Symptoms, Causes & Treatment of Back Pain

Causes of Back Pain

What causes back pain, and how can you find back pain relief? According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), sedentary lifestyle is one of the top causes of pain originating in the back. As a first step, your doctor can help you find exercises that will speed your recovery and strengthen your back and abdominal muscles.

Causes of spine issues are varied, and can cause sensations that range from a tingling or a dull ache to a sudden or sharp pain that prohibits your normal activity. Often, the only symptom of a spinal issue is pain in the back.

This pain can be caused by something as simple as muscle strain or other muscle problems, but there is a wide range of possible causes, such as:

  • Ligament strain
  • Herniated or ruptured discs
  • Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Skeletal structure problems such as bone fracture or bone spurs
  • Osteoporosis

Other causes of spine pain can include poor posture, lifting heavy items improperly, and lack of exercise. Rarely, spine pain can be the result of more serious illnesses.

Getting older, smoking, and family history of back problems (heredity) can increase your risk of back issues. Most pain will go away on its own within a few weeks, but if your back pain persists or is severe, or if you have pain after a fall or injury, it is time to consult a doctor.

Research published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases concludes that nearly 10% of the world’s population suffers from lower back pain. Damage from lower back pain ranks highest out of 291 assessed health conditions in terms of years lost from disability. The issue gets worse as the population ages. Sometimes back pain treatment can be complicated and expensive.

Back Pain Symptoms and Diagnosis

Symptoms of pain from spinal issues may vary depending on the cause, and could improve within the first 72 hours of conservative treatment. Often back pain goes away on its own within a few weeks. Acute back pain is defined as lasting up to three months, and chronic pain lasts longer than three months.

Acute or chronic back pain may exhibit the following symptoms:

  • Muscle ache
  • Shooting, stabbing or dull pain
  • Pain that radiates toward the neck or down the legs
  • Decreased range of motion and flexibility
  • Pain that reduces with rest or minimal movement

To diagnose the source of your back pain, your doctor will ask you questions about your health and history and do a physical examination. Other tests that can help diagnose the source of your pain include X-rays, MRI scan, CT scan and blood tests. It is important that your issue is properly diagnosed so that you can receive the most effective and appropriate back pain treatment.

How to Treat Back Pain

our treatment will depend on the underlying cause and severity of your pain. Treatment options such as ice, rest, and pain medications may give you short-term relief of symptoms. In most cases, non-surgical options are most appropriate. Experts at NINDS assert that the most effective treatment is exercise, which has no cost and is non-habit forming.

Chronic pain may require additional therapy, such as physical therapy. Physical therapy is one of the most common conservative treatment options and has the most clinical evidence of success. Studies show that physical therapy results in reduction in pain scores, particularly in the short term. Chronic pain is a more difficult challenge, but starting physical therapy early can help prevent later episodes


Additional treatment options include, but are not limited to:

Total pain clinic takes a conservative approach with medication management. We try to limit medications to help avoid issues with dependence. There are situations where medications can be appropriate. In these cases, medicines used for spinal pain can be considered such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen and ibuprofen, opiate pain relievers, muscle relaxants and antidepressants.

Steroid injections can provide pain relief for a short-term period of time (typically three to four months). Steroid injections can be combined with other therapies for maximum benefit, such as with physical therapy and exercise. 

Therapeutic nerve blocks contain local pain medications that can control acute pain.

A minimally invasive procedure performed under fluoroscopy (live x-ray) that destroys the nerve fibers in the back that carry pain signals. This procedure can be performed in the neck, middle or lower back.

Implantable devices for pain management can be considered if other therapies are not effective. These implantable devices deliver mild electrical pulses to block the transmission of pain. 

Read about how using foot orthotics can sometimes offer relief for back pain

Contact the Total Pain Clinic today to learn more about how we can help you effectively manage your back pain.

When Further Back Pain Treatment is Required

Any further treatments required are based on the underlying problem. If there is something that can be addressed by an orthopedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon, we will refer you to a specialist.

Implantation of a pain pump can be effective to reduce pain without extensive surgery. In some cases, surgery may be required to correct the underlying spinal issue to relieve pain.

Some additional interventions can be performed at The Total Pain Clinic as well. For example, we sometimes see patients with low back pain who have already had a discectomy, laminectomy, or fusion. If a patient does not respond to minimally invasive treatments, we consider aggressive interventions such as spinal cord stimulation. There are other treatment options performed by pain physicians, including micro-discectomies and ligament flavum decompression for spinal stenosis.

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