What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?:

(This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards): What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_pain

Back pain (also known \"dorsalgia\") is pain felt in the back that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.

The pain may be have a sudden onset or it can be a chronic pain, it can be felt constantly or intermittently, stay in one place or refer or radiate to other areas.

It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation.

The pain may be felt in the neck (and might 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 all 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.[1]

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.

(It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Back pain - Discuss): What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_back_pain

Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder which affects the lumbar segment of the spine.

It can be either acute, subacute or chronic in its clinical presentation.

Typically, the symptoms of low back pain do show significant improvement within two to three months from its onset.

In a significant number of individuals, low back pain tends to be recurrent in nature with a waxing and waning quality to it.

In a small proportion of sufferers this condition can become chronic.

Population studies show that back pain affects most adults at some stage in their life and accounts for more sick leave and disability than any other single medical condition.

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.

In acute cases, the structures damaged will more than likely be soft tissue like muscles, ligaments and tendons.

With a serious accident or due to osteoporosis or other causes of weakened vertebral bones, vertebral fractures in the lumbar spine may also occur.

At the lowest end of the spine, some patients may have tailbone pain (also called coccyx pain or coccydynia).

Others may have pain from their sacroiliac joint at the bottom of the lumbar spine, called sacroiliac joint dysfunction (see sacroiliac joint for more information) .

Chronic lower back pain usually has a more insidious onset, occurring over a long period of time.

Physical causes may include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, degeneration of the discs between the vertebrae, or a spinal disc herniation, a vertebral fracture (such as from osteoporosis), or rarely, a tumor (including cancer) or infection.

The cause may also be psychological or emotional or due to other non-anatomical factors.

What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=234

Back Pain: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=234

Introduction: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/article.aspx?articleId=234

Back pain is common and the largest single cause of sickness absence in the UK.

Although it can be very painful, it is normally not serious.

Lower back pain, also known as lumbago, affects 7 out of 10 people at some time in their lives. Low back pain means a pain, or ache, anywhere on your back, in between the bottom of the ribs and the top of the legs.

The pain can come on suddenly, slowly or be the direct result of a fall or injury.

In most cases, the pain lasts from a few days to a few weeks and usually clears up after about six weeks.

There are two categories of back pain:

*acute - this is where your back pain lasts for less than 3 months;

*chronic - this is where your back pain develops gradually over time, lasts more than 3 weeks, and causes long-term problems.

Back pain can affect anyone, of any age, but it is more common in people between the ages of 35-55 years.

In the majority of cases, the cause of pain can be linked to the way the bones, muscles and ligaments in the back, work together.

The structure of the back:

The back is a complex structure consisting of:

*24 small bones (vertebrae),

*shock absorbing discs (intervertebral discs) that cushion the bones and allow the spine to bend,

*ligaments to hold vertebrae and discs together,

*tendons to connect muscles to vertebrae,

*spinal cord (carries nerves from the brain to the rest of the body),

*nerves, and;

*muscles.

The structure of the lower back - the lumbar region:

The lower part of your back is called the lumbar region:

*the lumbar region is made up of 5 vertebrae, known as L1 to L5,

*this region bares the entire weight of your upper body (plus any extra weight you are carrying), and;

*the region is under continue pressure, especially when your are bending, twisting and lifting.

Back Pain:

The complex structure of your lower back means that quite small amounts of damage to any of the structures of the back can cause a lot of pain and discomfort.

Pain in the lower back is a symptom of stress or damage to your ligaments, muscles, tendons or discs. In some cases the back pain can spread to the buttocks and thighs.

In most cases the back will heal itself and staying active and continuing with your usual activities will normally promote healing.

In severe and persistent cases it is important to seek medical advice so that a correct diagnosis can be reached and appropriate treatment given, as treatment may depend on the underlying cause in some cases.

For example, pain caused by some types of arthritis may be treated by specific medicines.

What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?: www.doctoronline.nhs.uk/masterwebsite1As...alts/gp/back_pai.asp

What causes back pain?: www.doctoronline.nhs.uk/masterwebsite1As...alts/gp/back_pai.asp

Back pain is normally divided into two types, mechanical and neuropathic.

Mechanical Back Pain:

This usually stems from the mechanical structures of the back, namely the bones, joints, and the muscles, tendons and ligaments which hold the bones and joints together.

Neuropathic Pain:

Essentially, this is referring to pain that arises from the nervous structures which are closely associated with the back.

Damage may occur to these nerves within the spinal canal, such as when there is a slipped disc (prolapsed intervertebral disc) or, as the nerve leaves the spinal canal when the exit canal is too tight (canal stenosis).

Acute back pain which does not settle over a period of days or weeks needs to be further investigated to ensure that there is no malignancy or progressive disease that can result in harm.

Normally, the initial screening is performed by one's general practitioner.

However, the general practitioner may wish to refer on to a specialist in the field such as an orthopaedic surgeon or rheumatologist.

Pain clinicians would not normally see acute back pains in the first instance, though there is a trend for this to change.

The investigations normally performed would involve some simple blood tests and x-rays.

What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?: The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc): www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6002/6002.asp

The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc): Back Pain Booklet/Leaflet: www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6002/6002.asp

What is in this booklet?: The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc): Back Pain Booklet/Leaflet: www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6002/6002.asp

If you've got back pain, then you're probably reading this booklet because you want to get better and because you want to understand more about this problem.

You are in good company because 4 out of 5 of us get back pain at some time.

However, most bouts of back pain get better in a short time and simple painkillers are all that are needed.

Getting back to normal activities is the best way to cope with back pain.

This booklet will be useful for people who have recently developed back pain, but it is primarily aimed at people who have more persistent ('chronic') back pain.

It explains some of the causes of back pain and what can be done to help it and prevent it happening again.

The technical words in italics are explained in more detail in the glossary at the end of the booklet.

What Is Back Pain/Lower Back Pain?: The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc): www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6002/6002.asp

The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc): Back Pain Booklet/Leaflet: www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6002/6002.asp