Back pain is very common and up to 80% of the population may suffer from back pain at some stage in their life. Fortunately for most patients, their back pain is not usually due to a serious problem. Often back pain is caused by a range of factors, such as:

• Injuries causing muscle sprain or ligament strain (single episode or repetitive)
• Back muscle deconditioning and wasting due to prolonged lack of usage (inactivity)
• Poor posture

For some patients, the back pain they experience can be debilitating and may affect their work and lifestyle. Encouragingly, up to 80 – 90% of patients who suffer from acute back pain will improve over a period of six to eight weeks. Most patients with back pain do not require surgical treatment.

During flare up of acute back pain, patients may benefit from a short course of anti-inflammatory medication, application of ice or heat packs, massage and physiotherapy. It is important to keep active. Our body is build for movement and it is important to try to gradually increase level of activity despite having back pain. Studies have shown that bed rest for couple of days due to back pain leads to more stiffness and makes it harder to get moving again.

There are some spinal conditions that present with symptoms of back pain and may require further investigations should the pain not settle down. These include:

• Degenerative Disc Disease
• Lumbar Disc Herniation
• Lumbar Stenosis
• Pars fracture and Spondylolisthesis
• Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Very rarely, back pain can be an indication of a serious problem. Please seek urgent medical attention if you experience any of the following:

• Weakness in the legs
• Difficulty urinating or controlling urination
• Loss of control of bowel movement
• Numbness in the genital area
• Severe night pain, waking you up at night and not alleviated with the use of pain killers
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fever and night sweats