What Kind of Back Problem Do You Have?

How Do I Know What Kind of Back Problem I Have?

Unless you are totally immobilized from a back injury, your doctor probably will test your range of motion and nerve function and touch your body to locate the area of discomfort.

Blood and urine tests will make sure the pain is not due to an infection or other systemic problem.

X-rays are useful in pinpointing broken bones or other skeletal defects. They can sometimes help locate problems in connective tissue. To analyze soft-tissue damage, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans may be needed. X-rays and imaging studies are generally used only for checking out direct trauma to the back, back pain with fever, or nerve problems such as extremity weakness or numbness. To determine possible nerve or muscle damage, an electromyogram (EMG) can be useful.