Back pain between the shoulder blades, thoracic, lumbar or cervical can have different causes. Most often, back pain is the result of a sedentary lifestyle, bad posture and lack of regular physical exertion. Back pain can also be caused by many diseases, not only of the spine. Find out what back pain means and what causes it.

The causes of back painare multifactorial. Responsible for him, among others a sedentary lifestyle, bad posture, adopting an unnatural, forced body position for a long time, sitting in one position for too long, lack of regular physical exertion, walking in high-heeled shoes, improperly picking up objects from the floor (instead of kneeling, we bend down), bad position taken while sleeping, etc.

Then the so-called postural pain, which is the result of overloading tissue and articular structures. It is an undefined, unstable back pain, most often in the thoracic spine. Bad posture habits often lead to posture defects, which result in pain in almost every part of the back.

It is good to know that back pain of spinal origin is diagnosed when the pain increases with movement or heavy lifting, and soothes when resting or inactivity.

In turn, back pain of non-vertebral origin does not worsen with movement and may indicate serious diseases.

Back pain - diseases and injuries of the spine

The cause ofback painmay be various diseases and injuries of the spine. The most common are:

  • overload,
  • muscle strain,
  • ligament rupture,
  • increased muscle tension around the spine;
  • hernia of the spine - a hernia of the lumbar section is manifested by pain in the lower part of the spine, which is exacerbated by, for example, a forward bend, and tingling in the legs. Cervical hernia - you may experience slight pain and stiffness in your neck, then tingling in your hands. A hernia of the thoracic section gives pain radiating to the ribs, which is very much felt when laughing, coughing or sneezing;
  • vertebral compression fracture - pain may increase with coughing, sneezing or defecation. These types of fractures often appear in the course of spinal osteoporosis;
  • narrowing (stenosis) of the canalspine in the lumbar region. The most common symptom of spinal stenosis is leg pain that occurs after even walking a short distance. There may also beback painradiating to the lower limbs, and may even cause paresis over time.
  • spondylolisthesis (slipping of the vertebrae) - apart from back pain, there is also difficulty walking, difficulty getting up or sitting down.

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Back pain - fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a disease syndrome in the course of which there is generalized pain in muscles and bones and the so-called tender points, i.e. places of the body excessively sensitive to pressure. The accompanying symptoms are chronic fatigue, insomnia, depression, as well as concentration disorders and anxiety.

Back pain - chronic pain

Back pain is considered to be chronic when it lasts 3 months or more. People with back pain lasting at least 3 months should see a doctor to find out the cause of the pain and determine the treatment.

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Extra-spinal back pain

Back painis not always associated with diseases of the spine. Sometimes it is a symptom of other diseases, not related to the spine. Back pain may appear in conditions such as:

  • aneurysm (tumor) of the abdominal aorta;
  • aortic dissection;
  • dissection of the carotid or vertebral artery;
  • acute meningitis;
  • angina pectoris or myocardial infarction
  • certain diseases of the digestive system (e.g. cholecystitis, diverticulitis, diverticulitis, pancreatitis, appendicitis);
  • pelvic disorders (e.g. ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cancer, salpingitis);
  • respiratory diseases (e.g. pleurisy, pneumonia);
  • urinary tract diseases (prostatitis, pyelonephritis);
  • upper chest opening syndrome;
  • temporomandibular joint syndrome;
  • Paget's bone disease;
  • shingles;
  • autoimmune diseases (those in which the immune system attacks its own tissues) - in most cases these are the causes of inflammatory back pain. The autoimmune diseases closely related to inflammatory back pain are: axial spondyloarthritis (e.g. ankylosing spondylitis), psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and inflammatory arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel diseases.
According to an expertMateusz Marcinkowski,physiotherapist from the clinic of orthopedics, rehabilitation and sports medicine Carolina Medical Center in Gdańsk

It is assumed that all ailments that cause back pain can be divided into those resulting from:

  • pathology, damage to the spine and / or pathology not present in the vicinity of the spine, but related to it,
  • nerve root irritation,
  • other nonspecific reasons.

The last group is the largest and accounts for about 90% of all pain sensations in the spine. The vast majority of ailments result from mechanical reasons, such as: excessive muscle stretching, incorrect movement performance, chronic, long-term maintenance of the same, static position, excessive bending and rotational forces, e.g. when pulling, pushing, moving heavy objects.

Most back pain problems are de alt with by bad habits and movement patterns over the years. Due to the bad use of the spine at work or at home, we lead to damage or disruption of the proper functioning of the vertebral structures.

Most problems with the malfunctioning of the spine can be corrected or completely solved with physical therapy. During manual therapy, the functioning of muscles and joints is improved, and the effects are perpetuated through proper movement. Unfortunately, due to the fact that in many cases you work on problems for years, rehabilitation may turn out to be long.

Back pain - overload or inflammation?

In most cases, the pain is overload. However, 3 percent. in adults, the cause of back pain is inflammatory disease. Inflammatory pain is often confused with back strain.

"Overload" back painInflammatory back pain
onset of symptoms at any agefirst symptoms at a young age - usually before the age of 40
varied onset of symptoms, may develop rapidlytricky start, gradual worsening of back pain
intensifies after exerciserecovers after exercise
recovers after restpersists after rest
does not usually tease at nightis a night back pain that wakes you up in the second half of the night
usually unrelated to morning stiffness lasting>30 min morning joint stiffness lasting>30min
often caused by overstrain or injury alternating pain in the buttocks is characteristic
does not resolve quickly after administration of NSAIDsclears quickly after administration of NSAIDs
it can be described as "rushing" or "transient"does not go away, but gradually increases
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Spine, bones, joints