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Four out of every five people will experience back or neck pain in their lives, making these conditions the most commonly occurring in medicine. Nearly everyone at some point has back pain that interferes with work, routine daily activities, or recreation. Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work. Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States, second only to headaches.
Acute back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Most acute back pain is the result of an injury to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Acute pain may be caused by a sports injury, everyday tasks, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting pain, limited flexibility or range of motion, or an inability to stand straight.
When back pain occurs repeatedly, it is known as recurrent back pain. Back pain lasting more than three months and that doesn't improve within three to four weeks of medication, is considered as chronic back pain. More than 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain.
Chronic pain caused by back or neck problems can seem very complex, since often the severity of the pain is not a true indicator of the severity of the problem. There are nearly 100 different symptoms that can be attributed to problems originating in the spine. Many of these pain symptoms appear in regions of the body far removed from the spine and vertebrae. For example, an obstruction in the lumbar spine area may induce symptoms including intense pain in the arms or difficulty with walking.
Spinal disorders include: arthritic disorders, nerve compression, disc problems, chronic pain, stenosis, spondylolisthesis and spondylosis.
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