Understanding back pain - symptoms

What are the symptoms of back pain?

Most people have experienced back pain at some point in their life. The causes of back pain are numerous, and some are self-inflicted due to a lifetime of bad habits. Other back pain causes include accidents, muscle strains and sport injuries. Although the causes may be different, the symptoms are usually the same.

The symptoms for back pain are:

• Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your spine, from the base of the neck to the hips.
• Sharp localised 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.
• Back pain that radiates from the lower back to the buttocks, down the back of the thigh and into the calf and toes.
• Inability to stand straight without having severe muscle spasms in the lower back.

Seek immediate medical advice 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 downwards along the back of the leg. You may have sciatica.
• The pain increases when you cough or bend forwards at the waist. This can be the sign of a herniated (slipped) disc.
• The pain is accompanied by fever, burning sensation during urination or strong-smelling urine. You may have a bacterial urinary tract infection.
• You have urine or fecal incontinence.
• You have dull pain in one area of your spine when lying in or getting out of bed.