The Basic Types of Back Pain

Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 1:33 pm

While you know that you have back pain, the type of back pain can vary tremendously from person to person.

Some people are clutching their lower backs while others find that their upper backs are tight and achy. Here are the basics on each type of back pain.

Upper Back Pain

Of all of the types of back pain, upper back pain is actually not the most common. Because the top of the spine tends to stay in one location, it’s hard for you to hurt your actual spinal column in this area, though trauma from injury and herniated disks can still be problematic.

Symptoms of upper back pain include:

• Pain in upper back area
• Stiffness or tightness in neck
• Headache
• Jaw stiffness or pain

The frustrating part of this upper back pain is that it typically will not show up as an injury or physical problem when an MRI or X-ray is performed.

Because this upper thoracic area is meant to support the internal organs and the spine, it’s very difficult to damage the spinal column in this area. In fact, even in traumatic accidents, this area is very difficult to harm without direct impact.

Since this area’s pain can be difficult to pinpoint, many patients will find that they need to try a wide range of therapies before they can find relief. Often, a combination of physical therapy and medications will provide the relief they need.

Stress is another common cause of this kind of pain, so stress management and relaxation techniques are often recommended.

This area is also affected by positioning, that is, how you sit and move. Many office workers and those who strain their eyes to see things during their work day will complain of upper back pain. They are overexerting this part of their body in order to stay in certain unhealthy positions.

Proper positioning at your desk can do wonders in terms of helping you prevent this kind of pain from becoming worse.

Lower Back Pain

The most common back pain is found in the lower back. Since this is the area that allows us to twist and turn as well as bend from side to side, it’s not hard to see why this is the area where people become injured.

From simply bending over to lift something heavy, we can strain and injure the muscles in the back or by having poor positioning, we can cause the muscles to weaken and be more prone to pain.

Symptoms of lower back pain include:

• Stiffness and pain in the lower back
• Sharp pain when bending, sitting, or lying down
• Dull ache in lower back when performing certain activities

Lower back pain is most common in patients between the ages of 30 and 50 as the back is often weakened during these times.

If you have a sedentary job in which you sit for most of the day, your abdominal muscles can become weakened, causing you to have troubles keeping your lower back in a healthy position. This lack of activity is the root cause of more back troubles than injuries or accidents.

Of course, if you are active, you can also suffer from back pain. If you are wearing improper shoes when walking far distances or you bent over while lifting something heavy (without bracing your back), you can cause trauma to the lower back region.

However, the lower back pain should not be dismissed as something that’s harmless either. Because the lower back also houses other internal organs, any odd symptoms or pain that does not subside should be examined by a doctor.

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