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- Back pain is the second-most common reason that people visit their doctors (behind colds / flu).
- The majority of episodes occur in the lumbar spine – or lower back – which is comprised of five vertebrae and the discs that act as shock absorbers between these bones.
- Back pain can occur suddenly or come on slowly. It can follow an obvious injury/strain or develop "out of the blue."
- Pain sometimes travels from the back into the neck, arms, buttocks and legs.
- The primary cause of back pain is strained muscle, ligaments or tendons around the spine.
- For most people, back pain will clear up in a few weeks or less.
- Some people with chronic back pain will never return to the workplace or to a normal quality of life.
- First-time back pain in people under 35 or over 60 can indicate more serious medical problems.
- A CT (computed tomography) scan reveals the soft structures of the spine as well as its bone structures, and therefore is sometimes a useful diagnostic tool.
- A physical exam often will determine a person with back pain to be normal except for experiencing pain with motion.
- There is no consensus among doctors about how non-injury-related back pain develops.
- There is widespread agreement about how to treat back pain: a combination of pain relievers, measured physical activity and constructive changes in behavior.
- The most effective of all drugs used to treat back pain are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). There are a wide variety of prescription NSAIDS and over-the-counter NSAIDS like ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and ketoprofen.
- Doctors recommend that, if at all possible, sufferers should stay active and keep bed rest to a minimum.
- There is little evidence that "alternative" treatments – such as acupuncture, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, magnets, massage, back braces, etc. – provide any help or relief.
*Quick Facts have been reviewed by Medical Advisors and are current as of October 2005.
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