Also called: Also called: Backache, Lumbago
If you've ever groaned, "Oh, my aching back!", you are not alone. Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point during their lives. Back pain can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain. Acute back pain comes on suddenly and usually lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Back pain is called chronic if it lasts for more than three months.
Most back pain goes away on its own, though it may take awhile. Taking over-the-counter pain relievers and resting can help. However, staying in bed for more than 1 or 2 days can make it worse.
If your back pain is severe or doesn't improve after three days, you should call your health care provider. You should also get medical attention if you have back pain following an injury.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
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Back Pain
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/backpain.htm
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Back Pain - How to Prevent
(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/howtopreventbackpain/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/howtopreventbackpainspanish/htm/index.htm -
What Is Back Pain?
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Back_Pain/back_pain_ff.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Dolor_de_espalda/default.asp
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Back Pain(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Back_Pain/default.asp
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Low Back Pain(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/trastornos/dolor_lumbar.htm
- My Pain: Back and Neck General Information(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyPain/contentdirectory_BackAndNeck.asp
- Special Exercises May Ease Lower Back Pain(02/19/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_80710.html
- Surgery Often Unnecessary for Low Back Pain(02/13/2009, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_80352.html
- Back Pain Warning Signs(North American Spine Society) - http://www.spine.org/Pages/ConsumerHealth/SpineHealthAndWellness/SpineHealthIQ/BackPainWarningSigns.aspx
- Discography(North American Spine Society) - Links to PDF - http://www.spine.org/Documents/discography_2006.pdf
- Lower Back Pain(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/531.printerview.html
- Back and Neck Treatment Options(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/TreatmentOptionsContinuum_BackAndNeck.asp
- Back Surgery: When Is It a Good Idea?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/back-surgery/HQ00305/METHOD=print
- Common Causes of Back and Neck Pain and Your Treatment Options(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/BackAndNeck_Part_1.asp
- Common Surgical Procedures(North American Spine Society) - http://www.spine.org/Pages/ConsumerHealth/SpineConditionsAndTreatments/CommonProblemsCorrectiveActions/CommonSurgicalProcedures/Default.aspx
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Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain(American Pain Society, American College of Physicians) - Links to PDF - http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/147/7/I-45.pdf
- Kyphoplasty(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00388
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Back Exercises(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/backexercises/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/backexercisesspanish/htm/index.htm
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Don't Let Back Pain Get You Down: Learn How to Minimize Your Risk(National Institutes of Health) - http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2007/January/docs/01features_02.htm
- Housework(American Chiropractic Association) - http://www.acatoday.org/print.cfm?CID=76
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Low Back Pain: Tips on Pain Relief and Prevention(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/pain/treatment/117.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/pain/treatment/117.printerview.html
- Inversion Therapy: Can It Relieve Back Pain?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/inversion-therapy/AN01614/METHOD=print
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MedlinePlus: Chiropractic(National Library of Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/chiropractic.html
- Prolotherapy: An Effective Treatment for Low Back Pain?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/prolotherapy/AN01330/METHOD=print
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Spinal Manipulation for Low-Back Pain(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/health/pain/spinemanipulation.htm
- Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation(InteliHealth) - http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/8513/34968/363973.html?d=dmtContent
- Household Chores to Build Functional Fitness(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/pain/hsehold.htm
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Low Back Pain Exercise Guide(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00302
Also available in Spanish http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00466&return_link=0
- Physical Therapy Is Effective for Management of Low-Back Pain(American Physical Therapy Association) - http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Media&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=55424
- Psychology of Pain: Back and Neck Pain(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Back_TO_Psychology.asp
- Facet Joint Syndrome(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/facet_joint_syndrome/hic_facet_joint_syndrome.aspx
- Low Back Strain and Sprain(American Association of Neurological Surgeons) - http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/low_%20back_strain_sprain05.asp
- Sacroiliitis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sacroiliitis/DS00726/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- Types of Back Pain(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Back_Types.asp
- Back Pain at Work: Preventing Aches, Pains and Injuries(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/back-pain/HQ00955/METHOD=print
- Lifting Techniques for Home Caregivers(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00096
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Repetitive Motion Disorders(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) - Short Summary - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/repetitive_motion/repetitive_motion.htm
- Secret of Good Posture(American Physical Therapy Association) - http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=20457&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm
- Back Pain(DSHI Systems) - http://www.freemd.com/back-pain/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Chronic Back Pain(DSHI Systems) - http://www.freemd.com/chronic-back-pain/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Test Your Back Health IQ(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/lbpquiz/lbpquiz.htm
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Back Exercises(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/backexercises/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/backexercisesspanish/htm/index.htm
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Back Pain - How to Prevent(Patient Education Institute) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/howtopreventbackpain/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/howtopreventbackpainspanish/htm/index.htm
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If I Had - Low Back Pain(Insidermedicine) - http://www.insidermedicine.com/archives/If_I_Had_Low_Back_Pain_Allan_Platt_PAC_Emory_School_of_Medicine_3104.aspx?p=mdlnp
- Lumbar Laminectomy and Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion(OR-Live) - One hour program - 11/15/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=370
- Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion(OR-Live) - One hour program - 12/05/2006 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=383
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PEEK Rod System for Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion(OR-Live) - One hour program - 6/12/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=589
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Percutaneous Stabilization for Lower Back Pain(OR-Live) - One hour program - 4/25/2007 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=423
- Percutaneous Vertebroplasty(OR-Live) - One hour program - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/NLM/rnh.cfm?id=308
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Two-Level L4-L5-S1 Minimally Invasive Spinal Fusion Surgery(OR-Live) - One hour program - 5/08/2008 - http://www.or-live.com/distributors/nlm-flash/tra_2459/rnh.cfm?id=745
- Anatomy of the Spine(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/BackAndNeck_Part_2.asp
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Back Pain(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Back+Pain%22
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Low Back Pain(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Low+Back+Pain%22
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Back Pain—Expectations Drive Patient Decisions(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/News_and_Events/Spotlight_on_Research/2009/Panagis_SPORT.asp
- Disc Replacement for Low Back Pain(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/pain/discreplacement.htm
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Low Back Pain: NACCAM Symposium(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2007_fall/lowbackpain.htm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Preventing progression to chronicity in first onset, subacute low back... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19345767&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Relationship between the hip and low back pain in athletes... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19321907&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Lumbar disk replacement with the ProDisc prosthesis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19292209&tool=MedlinePlus
- Back Pain -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=back+pain[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(jsubsetk[text]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.e-aapmr.org/imis/imisonline/findphys/find.cfm
- Find a Physical Therapist(American Physical Therapy Association) - http://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_PT&Template=/APTAAPPS/FindAPT/findaptsearch.cfm
- Find an Orthopaedist(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://www6.aaos.org/about/public/members.cfm
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org/
- American Chiropractic Association - http://www.acatoday.org/
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke - http://www.ninds.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://espanol.ninds.nih.gov/
- National Pain Foundation - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org
- Pain Facts & Figures(American Pain Foundation) - http://www.painfoundation.org/page.asp?file=Newsroom/PainFacts.htm
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Low Back Pain and CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter09/articles/winter09pg19.html
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Oh, My Achin' Back! - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/summer07/articles/summer07pg14-16.html
- Back Pain in Children(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00036
- Backpack Safety(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/learning/backpack.html
- Pediatric Pain: Back Pain in Children(National Pain Foundation) - http://www.nationalpainfoundation.org/MyTreatment/articles/Back_Children.asp
- Backpack Basics(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/backpack.html
- Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00053
- Preventing Back Pain: Tips for New Moms(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00264
- Back Pain(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=41
- Back Injuries - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/backinjuries.html
- Herniated Disk - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herniateddisk.html
- Pain - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pain.html
- Sciatica - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sciatica.html
- Spinal Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spinaldiseases.html
- Spinal Stenosis - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spinalstenosis.html
- Bones, Joints and Muscles - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bonesjointsandmuscles.html
- Brain and Nerves - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/brainandnerves.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Back Pain is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Back Pain - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/backpain.html