Back Pain - Symptoms

Understanding Back Pain - Symptoms

What Are the Symptoms?

Most people have experienced back pain sometime in their life. The causes of
back pain are numerous; some are self-inflicted due to a lifetime of bad habits.
Other back pain causes include accidents, muscle strains, and sports injuries.
Although the causes may be different, most often they share the same
symptoms.

The symptoms for back pain are:

• Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your spine, from the base of
  the neck to the hips.
  
• Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or lower back -- especially
  after lifting heavy objects or engaging in other strenuous activity.
  
• Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially after sitting or
  standing for extended periods.

Call Your Doctor If:

• You feel numbness, tingling, or loss of control in your arms or legs. This
  may signal damage to the spinal cord.
  
• The pain in your back extends downward along the back of the leg. You may be
  suffering from sciatica.
  
• The pain increases when you cough or bend forward at the waist. This can be
  the sign of a herniated disc.
  
• The pain is accompanied by fever. You may have a bacterial infection.
  
• You have dull pain in one area of your spine when lying in or getting out of
  bed. If you are over 50 you may be suffering from osteoarthritis.