Back pain and aches cause more visits to doctors or absences from school or work than any other illness, according to the Mayo Clinic. Acute back pain can last a few days or up to three months, but a chronic pain condition lasts three months or longer. Sources of pain and back ache vary based on the abnormal condition causing the pain.
Muscle Sprain and Strain
Lifting while not using proper technique causes muscle strain, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. A sprain results when stretching or tearing of ligaments occurs, causing pain, swelling and bruising. A strain occurs as a result of stretching or tearing a muscle or tendon, which leads to pain, swelling and muscle spams. While both of these can happen in the back, strain happens more commonly in the low back and can become a chronic condition, the Mayo Clinic says. Whenever a muscle sprain or strain occurs in the back, stiffness, pain and soreness almost always results during the healing period, which can last anywhere from one to three weeks. Rest usually cures both conditions.
Compression Fracture
Compression fractures occur in the vertebral column of the spine and are sometimes referred to as "crush" fractures because of their nature. Compression fractures most often occur in the mid- to lower part of the spine in elderly individuals with osteoporosis; sometimes, however, they happen for no apparent reason. Symptoms of a crush fracture can take onset immediately with sharp pain, or they can onset gradually as a dull ache, according to the Merck Manuals, an online medical resource. Treatments for a compression fracture include medications and a kyphoplasty surgical procedure to stabilize the bone. If left untreated, or if treatment is unsuccessful, a compression fracture can result in a lifelong condition.
Disk Herniation
A disk herniation results when a protrusion of the intervertebral disk occurs in the spinal column. In some cases, the herniation can cause the outer ring of the disk to tear, allowing the inside of the disk, the nucleus pulposus, to escape and increase pain, says "Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing" by Linda Williams and Paula Hopper. Herniations often occur in the lumbar spine and compress on one or more spinal nerve roots, causing the pain to spread to other parts of the body. Pain sensations can range from sharp to dull. Treatments of a disk herniation include physical therapy, medications, epidural injections and spinal surgery.
Spinal Stenosis
Narrowing of the spine, medically known as spinal stenosis, often occurs in the lumbar spine and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that protrude from those compressed sections of the spine, according to the American College of Rheumatology. This disease affects people in their 50s or older due to arthritis, but it can also affect younger people due to traumatic spinal injury. While the condition has no cure, treatment modalities can include physical therapy, medications and spinal injections. Pain sensations vary person to person, but it can range from a dull ache to a sharp, stabbing pain.
References
- The Mayo Clinic: Back Pain
- Merck Manuals: Compression Fractures
- American College of Rheumatology: Spinal Stenosis
- The Mayo Clinic: Sprains and Strains
- "Understanding Medical Surgical Nursing"; by Linda Williams and Paula Hopper; 2003
