Back pain, sometimes called backache, is usually pain felt at the back. The back consists of five lumbar vertebrae that support the human spinal cord and form the framework of the spine. The back is divided into three groups, namely neck pain (corrected or pretzel), upper back pain, lower back pain or coccydynia depending on the section affected. Backache can occur in one or both sides. It is also a common symptom of other diseases like kidney disease, osteoarthritis, cancer, hernia, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, fractures, stress, or muscle strain.
Nonspecific Causes of Back Pain: Nonspecific causes of back pain are many, and include infections (e.g., tonsillitis, strep throat, hepatitis), bones (e.g., whiplash, broken bone, whiplash injuries sustained while playing sports), muscles (e.g., rotator cuff tear, repetitive motion injury), ligaments (e.g., sciatica), joints (e.g., degenerative joint disease, myofascial trigger points), or tendons (e.g., tendonitis). Muscles and ligaments get injured because of poor biomechanics or poor performance of the joint, or because of direct trauma or through unnatural forces applied to it. Nonspecific causes of back pain can be acute and/or chronic. Acute injuries occur suddenly and they are usually associated with severe or repeated types of trauma, whereas chronic injuries occur over a long period of time and are usually associated with conditions other than trauma or sports.
Noninvasive Therapeutic modalities have been used to treat acute and chronic nonspecific acute back pain, and these modalities include ultrasound, transcutaneous electric stimulation, laser therapy, and physical therapy. These modalities can improve function and reduce pain in patients. Imaging technologies are also being employed to study causes of back pain in various types of patients. These imaging technologies include magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, mammography, orthopedic x-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and electrotherapy. To learn more about the causes of back pain, patients and medical practitioners alike should consult with experienced medical specialist for more information.