What Causes Sudden Back Pain

You’re Running A Fever

The flu can definitely make you run a fever and achiness, including in your back. However, if the fever is unresponsive to standard OTC medications, you could have a serious infection that needs treatment immediately. If you go to a doctor and they find an infection, they may prescribe antibiotics and a few days rest.

The Most Common Causes Of Back Pain In Females

Piriformis Syndrome Many women will experience pain produced by spasms in the piriformis muscle, which is the large muscle deep in the buttock region. Due to pelvic changes brought on by hormones and pregnancy, women are more susceptible to this pain. It can cause irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve causing radiating pain in the back of the leg. This is often mistaken for back pain associated with spinal problems. Women will experience pain in the buttock and hip area, especially when moving the hips. There may be pain getting out of bed and when sitting for long periods of time. You can get relief from the pain by lying on your back.

Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction The sacroiliac joint connects the bottom of the spine to your pelvis. SI joint problems are among the more common causes of lower back pain. Women typically have a smaller SI joint surface area compared to men, which can cause stresses across the joint. This anatomical difference can lead to a higher risk of SI joint misalignment, especially in younger women. Pain is focused in the lower back and will usually be dull or achy but may flare up, causing sharp pain down the thigh. This is often mistaken for sciatica. The pain can increase when sitting or climbing stairs.

Contact National Spine & Pain Centers to schedule an appointment with an affiliated pain specialist today.

What Are The Symptoms Of Back And Neck Pain

Symptoms associated with back pain may include:

• Dull, burning, or sharp pain in your back. The pain can be confined to a single spot or cover a large area

• Leg numbness or tingling above or below your knee

• Stiffness or achiness that occurs anywhere along your spine

• Sharp, shooting pain that radiates from your low back to your buttocks, down the back of your thigh, and into your calf and toes

• Consistent ache in the middle or lower part of your back, especially after standing or sitting for an extended period

Loss of bladder and bowel control, with weakness in both legs, are symptoms of a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.

Symptoms associated with neck pain can be:

• Arm numbness or tingling

• Shoulder pain

• Sharp shooting pains or a dull aches in your neck

Pain that occurs suddenly in your back or neck, due to an injury, is considered to be acute pain. Acute pain comes on quickly and may leave sooner than chronic back or neck pain. This type of pain should not last more than 6 weeks.

Pain that may come on quickly or slowly and lingers for weeks, 3 months or greater, is considered to be chronic pain. Chronic pain is less common than acute pain.

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Pain Intensifies When You Move

You had a recent fall, but you didnt think your back would hurt this much! If you had a traumatic injury, like a heavy object lands on your back or you slip on the ice and fall with your back striking the edge of a step, you can break a vertebral bone or a rib, notes Dr. Tien. The pain can be moderate to severe, but it will get worse when you move. Talk to your doctor, especially after any bad injury.

Youre Having Problems With Your Bowels Or Urination

If your back pain is paired with a loss of control over your bowels or urination, then its time to seek help immediately at a local emergency room. These symptoms point to cauda equina syndrome, where the nerves in the lower spine have become paralyzed. While rare, this syndrome can be permanently damaging to the nerves if left untreated. If you experience these symptoms, especially accompanied by numbness in the legs, then you may need surgery to decompress the nerves and preserve their overall function.

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Youre Short Of Breath

Rarely, upper back pain may be due to a punctured lung, which can be caused by an injury. While it is less likely to be the cause of your discomfort, a punctured lung is something you need to know the signs of so you can take the right action. If the pain is accompanied by shortness of breath or severe pain taking a deep breath, seek urgent medical care, advises Dr. Chang.

When To See A Doctor For Rib Pain And Middle Back Pain

In most cases, your upper rib cage pain in your back should go away with simple stretching exercises and back-strengthening exercises. However, in some cases of chronic middle back pain and rib pain, you should see a doctor.

According to the National Institutes of Health, you may need professional medical attention in the following circumstances:

• You have middle back pain or lower back pain that causes tingling in your legs or arms.
• You have severe back pain that wraps around your ribs that doesnt go away.
• The middle back pain persists after an injury or fall and home treatment doesnt help relieve the pain.
• You notice any changes in your bladder or bowel function along with back pain.
• You have any kind of unexplained chest pain.

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Herniated Disk In The Upper Back

The backbone, or spine, is made up of 26 bones called vertebrae. In between the bones are soft disks filled with a jelly-like substance. These disks cushion the vertebrae and keep them in place. Although people talk about a slipped disk, nothing actually slips out of place. The outer shell of the disk ruptures, and the jelly-like substance bulges out. It may be pressing on a nerve, which is what causes the pain.A slipped disk is more likely to happen due to strain on the back, such as during heavy lifting, and older individuals are at higher risk.

Rarity: Common

Top Symptoms: upper back pain, neck pain, arm weakness, back pain that gets worse when sitting, upper spine pain

Symptoms that always occur with herniated disk in the upper back: upper back pain

Urgency: Primary care doctor

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When To Contact A Medical Professional

• Back pain after a severe blow or fall
• Burning with urination or blood in your urine
• History of cancer
• Loss of control over urine or stool
• Pain traveling down your legs below the knee
• Pain that is worse when you lie down or pain that wakes you up at night
• Redness or swelling on the back or spine
• Severe pain that does not allow you to get comfortable
• Unexplained fever with back pain
• Weakness or numbness in your buttocks, thigh, leg, or pelvis

Also call if:

• You have been losing weight unintentionally
• You use steroids or intravenous drugs
• You have had back pain before, but this episode is different and feels worse
• This episode of back pain has lasted longer than 4 weeks

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Fractures And Lower Back Pain

are often very difficult pain problems and indicate the possible presence of . In patients with severe osteoporosis, spinal fractures can occur with no early warning and no significant trauma the patient does not have to fall to fracture a vertebrae.

Patients with spinal compression fractures experience spasms and, often, very high pain levels.

In patients with low back pain where the cause is difficult to determine, especially for elderly patients with osteoporosis, a fracture in the sacrum may be the cause of the pain. A standard X-ray or bone scan may not show a sacral fracture. Imaging techniques such as CT scan or MRI can often reveal these fractures.

It is very important that patients with acute lumbar compression fractures be tested for osteoporosis. A bone density study is needed, unless the patient has no other osteoporosis risk factors and has had a very high impact fracture. Studies have shown that many patients with fractures in the U.S. are discharged from hospitals with no plans for management of their bone density problems, which then are left to worsen.

Although pain can be very intense, it is best for patients with lumbar fracture to resume activity as soon as possible. This is especially true for elderly patients, who can too easily become weakened, and develop other complications, if mobility is reduced for too long. may be needed for pain control, for as brief a period as possible.

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What Should I Know About Back Pain

Back pain is a very common problem and will affect many of us at some point during our lives.

The good news is that in most cases it isnt a serious problem, and it might just be caused by a simple strain to a muscle or ligament.

As far as possible, its best to continue with your normal everyday activities as soon as you can and to keep moving.

Being active and exercising wont make your back pain worse, even if you have a bit of pain and discomfort at first. Staying active will help you get better. Taking painkillers can help you do this.

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Lower Back Pain Causes

Nonspecific low back pain means that the pain is not due to any specific or underlying disease that can be found. It is thought that in some cases the cause may be an over-stretch of a ligament or muscle. In other cases the cause may be a minor problem with a disc between two spinal bones , or a minor problem with a small facet joint between two vertebrae. There may be other minor problems in the structures and tissues of the lower back that result in pain. However, these causes of the pain are impossible to prove by tests. Therefore, it is usually impossible for a doctor to say exactly where the pain is coming from, or exactly what is causing the pain.

To some people, not knowing the exact cause of the pain is unsettling. However, looked at another way, many people find it reassuring to know that the diagnosis is nonspecific back pain which means there is no serious problem or disease of the back or spine.

Other Causes Of Back Pain

There are many other potential causes of back pain, but most are rare. Be sure to see a doctor if you experience regular back pain that does not go away.

After ruling out the more common causes of back pain, your doctor will perform tests to determine if you have a rarer cause. These can :

• one of the vertebrae moving out of place and onto a nearby vertebra, called degenerative spondylolisthesis
• loss of nerve function at the lower spinal cord, called cauda equina syndrome
• fungal or bacterial infection of the spine, such as Staphylococcus, E. coli, or tuberculosis

Back pain can have many symptoms, including:

• a dull, aching sensation in the lower back
• a stabbing or shooting pain that can radiate down the leg to the foot
• an inability to stand up straight without pain
• a decreased range of motion and reduced ability to flex the back

The symptoms of back pain, if due to strain or misuse, are usually short lived but can last for days or weeks.

Back pain is chronic when symptoms have been present for 3 months.

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Symptoms Of Sudden Lower Back Pain

Sudden lower back pain can be presented as sudden acute pain in the lower region of the back, during a particular activity, bending, lifting weight or travelling. Some symptoms associated with sudden lower back pain varying with the underlying cause are

• Inability to stand, walk or difficulty in movement of body parts.
• Radiating pain from the lower back to buttocks, back of thighs and legs.
• Pain that radiates from middle or lower back to the groin in front.
• The area of pain may be sore and tender to touch.

What to Watch for?

If lower back pain is severe and the person is unable to move, immediate medical care is needed. Sudden lower back pain, if accompanied with sudden weakness of lower limbs, loss of control of bowel and bladder, it can be a medical emergency.

What Does It Mean If Lower Back Pain Is Shooting Into Legs

Lower back pain can radiate to other parts of the body: up or down from its place of origin. Sometimes lower back pain can be on one side of the back, which is also normal.

If the pain is shooting from the lower back into one or both legs, it could be sciatica , but its not always the case. There are many parts in the lower back that may cause the pain to radiate into the legs, such as facet joints, sacroiliac joints, muscles or inflammation of the bursa.

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Who Gets Back Pain

Anyone can have back pain. You may be more likely to have back pain because of the following:

• Fitness level: Back pain is more common among people who are out of shape. You may also get back pain if you exercise too hard after not being active for a while.
• Obesity: If you are overweight or obese, it can put stress on the back and cause pain.
• Job-related risk factors: Jobs that require heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or twisting can injure the back. A desk job may also play a role, especially if you slouch or sit all day in an uncomfortable chair.
• Age: You may have more back pain as you get older, particularly after you turn 45.
• Family history: Your genes play a role in some disorders that cause back pain.

A Leader In Treating Aorticdissection

Aorticdissection also known as an aortic aneurysm is a rare, serious conditionthat involves the aorta, the bodys largest blood vessel.

The aorta is made up of three layers: the inner layer , themiddle layer , and the outer layer . An aorticdissection occurs when blood breaks through the inner layer and ends up betweentwo layers.

Aortic dissectionscan occur in different sections of the aorta and be either acute or chronic. Thecondition also can cause a widening of the aorta.

UTSouthwestern is a recognized leader in evaluating, diagnosing, and treatingaortic dissection. Our team developed the fenestrated endograft, aprocedure that facilitates blood flow to the blood vessels that branch off theaorta. UT Southwestern is one of only a handful of U.S. centers offering andresearching this state-of-the-art technique.

Were hometo a hybrid operating room equipped with angiographic imaging equipment thatprovides real-time visualization of blood vessels. This technology enablesdoctors to view the patients anatomy and determine in real time the mostappropriate treatment.

UTSouthwestern also offers a dedicated Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Cardiac rehabilitation is acritical component of recovery and can prevent future heart disease.

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Referred Pain To And From The Lumbar Spine

Pain in the area of the lumbar spine may be due to important problems that are actually unrelated to the back. Referred pain occurs when a problem in one place in the body causes pain in another place. The pain travels down a nerve.. Sources of referred pain to the low back may include abdominal aneurysm , tubal pregnancy, kidney stones, pancreatitis, and colon cancer. Clues to these maladies include pain that waxes and wanes over a short period, with frequent peaks of intense pain, weight loss, abnormalities found during abdominal exam, and trace amounts of blood in the urine. On the other hand, pain can be referred from the low back and be felt in another location, as is often the case with . For example, it is not rare for a patient with a slipped disc in the lower back to have pain in the back of the thigh, or in the calf or even the foot, and not have any low back pain. This situation requires a doctor to sort out the type of pain and to do the examination required to show that the pain is actually coming from the spine .

Lower Back Pain Causes: 8 Reasons For Sudden & Chronic Pain

Sometimes, you know exactly why your back is hurting. Maybe you lifted something awkwardly and felt the pain right away. Or maybe your doctor has been warning you for years that your bad posture would lead to lower back pain.

But other times, the source of back pain can feel like a mystery.

“Your lumbar spine, located in your lower back, plays a crucial role in supporting the weight of your upper body. It’s also responsible for everyday movements, such as bending, twisting and coordinating the muscles in your hips, pelvis legs and feet,” says Dr. Kenneth Palmer, orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery at Houston Methodist. “Due to heavy use, the bones, muscles, ligaments, disks and nerves found in your lumbar spine are quite susceptible to both injury and wear and tear over time causing pain in the lower back.”

Lower back pain symptoms include:

• Dull ache in your hips and/or pelvis
• Muscle spasms or tightness
• Sharp, tingling pain that starts in your lower back and travels down one leg
• Pain that worsens with sitting and quickly improves while walking
• Pain that is noticeably worse in the morning

“Typically, a person experiences some combination of these symptoms, which can develop suddenly or over time. In some cases, lower back pain can feel like it comes and goes flaring up now and then, but generally getting progressively worse over time,” explains Dr. Palmer.

Speaking of the various causes of lower back pain…

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