Lower Back Pain

Back pain can affect anyone at any age, but it's most common in people between the ages of 35 and 55.

'Acute' and 'chronic' are terms used to describe how long the symptoms last, not how severe they are.

Acute back pain - less than six weeks.
Sub-acute back pain - six weeks to three months.
Chronic back pain - longer than three months.

Your spine is made up of many small, inter-connected bones called vertebrae. These are separated by strong connectors called discs, which act as shock absorbers and allow the spine to bend. Your spine is supported along its length by muscles and ligaments. Your spinal cord threads down through the centre of each vertebra, carrying nerves from your brain to the rest of your body.

There isn't usually an underlying condition causing back pain - nothing shows up in tests and nothing is permanently damaged. This is called simple or non-specific back pain. Nine out of 10 people with simple back pain recover completely within six weeks.

You're more likely to develop simple back pain if you:

stand, sit or bend down for long periods
lift, carry, push or pull loads that are too heavy, or if you go about these tasks in the wrong way
have a trip or a fall
are stressed or anxious
are overweight

Occasionally, there may be a more serious underlying cause of your back pain. These causes include osteoporosis, a prolapsed (slipped) disc, spinal stenosis, malformation of the spine, infection or collapse of the vertebrae, tuberculosis or cancer.

Simple back pain is often in your lower back (lumbar region), and may also spread to your buttocks and thighs. It's often described as a dull pain and can come and go at different times, depending on your level of activity. The pain can begin suddenly or come on gradually if you strain your back over time.

Osteopathy and chiropractic are treatments involving manipulation of the body, mainly focusing on the spine. They are most useful if you have had back pain for less than three months and can provide short-term (most often) or long-term pain relief. These treatments aren't suitable for everybody and aren't always effective, so it's important to speak to your GP first. You should only see an osteopath registered with the General Osteopathic Council or a chiropractor registered with the General Chiropractic Council