Spine Tip of the Day – Back Pain

Back pain has multiple causes: 

Simple causes of back pain – Lumbar spine spondylogenic / Metabolic / Mechanical/ Muscular / Postural / visceral / Reffered.

• Often related to life style, posture, lack of exercise, Vit. Deficiency, increasing weight and stress.
• Do not have associated nerve compression
• RED FLAG signs absent usually
• Investigations often not needed unless pain persists >3 weeks

Pain is typically localised, fatigue related, better with rest, and exercises help a lot, need life style modification. Pain management with simple measures – exercise, medicines and heat therapy, supervised physiotherapy help.

Meet spine specialist for supervised care.

Usually improve without any active / aggressive intervention

Contact specialist if pain persists or progresses.

Disease related back pain

• Tuberculosis / Infection / Trauma / Instability / Tumor / inflammation / Nerve compression related causes.
• Symptoms often more with activity / affect mobility / increase with walking
• Symptoms often present at rest / night pain
• Radiation to leg with nerve paresthesiae present if nerve compression is present. – Pain , Numbness , Heaviness weakness in leg – buttock and back of thigh and calf
• RED flag signs noted. – Fever, Rest pain, Night pain, persistent pain, weakness leg, bowel bladder symptoms

May need investigations to detail to rule out exact cause, unsupervised pain management – self medication / self guided physiotherapy – not recommended and may not help.