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Understanding Back Pain - Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms of Back Pain?
Most people have experienced back pain sometime in their life. The causes of back pain are numerous; some are self-inflicted due to a lifetime of bad habits. Other back pain causes include accidents, muscle strains, and sports injuries. Although the causes may be different, most often they share the same symptoms.
The symptoms for back pain are:
- Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your spine, from the base of the neck to the hips.
- Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or lower back -- especially after lifting heavy objects or engaging in other strenuous activity.
- Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially after sitting or standing for extended periods.
- Back pain that radiates from the low back to the buttock, down the back of the thigh, and into the calf and toes.
- Inability to stand straight without having severe muscle spasms in the low back.
Call Your Doctor About Back Pain If:
- You feel numbness, tingling, or loss of control in your arms or legs. This may signal damage to the spinal cord.
- The pain in your back extends downward along the back of the leg. You may be suffering from sciatica.
- The pain increases when you cough or bend forward at the waist. This can be the sign of a herniated disc.
- The pain is accompanied by fever, burning during urination, or strong-smelling urine. You may have a bacterial urinary tract infection.
- You have urine or fecal incontinence.
- You have dull pain in one area of your spine when lying in or getting out of bed. If you are over 50 you may be suffering from osteoarthritis.
WebMD Medical Reference
Reviewed by
Michael R. Klein, MD on November 21, 2008
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
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A test that's been around since World War 2 is making a comeback. It could possibly help you to avoid back surgery.
