What is back pain?

Back pain is more prevalent between the ages of 35 and 55 years old, however it can affect anyone really. It is estimated that 80% of us will suffer from some form of back pain at some stage of our lives.

Some people are more at risk of backache because of their jobs. For example if you have a manual job where you are required to do a lot of heavy lifting or repetitive tasks, you are likely to suffer from back pain during some point in your working life. Back problems are actually the second largest cause of absence from work in the UK, costing businesses more than £5 billion each year and 50 million days of absence.

Pain from your lower back/lumbar area is very common and can often spread to your thighs and buttocks. This pain can come and go depending on your activity, for example you may experience more pain whilst seated or you may have lower back pain when walking or bending.

The symptoms may be as varied as a constant muscle ache or an acute piercing or stabbing pain. There can be a feeling of something going 'click' in the lower part of the spine. It may start as a little twinge, but it can get worse over 24 hours and can progress until virtually every movement is painful and may restrict your mobility and alter your posture.

When back pain is caused due to irritation of nerve roots, it often radiates into the thigh, and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as weakness, tingling and numbness.

Back pain can last from a few days to a lifetime. For those who have it for six weeks or more, in 90 per cent of cases it is likely to come back again within a year, so it is important to seek suitable back pain relief.

Back pain assessment

If you visit a healthcare practitioner, they will ask you about your symptoms and examine you. In cases where the back pain lasts longer than six weeks, you may be assessed in the following ways:

• Blood tests
• X-ray
• MRI - takes cross-sectional images of your spine and surrounding structures without x-ray or other forms of radiation
• CT scan - obtains images of from different angles of your body. Special computer equipment then creates a three-dimensional image

Back pain relief

For more information on back pain, take a look at our Back Pain Relief section, in particular our pages on Lower Back Pain Exercises, from Martin Haines, Biomechanics Coach & UK Leading Physiotherapist, DipRGRT MCSP SRP MBC MBCA.

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