Nonspecific back pain refers to pain in the back due to an unknown cause.
Alternative Names
Back pain - nonspecific
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Back pain is one of the most common complaints treated by physicians. Nearly four out of five people will have back pain at some time in their life. Most of the time, the exact cause of the pain can not be found.
Back pain can develop in association with a number of causes, including muscle strain, injury to the back, overuse, muscle disorders, pressure on a nerve root, poor posture, and many others. Pregnant women, smokers, construction workers, and people who do repetitive lifting all have increased risk of back pain. (See also low back pain).
Symptoms
Low back pain
Pain in any part of the back
Pain may radiate to the buttocks or upper leg(s)
Signs and tests
A physical examination focused on the back, the abdomen, and the extremities may confirm back pain or muscle spasm, but the examination does not reveal a specific cause (such as a herniated disk) or any neurological problem (such as weakness or change in sensation).
X-rays of the spine are usually normal. Further work-up may include a CT scan or MRI of the spine.
Treatment
The majority of nonspecific back pain is probably caused by muscle strain. This usually responds to 2-5 days of rest and pain medications (such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents -- ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, etc.), followed by gradual return to activities. Medications may be needed to reduce muscle spasms.
Physical therapy is often prescribed to instruct the patient on proper body mechanics (such as good posture and lifting correctly) and to improve strength and flexibility in the spine, abdomen, and legs.
Surgery is not useful for the treatment of nonspecific back pain.
Back pain - low (1 image)
Average Rating:
(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Pain felt in your lower back may come from the spine, muscles, nerves, or other structures in that region. It may also radiate from other areas like your mid or upper back, a hernia in the groin, or a problem in the testicles or ovaries. You may feel a variety of symptoms if you've hurt your back. You may have a tingling or burning sensation, a dull aching, or sharp pain. You also may experience weakness in your legs or feet. It won't necessarily be one event that actually causes your pain. You may have been doing many things improperly - like standing, sitting, or lifting - for a long time. Then suddenly, one simple movement, like reaching for something in the shower or bending from your waist, leads to the feeling of pain. Reviewer: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone & Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/06/2007
Backaches and stress (5 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information) Reviewer: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/06/2007
Herniated nucleus pulposus (slipped disk) (4 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A herniated nucleus pulposus is a slipped disk along the spinal cord. The condition occurs when all or part of the soft center of a spinal disk is forced through a weakened part of the disk. Reviewer: Kevin B. Freedman, MD, MSCE, Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Specialists, Bryn Mawr, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/31/2006
Compression fractures of the back (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Compression fractures of the back are broken vertebrae, which are the bones of the spine. Reviewer: Kevin B. Freedman, MD, MSCE, Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Specialists, Bryn Mawr, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/31/2006
Tailbone trauma (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Tailbone trauma is an injury to the small bone at the lower tip of the spine. Reviewer: Jeffrey Kauffman, MD, Sacramento Knee and Sports Medicine, Sacramento, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 09/21/2006
Scoliosis (8 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Scoliosis is a curving¿of the spine. The spine curves away from the middle or sideways. Reviewer: Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/15/2006
Kyphosis (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Kyphosis is a curving of the spine that causes a bowing of the back, which leads to a hunchback or slouching posture. Reviewer: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone & Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/23/2006
Lordosis (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Lordosis is an increased curving of the spine. Reviewer: Daniel Rauch, MD, FAAP, Director, Pediatric Hospitalist Program, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 05/15/2006
Diskitis (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Diskitis is an inflammation, irritation, and swelling of the intervertebral disk space (the space between the bones of the spine. Reviewer: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone & Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/23/2006
Lumbosacral spine x-ray (6 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A lumbosacral spine x-ray is a picture of the small bones (vertebrae) in the lower part of the spine (the lumbar region) and the sacrum, the area that connects the spine to the pelvis. Reviewer: Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/24/2007
Lumbosacral spine CT (5 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A lumbosacral spine CT is a computed topography of the lower spine and surrounding tissues. Reviewer: Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/25/2006
Lumbosacral spine MRI (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A lumbosacral spine MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves to create pictures of the structures that make up the spine, the spinal cord, and the spaces between the vertebrae, through which the nerves travel. Conventional radiography and computed tomographic (CT) imaging use potentially harmful radiation (x-rays) that passes through a patient to generate images. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is based on the magnetic properties of atoms, and there is no exposure to the same type of radiation used in x-rays and CT scans. A powerful magnet generates a magnetic field roughly 10,000 times stronger than the Earth's. A very small percentage of hydrogen atoms within the body will align with this field. Radio wave pulses are broadcast towards the aligned hydrogen atoms in tissues of interest, returning a signal of their own. The slight differences of those signals from different tissues enables MRI to tell the difference between various organs, and potentially, provide contrast between benign and malignant tissue. Any imaging angle, or "slice", can be projected, and then stored in a computer or printed on film. MRI can easily be performed through clothing and bones. However, certain types of metal in or around the area of interest can cause significant errors in the reconstructed images. Reviewer: Stuart Bentley-Hibbert, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/25/2006
Back strain treatment (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information) Reviewer: Thomas N. Joseph, MD, Private Practice specializing in Orthopaedics, subspecialty Foot and Ankle, Camden Bone Joint, Camden, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 08/06/2007
Microdiskectomy (5 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Spinal microdiskectomy is the minimally invasive surgical removal of disk fragments from a herniated disk, usually in the lower back (lumbar area. Unlike lumbar spine surgery that requires an incision 2 to 5 inches long, microdiskectomy is performed through a very small incision (about 1 to 1 ¿ inches. Reviewer: Andrew L. Chen, M.D., M.S., Orthopedist, The Alpine Clinic, Littleton, NH.Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 03/13/2007
Spinal surgery - lumbar (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Lumbar spinal surgery is used to correct problems with the spinal bones (vertebrae), disks, or nerves of the lower back (lumbar spine. See also: Spinal fusion Spinal surgery - cervical Reviewer: Jeffrey Kauffman, MD, Sacramento Knee and Sports Medicine, Sacramento, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 09/21/2006
Spinal fusion (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Spinal fusion is surgery to correct problems in the spine bones (vertebrae. The surgery stabilizes the back by fusing certain bones in the spine together. Fusing means two bones are permanently placed together ( fused ) so that movement between them can no longer occur. Reviewer: Jeffrey Kauffman, MD, Sacramento Knee and Sports Medicine, Sacramento, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 09/21/2006
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