Your back pain questions answered
This kind of ache is incredibly common and stubborn, but you don’t have to tough it out.
If you don’t have back pain yourself, you probably know someone who does. In fact, 1 in 4 U.S. adults report having had low back pain in the prior three months. When that turns into chronic pain, mobility concerns, higher fracture risk, and mental health challenges can follow. The first step to relief? Getting the answers you need, starting with these.
How do you know if it’s arthritis or muscle strain?
Knowing if your pain is acute — meaning short-term — can be useful for evaluating your treatment options. If you have sudden onset of pain that’s aggravated by activity and gets better with rest, that’s usually muscle strain, says Siddharth Tambar, M.D., of Chicago Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine. If it’s chronic, which means ongoing, and doesn’t improve with rest or time, it’s likely arthritis-related, he says.
At what point should you get back pain checked out?
Any type of pain that’s affecting your quality of life is worth getting evaluated. With back pain, there are four main indications that should prompt an appointment, Dr. Tambar says.
- Your pain is not improving with rest and limited activities after one to two weeks.
- You have numbness or tingling in the legs, which can indicate a pinched nerve.
- You experience incontinence or constipation, which may indicate a spinal cord injury.
- You have a fever along with pain, which could mean you have an infection.
What’s the first step in addressing back pain?
Start a conversation with your doctor. “Acute back pain is treated first with conservative methods such as rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy,” says Kaliq Chang, M.D., of Atlantic Spine Center in New Jersey. “Chronic low back pain may require injections as well as lifestyle changes.”
Expand your options.
Did you know that chiropractor and acupuncture visits may be covered by your plan? Relief could be closer than you think.
