Back pain

Back pain
Different regions (curvatures) of the vertebral column
SpecialtyOrthopedics

Back pain (Latin: dorsalgia) is pain felt in the back. It may be classified as neck pain (cervical), middle back pain (thoracic), lower back pain (lumbar) or coccydynia (tailbone or sacral pain) based on the segment affected.[1] The lumbar area is the most common area affected.[2] An episode of back pain may be acute, subacute or chronic depending on the duration. The pain may be characterized as a dull ache, shooting or piercing pain or a burning sensation. Discomfort can radiate to the arms and hands as well as the legs or feet,[3] and may include numbness[1] or weakness in the legs and arms.

The majority of back pain is nonspecific and idiopathic.[4][5] Common underlying mechanisms include degenerative or traumatic changes to the discs and facet joints, which can then cause secondary pain in the muscles and nerves and referred pain to the bones, joints and extremities.[3] Diseases and inflammation of the gallbladder, pancreas, aorta and kidneys may also cause referred pain in the back.[3] Tumors of the vertebrae, neural tissues and adjacent structures can also manifest as back pain.

Back pain is common; approximately nine of ten adults experience it at some point in their lives, and five of ten working adults experience back pain each year.[6] Some estimate that as many of 95% of people will experience back pain at some point in their lifetime.[2] It is the most common cause of chronic pain and is a major contributor to missed work and disability.[2] For most individuals, back pain is self-limiting. Most people with back pain do not experience chronic severe pain but rather persistent or intermittent pain that is mild or moderate.[7] In most cases of herniated disks and stenosis, rest, injections or surgery have similar general pain-resolution outcomes on average after one year. In the United States, acute low back pain is the fifth most common reason for physician visits and causes 40% of missed work days.[8] It is the single leading cause of disability worldwide.[9]

  1. ^ a b "Paresthesia Definition and Origin". dictionary.com. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Church EJ, Odle TG (2007). "Diagnosis and treatment of back pain" (PDF). Radiologic Technology. 79 (2): 126–151, quiz 152–155. PMID 18032750. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Burke GL (2008). "Chapter 3: The Anatomy of Pain in Backache". Backache:From Occiput to Coccyx. Vancouver, BC: MacDonald Publishing. ISBN 978-0-920406-47-2. Archived from the original on 2019-03-16. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  4. ^ Deyo RA, Weinstein JN (February 2001). "Low back pain" (PDF). The New England Journal of Medicine. 344 (5): 363–70. doi:10.1056/NEJM200102013440508. PMID 11172169. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  5. ^ Cohen SP (February 2015). "Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neck pain". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 90 (2): 284–99. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.09.008. PMID 25659245.
  6. ^ Patel AT, Ogle AA (March 2000). "Diagnosis and management of acute low back pain". American Family Physician. 61 (6): 1779–86, 1789–90. PMID 10750882. Archived from the original on 11 February 2001.
  7. ^ Kongsted A, Kent P, Axen I, Downie AS, Dunn KM (May 2016). "What have we learned from ten years of trajectory research in low back pain?". BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 17: 220. doi:10.1186/s12891-016-1071-2. PMC 4875630. PMID 27209166.
  8. ^ Manchikanti L, Singh V, Datta S, Cohen SP, Hirsch JA (Jul–Aug 2009). "Comprehensive review of epidemiology, scope, and impact of spinal pain". Pain Physician. 12 (4): E35–E70. doi:10.36076/ppj.2009/12/E35. PMID 19668291.
  9. ^ "2010 Global Burden of Disease Study". Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.