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Almost everyone has experienced, at least once in a lifetime, some kind of back pain.
It's the one problem that none of us seem to be able to escape — back pain is a real pain in the backside! This pain could be acute or short-term, which means that it generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks, and it can also be chronic — chronic pain is defined as any pain that persists for more than 3 months. It is often progressive, meaning it gets worse over time, and the cause can be difficult to determine.
Most acute back pain is the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight.
People injure their backs in all kinds of ways, and the pain is often a result of a strain rather than a dramatic accident. Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, work around the house or in the garden, or in some accidents such as a car accident or other stresses on spinal bones and tissues.
A look at the normal anatomy of the back
It is known that the back is a well-designed structure made up of bone, muscles, nerves and other soft tissues. Starting at the top, the spine has four regions:
- the seven cervical or neck vertebrae (labeled C1–C7),
- the 12 thoracic or upper back vertebrae (labeled T1–T12),
- the five lumbar vertebrae (labeled L1–L5), which we know as the lower back, and
- the sacrum and coccyx, a group of bones fused together at the base of the spine
Small nerves enter and emerge from the spinal cord through spaces between the vertebrae. Because every person relies on their back to be the workhorse of the body, its function is essential for nearly every move that a person can possibly make. Several research studies done in the past have came to the conclusion that 4 out of 5 adults have at least one bout of back pain sometime during their lives.
When someone experiences pain in any of the structures within the back, it could be originating from your spine, but also from the surrounding muscles and nerves. Damage to certain organs in the abdomen, such as the kidneys, could also produce pain in the back region.
In most cases, simple home remedy (rest!) and proper body mechanics will heal your back within a few weeks and keep it functional for the long haul.
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