Most uncomplicated low back pain resolves after a period of active recovery in 4 weeks. Read more on myDr website. This article tells consumers about acute low back pain and how it is diagnosed, including what imaging tests they may need to have.
Read more on Diagnostic Imaging Pathways website. Learn about low back pain as a musculoskeletal pain condition to identify how you can approach low back pain in your co-management treatment plan. An Australian study found that paracetamol is not effective for acute low back pain. What is the best way to manage acute low back pain?
Exercise is great medicine for lower back pain. You can choose from many options of exercise so find out more about what may suit you! The exact cause of low back pain can be difficult to identify. Download a factsheet about managing back pain. Read more on Choosing Wisely Australia website. This guide describes best practice care for people with acute low back pain. This version has been written specifically for people with acute low back pain.
There are effective ways that you can relieve back pain and help with your recovery, including staying active, thinking positively, and taking pain relievers. Find out about some recent studies.
Low back pain can be painful and hard to treat. Read more about new approaches for an age-old problem. Often, the mismanagement of low back pain involves unnecessary treatments that do more harm than good.
Read more on Ausmed Education website. Authors' conclusions: The data do not allow firm conclusions about the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute low-back pain.
Read more on Cochrane Australasian Centre website. Patients with low back pain may expect imaging and medicines that can be unnecessary and even harmful. Read more on ways to manage this difficult situation. Stream Low back pain - Providing reassurance, encouraging activity and reducing reliance on imaging by NPS MedicineWise from desktop or your mobile device.
Clinically supported, in-depth information about a range of musculoskeletal pain conditions to help you better understand your musculoskeletal pain. Authors' conclusions: Patients with chronic LBP receiving MBR are likely to experience less pain and disability than those receiving usual care or a physical treatment. This pathway provides guidance for imaging patients with bone pain. There are links to other pathways for imaging patients with suspected bony metastases, myeloma, soft tissue masses, low back pain or joint pain in various joints.
Healthdirect Australia is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering. If symptoms are persistent, the following tests may be ordered by your doctor. It is important to note that regardless of diagnosis, an improving clinical picture supports continuing with nonsurgical modalities. If the improvement fails to reach a satisfactory stable point additional diagnostic efforts should be pursued. Likewise, if clinical symptoms deteriorate the diagnostic evaluation needs to be extended.
X-ray — Application of radiation to produce a film or picture of a part of the body can show the structure of the vertebrae and the outline of the joints.
X-rays of the spine are obtained to search for other potential causes of pain; i. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI — A diagnostic test that produces three-dimensional images of body structures using powerful magnets and computer technology.
MRIs can show the spinal cord, nerve roots and surrounding areas, as well as enlargement, degeneration and tumors. Add contrast to the study and it can be made sensitive enough to detect inflammatory processes such as infections and new compression fractures without spinal malalignment. CT scan with 3-D reconstruction — Shows boney detail better than any other imaging test and can still show soft tissue and nerves. Strains, sprains and even structural neural compression from disc herniations can be treated with diminished activity and even bed rest for a short period of time; usually from one to three days.
This should be as brief as possible, as prolonged bed rest can lead to a loss of muscle strength and may increase muscle stiffness, adding to pain and discomfort. Initial medical treatment is commonly comprised of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory NSAIDs medication if the pain is mild to moderate. Muscle relaxants and narcotic medication can be added or substituted for cases of more severe pain symptoms.
The doctor may recommend physical therapy. Therapy may include pelvic traction, gentle massage, ice and heat therapy, ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation and stretching exercises.
The prognosis is excellent for a complete recovery from a lumbar strain or sprain injury. More than 90 percent of patients completely recover from an episode of lumbar muscle strain or sprain within one month.
Heat and ice treatment are indicated on an "as needed" basis at home to treat sudden flare-ups of low back pain, along with anti-inflammatory medications.
However, low back strain may develop into a chronic condition unless efforts are made to change habits that contribute to the problem. A single excessive strain or injury may cause a herniated disc. However, disc material degenerates naturally as people age, and the ligaments that hold it in place begin to weaken. As this degeneration progresses, a relatively minor strain or twisting movement can cause a disc to rupture.
Certain individuals may be more vulnerable to disc problems and, as a result, may suffer herniated discs in several places along the spine.
Research has shown that a predisposition for herniated discs may exist in families, with several members affected. This does not necessarily mean that disc disease is a hereditary condition but it can run in families. Symptoms vary greatly depending on the position of the herniated disc and the size of the herniation. If there is pressure on a nerve, there can be pain, numbness or weakness in the area of the body to which the nerve travels.
Lumbar spine lower back — Sciatica frequently results from a herniated disc in the lower back. Pressure on one or several nerves that contribute to the sciatic nerve can cause pain, burning, tingling and numbness that radiates from the buttock into the leg and sometimes into the foot.
Usually one side left or right is affected. This pain is often described as sharp and electric shock-like. It may be more severe with standing, walking or sitting. Along with leg pain, the patient may experience low back pain. Cervical spine neck — Symptoms may include dull or sharp pain in the neck or between the shoulder blades that radiates down the arm to the hand or fingers, or numbness or tingling in the shoulder or arm.
The pain may increase with certain positions or movements of the neck. Thoracic spine — Symptoms of a thoracic disc herniation can be comprised of posterior chest pain radiating around one or both sides of the rib cage. Such pain is usually triggered by physical exertion and can even be caused by taking a deep breath. For example, some people hurt their backs when they: Slump or slouch when they sit or stand.
Play sports or do yard work. Get jolted in a car accident. Get hit hard in the back. Lift something too heavy. These include: Osteoarthritis.
This occurs when the cartilage that cushions the small facet joints in the spine breaks down. When this happens, the back bones rub together and cause damage and pain. Osteoarthritis is caused by the normal wear and tear of the cartilage as you age.
A fracture of the vertebrae , which can occur when a lot of force is put on the spine. This force can be from a car or bike accident or a direct blow to the spine.
A compression fracture occurs when an injury to the bones in the spine causes them to break and collapse compress on each other, such as from a fall. In people who have osteoporosis , which makes the bones brittle and weak, a spinal bone can also break and collapse from only a minor injury or simply moving the wrong way.
An odd-shaped spine , such as with scoliosis or kyphosis. This can make your back hurt. When you look at a normal spine from the back, it is usually straight. But when a person has scoliosis, the spine curves from side to side, often in an S or C shape. It may also be twisted. When a person has kyphosis, the upper spine is rounded and looks like a hump. In bad cases of scoliosis or kyphosis, a person may have a hard time breathing.
A herniated disc. This occurs when one of the small, spongy discs that cushion your spine bulges or breaks open and presses on the nerves in the spine. A herniated disc may be caused by normal wear and tear of the disc as you age.
Or it may be brought on by activities that you do over and over again that cause a lot of vibration or motion such as using a jackhammer or by a sudden heavy strain or increased force to your back.
In most cases, a herniated disc occurs in the lower back or neck. It can occur in the upper or middle back, but this is rare.
See a picture of a herniated disc. Spinal stenosis. The spinal cord runs through an opening in the bones called the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis occurs when that opening narrows. In some cases, bone, ligament, and disc tissue grows into the spinal canal and presses on the nerves that branch out from the spinal cord. The tissue can also squeeze and irritate or injure the spinal cord itself. In most cases, spinal stenosis occurs in the lower back and neck.
It can occur in your upper or middle back, but this is rare. Degenerative disc disease. This is not really a disease but a term used to describe the normal changes that occur in your spinal discs as you age. Over time, the discs in your spine break down, or degenerate. A loss of fluid in the discs or tiny tears or cracks in the outer layer of the discs can occur over time. The breakdown of the discs can cause back or neck pain, arthritis, spinal stenosis, or a herniated disc.
A sudden injury to your back, such as from a fall or a car accident, may also start this process. This problem can occur anywhere on your spine. But in most cases, it occurs in the discs in the lower back and neck. Symptoms In general, symptoms of upper and middle back pain may: Feel like a dull, burning, or sharp pain.
Be felt at a single point or over a broad area. Start suddenly or slowly get worse. Be constant or come and go. Occur with muscle tightness or stiffness. Get worse when you do certain activities or move and sit in a certain way. When To Call a Doctor In most cases, back pain gets better with home treatment. Call or other emergency services immediately if: Back pain occurs with chest pain or other symptoms of a heart attack.
Symptoms of a heart attack include: Chest pain or pressure, or a strange feeling in your chest. Shortness of breath. Nausea or vomiting. Pain, pressure, or a strange feeling in your back, neck, jaw, upper belly, or one or both shoulders or arms.
See a picture of areas where symptoms may be felt. Feeling dizzy or lightheaded. A fast or uneven heartbeat. A person has signs of damage to the spine after an injury such as a car accident, fall, or direct blow to the spine. Signs may include: Being unable to move part of the body. Severe back or neck pain. Weakness, tingling, or numbness in the arms, legs, chest, or belly. Call your doctor now if: You have a new loss of bowel or bladder control. You have new numbness in your legs or numbness in your legs that is getting worse.
You have new weakness in your legs or weakness in your legs that is getting worse. This could make it hard to stand up. You have new or increased back pain with fever, painful urination, or other signs of a urinary tract infection. Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach.
Be sure to call your doctor right away if you start to have other symptoms or you have: Numbness. Urinary symptoms, such as pain when you urinate. Pain that is getting worse. Pain that you can't manage at home. Who to see Health care professionals who often diagnose the cause of back pain include: Primary care providers. This includes: Family doctors. Osteopathic physicians. Physical therapists.
Nurse practitioners. Physician assistants. Emergency doctors. If your back pain is severe or long-lasting, health professionals who can treat you include: Orthopedists. You can also get care from: Acupuncturists. Certified massage therapists. Exams and Tests Your doctor will first ask you about your past health, your symptoms, and your work and physical activities. You may have one or more tests, such as: An X-ray to look for injuries or diseases that affect the discs and joints of the spine.
An MRI to look for injuries and diseases that affect the discs and nerves of the spine, such as a herniated disc , a pinched nerve, or a tumor. It can also show whether any part of the spinal canal has narrowed. A CT scan to look for a tumor, a fracture, a herniated disc, narrowing of the spinal canal, or an infection. It can also show whether osteoporosis is the cause of a compression fracture. A bone scan to look for damage to the bones, a tumor, or infection, or to find the cause of unexplained back pain.
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