Lower back pain, when to worry

Lower back pain, when to worry

When we feel pain in the lower back and it lasts for a few days, most of us start to worry and some even have anxious thoughts. It's good to know that over 80% of adults experience back pain at some point in their lives, or probably more than once. The pain can be mild, small stitches, but also severe, intense and even debilitating pain that affects your every movement.

If you have the idea that all back pain is the same, the last sentence should give you a clue, pain can vary in intensity and broadly speaking there are two types of back pain, chronic and acute. Acute back pain usually only lasts a few days a week or two at most. If you don't take proper precautions and treat the cause of the pain, the pain can become chronic.

Chronic back pain does not mean that there is no cure or treatment and you will have it for the rest of your life, it just means that it takes longer to heal and treat. Chronic back pain can be present all the time, day and night, or it can come in spurts and be mild and worse periodically. It can be very difficult to determine the cause of chronic back pain.

Something else people worry about is if the pain is so severe that it causes severe damage to the back. In fact, the level of pain probably does not correspond to the extent of the damage, excruciating back pain can occur from a simple muscle spasm and a few days later it will be completely gone without any damage. Back pain can be so severe that walking and even standing can be so painful that you think it will never go away, leaving you disabled. In fact, 90% of truly terrible back pain lasts no more than just a few days. However, some disc degenerations may be completely painless but are extremely dangerous.

Most people who suffer from back pain don't know whether they should rest or exercise. In general, resting for more than a day or two is not good, it makes your back stiff and slows your recovery. You should do small exercises every few hours and gain some strength. This will help you heal faster and more correctly. Gradually introduce more and more activities, but of course without overdoing it. Overdoing it will make things worse.

When should you see a doctor?

This is also a question that most people with back pain struggle with.

You should call your family doctor:

– if the pain does not decrease in about 5 days

– if you notice progressive weakness in your legs

- if you have a sudden bladder and/or bowel dysfunction

- if you have severe, persistent lower back and/or stomach pain

- if you have fever and chills combined with back pain

– if you have a history of cancer and recent weight loss

– if you have back pain due to severe trauma

Your doctor will not always identify the cause of your low back pain; often there is no known direct physiological cause that your doctor cannot identify.

Now you know the facts, you see, there is no reason to worry right away, take some time to heal and start doing some small exercises. And if you're worried, just call your primary care doctor.

Inspired by Richard Collins