a leading cause of disability worldwide.
Often back pain doesn’t have a specific cause but may be due to one or more of the following:
- poor posture
- lack of exercise resulting in stiffening of the spine and weak muscles
- muscle strains or sprains.
The good news is that these are not serious problems, and they will improve with proper physical therapy, back care, and medications.
There are a few other conditions commonly linked to back pain :
Spine related conditions
- Slipped/Herniated disc
The disc is a soft tissue that acts as a cushion between the bones (vertebrae) in your spine. When a disc is bulged or ruptured, it presses on a nerve which can cause severe back pain and radicular pain (pain radiates from the back to the lower limb). This is often called sciatica.
- Spondylosis
Spondylosis is an age-related change of the vertebrae(bone) and the disc of the spine. These changes are often called degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis.
- Spine fracture
Spine fracture can happen in a motor vehicle accident or fall from height. The spinal cord could be injured in a severe spine fracture and cause neurological deficits such as paralysis.
Another common spine fracture is known as a compression fracture or osteoporotic fracture. This condition is commonly seen in a patient with osteoporosis.
- Scoliosis
Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. It is often diagnosed in childhood or early adolescence.
The most common type of scoliosis is Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS).
Scoliosis is generally not thought to cause significant pain, especially in adolescents and young adults. However, a scoliosis curve can cause trunk imbalances and other issues that increase the likelihood of muscle spasms and other issues, which can lead to pain.
Other rarer causes of back pain may include :
- Inflammation – such as Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Infection
- Tumour
Diagnosis
Most back pain is often related to the muscles of the back, and the specific cause usually can’t be found with imaging studies.
However, your doctor may require imaging studies such as X-ray, CT Scan, MRI to evaluate further and investigate the cause of back pain.
Treatment
Several options of treatment are available for back pain:
- Medications
- Your doctor may prescribe medication to reduce inflammation and pain.
- Activities modification
- These involve rest, altering your activities, avoiding overexertion, or overdoing activities
- Physiotherapy
- Physiotherapy is vital in managing back pain
- Pain management with medical devices
- Proper stretching and strengthening exercises
- Surgery
- For most back pain, surgery is a last resort. However, you may need surgery when you have a herniated disk or fracture that causes neurological deficit ( injury to the nerve or spinal cord).
