Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesWho’s at Risk?DiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Who’s at Risk?
Diagnosis
Treatment
Causes of back andneck paincan include anything from a sudden injury to age-related changes over time.Spine-related painis very common, with low back pain affecting up to 80% of people at some time in their lives. Low back pain is about twice as common asneck pain.
Pain,stiffness,muscle spasms, and other symptoms can last for a short time after you pull a muscle playing sports or lifting a heavy object. However, chronic back and neck pain can be related to a more serious condition, and managing pain can require pain medication or evensurgery.
This article presents some of the reasons why your back and neck may hurt. It explains how your healthcare provider may diagnose these back and neck pain conditions, and why some people may be more at risk for back and neck pain.
Stephanie Horrocks/Getty Images
Back and Neck Pain Symptoms
There are many ways to describe back or neck pain, and the description often involves specific sensations, timing, and exacerbating or relieving factors.
Some common ones include:
Acute vs. Chronic Neck and Back PainRecent or sudden onset of pain is defined as acute and typically resolves within three months. Pain lasting longer than three to six months is known as either chronic or persistent pain. Treatment can be important in preventing a transition from acute to chronic pain. One review of 5,233 people with lower back pain found a third progressed from acute to chronic pain at six months.
Acute vs. Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Recent or sudden onset of pain is defined as acute and typically resolves within three months. Pain lasting longer than three to six months is known as either chronic or persistent pain. Treatment can be important in preventing a transition from acute to chronic pain. One review of 5,233 people with lower back pain found a third progressed from acute to chronic pain at six months.
Lower Back Pain: What Causes Symptoms in Lumbar Spine
Location
The location of back and neck pain depends on the specific area of the spine that is affected.
Back pain can occur in the following areas:
Pain Scales: Types of Scales and Using Them to Explain Pain
Why Does My Neck and Back Hurt?
There are many causes of back and neck pain. Sometimes, you can have more than one cause.
Habits and Aging
Degenerative, changes in spinal structures occur due to age, repetitive use, and wear and tear over time. This is a common cause of chronic back and neck pain.These may lead to spinalosteoarthritis,foraminal stenosis, and possibly spinal stenosis.
Osteoporosisis a disease that occurs due to thinning of the bones, and it can lead to compression fractures of the vertebrae.
Trauma or Strain
An accident or trauma can lead to severe neck and back pain, due to a herniated disc, muscle sprain, ligament strain, spinal fracture, or spinal cord injury.
Up to 20% of all sports injuries involve a neck or lower back injury. These sudden, acute injuries can lead to chronic back problems due to repetitive stress over time.
Common Types of Sports Injuries
Structural Problems
The disks that cushion your vertebrae can rupture or bulge (herniate) and may press on thespinal nerves. Irritation of a spinal nerve is calledradiculopathyand can result in pain, weakness, numbness, and/or electrical type sensation that goes down one arm or one leg (and sometimes down both arms or legs).
Arthritic (degenerative) changes in the spine, such asfacet joint hypertrophy, spinal stenosis, and bone spurs may also cause these symptoms.
Posterior Disc Bulge vs. Herniated Disc
Genetic and Congenital Conditions
Genetic and congenital causes can cause neck and back pain as well. One example of a congenital spine condition isSpina bifidais one example of a congenital spine condition.
Scheuermann’s kyphosis, a deformity that affects some teenagers, is another example of a genetic spinal condition.
Effects of Spina Bifida in Children and Adults
Systemic Problems
Who’s at Risk for Back and Neck Pain?
You may be at a higher risk for neck or back pain if any of the following apply:
Other risk factors can include income and education level, an urban location, high stress levels, and emotional difficulties (anxiety or depression).
On-the-job factors play a big role in neck and back pain risk, too. If you’re dissatisfied with your job, you lack support from your co-workers or bosses, or your job involves subjecting your body to vibration (for example, operating a jackhammer), you may have a higher likelihood of neck- or back-related pain. Office workers tend to get more neck pain than other types of workers.
The 9 Best Office Chairs for Back Pain, Tested and Reviewed
Diagnosing Back and Neck Pain
During your evaluation for neck pain, your healthcare provider will look at your medical history and do aphysical exam.
Diagnostic imaging such asX-rays and sometimes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)may be needed. However, this full workup may be an unnecessary expense if it isn’t warranted.
Interestingly, a 2016 study published inThe Permanente Journalfound that people with public insurance got spine MRIs more frequently than those with either no insurance or private insurance.
Blood testsmay be done to look for evidence of systemic disease.
Electromyography (EMG)nerve studies might be done if there’s concern about muscle or nerve disease.
Bone scansmay be done to look for suspected compression fractures or tumors.
Back and Neck Pain Treatment
For acute back pain, the general guidelines are to continue your normal activities as much as you can.Over-the-counter pain relieversand placing heat on the back (such as a heating pad) may help with relief. If it doesn’t get better in a few weeks, or if the type of back pain warrants it, your healthcare provider may advise other forms of treatment.
Prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)or amuscle relaxantmight be suggested. There are alsotopical pain relieversthat you can put on the location where you feel the pain.
A short course ofnarcotic pain relieversmight be tried for severe acute pain, but these don’t work well for chronic pain. This type of medication comes with a risk of addiction. Before consenting to the prescription or taking the drug, it’s important to consider the potential for addiction as well as other side effects (such as constipation).
A 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis found that most people taking narcotic pain relievers (also known as opioids) for back pain did not get “clinically important pain relief” in the dosage range evaluated. The review/meta-analysis concludes that people who tolerate opioids may get “modest short-term relief” at best and that there’s really no evidence to speak of for long-term pain relief.
Antidepressantshave been shown to help relieve some types of chronic back pain.
Cortisone injectionsnear the area of pain can help reduce inflammation around the nerve roots or the area of inflammation, which may provide relief.
Physical therapymay be used to address neck and back pain.Chiropractic careis another treatment choice for neck or back pain.
How Yoga for Back Pain Can Help You Find Relief
Summary
Back and neck pain have a wide range of causes, from a sudden (acute) injury to chronic pain that develops over time. Risk factors can include age, obesity, and sports or repetitive work injuries.
Symptoms of back and neck pain also vary widely, and their presentation often can help with a diagnosis of the precise cause (lower back pain affecting the coccyx, for example). Treatment can help most people who experience back and neck pain. Work with your healthcare provider to ensure you are getting the physical therapy and treatment that is right for you.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Noormohammadpour P, Mansournia MA, Koohpayehzadeh J, et al.Prevalence of Chronic Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, and Knee Pain and Their Related Factors in Community-Dwelling Adults in Iran: A Population-based National Study.Clin J Pain.2017;33(2):181-187. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000396Stevans JM, Delitto A, Khoja SS, Patterson CG, Smith CN, Schneider MJ,et al.Risk Factors Associated With Transition From Acute to Chronic Low Back Pain in US Patients Seeking Primary Care.JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2037371. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37371.Sarkar PK, Singh P, Dhillon MS, Singh A, Bhattacharya S.Impact of two intervention packages on the health and fitness of ante - and post-natal women attending in a teaching hospital.J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Oct;10(10):3738-3747. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_427_21Z.Wong AY, Karppinen J, Samartzis D.Low back pain in older adults: risk factors, management options and future directions.Scoliosis Spinal Disord.2017;12:14. doi:10.1186/s13013-017-0121-3Zemková E, Kováčiková Z, Zapletalová L.Is There a Relationship Between Workload and Occurrence of Back Pain and Back Injuries in Athletes?Front Physiol. 2020 Jul 24;11:894. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.00894.Seo J, Song C, Shin D.A Single-Center Study Comparing the Effects of Thoracic Spine Manipulation vs Mobility Exercises in 26 Office Workers with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.Med Sci Monit. 2022 Jul 8;28:e937316. doi: 10.12659/MSM.937316.Gold R, Esterberg E, Hollombe C, Arkind J, Vakarcs PA, Tran H, Burdick T, Devoe JE, Horberg MA.Low back imaging when not indicated: A descriptive cross-system analysis.Perm J.2016 Spring;20(2):25-33. doi:10.7812/TPP/15-081Shipton EA.Physical Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2018;7(2):127-137. doi:10.1007/s40122-018-0105-xAbdel Shaheed C, Maher CG, Williams KA, Day R, McLachlan AJ.Efficacy, tolerability, and dose-dependent effects of opioid analgesics for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Jul 1;176(7):958-68. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1251MedlinePlus.Chiropractic care for back pain.Additional ReadingJohansson, Stochkendahl J, Hartvigsen J, Boyle E, Cassidy J.Incidence and Prognosis of Mid-Back Pain in the General Population: A Systematic Review.European Journal of Pain.2017 Jan;21(1):20-28. doi:10.1002/ejp.884
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Noormohammadpour P, Mansournia MA, Koohpayehzadeh J, et al.Prevalence of Chronic Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, and Knee Pain and Their Related Factors in Community-Dwelling Adults in Iran: A Population-based National Study.Clin J Pain.2017;33(2):181-187. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000396Stevans JM, Delitto A, Khoja SS, Patterson CG, Smith CN, Schneider MJ,et al.Risk Factors Associated With Transition From Acute to Chronic Low Back Pain in US Patients Seeking Primary Care.JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2037371. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37371.Sarkar PK, Singh P, Dhillon MS, Singh A, Bhattacharya S.Impact of two intervention packages on the health and fitness of ante - and post-natal women attending in a teaching hospital.J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Oct;10(10):3738-3747. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_427_21Z.Wong AY, Karppinen J, Samartzis D.Low back pain in older adults: risk factors, management options and future directions.Scoliosis Spinal Disord.2017;12:14. doi:10.1186/s13013-017-0121-3Zemková E, Kováčiková Z, Zapletalová L.Is There a Relationship Between Workload and Occurrence of Back Pain and Back Injuries in Athletes?Front Physiol. 2020 Jul 24;11:894. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.00894.Seo J, Song C, Shin D.A Single-Center Study Comparing the Effects of Thoracic Spine Manipulation vs Mobility Exercises in 26 Office Workers with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.Med Sci Monit. 2022 Jul 8;28:e937316. doi: 10.12659/MSM.937316.Gold R, Esterberg E, Hollombe C, Arkind J, Vakarcs PA, Tran H, Burdick T, Devoe JE, Horberg MA.Low back imaging when not indicated: A descriptive cross-system analysis.Perm J.2016 Spring;20(2):25-33. doi:10.7812/TPP/15-081Shipton EA.Physical Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2018;7(2):127-137. doi:10.1007/s40122-018-0105-xAbdel Shaheed C, Maher CG, Williams KA, Day R, McLachlan AJ.Efficacy, tolerability, and dose-dependent effects of opioid analgesics for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Jul 1;176(7):958-68. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1251MedlinePlus.Chiropractic care for back pain.Additional ReadingJohansson, Stochkendahl J, Hartvigsen J, Boyle E, Cassidy J.Incidence and Prognosis of Mid-Back Pain in the General Population: A Systematic Review.European Journal of Pain.2017 Jan;21(1):20-28. doi:10.1002/ejp.884
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Noormohammadpour P, Mansournia MA, Koohpayehzadeh J, et al.Prevalence of Chronic Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, and Knee Pain and Their Related Factors in Community-Dwelling Adults in Iran: A Population-based National Study.Clin J Pain.2017;33(2):181-187. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000396Stevans JM, Delitto A, Khoja SS, Patterson CG, Smith CN, Schneider MJ,et al.Risk Factors Associated With Transition From Acute to Chronic Low Back Pain in US Patients Seeking Primary Care.JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2037371. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37371.Sarkar PK, Singh P, Dhillon MS, Singh A, Bhattacharya S.Impact of two intervention packages on the health and fitness of ante - and post-natal women attending in a teaching hospital.J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Oct;10(10):3738-3747. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_427_21Z.Wong AY, Karppinen J, Samartzis D.Low back pain in older adults: risk factors, management options and future directions.Scoliosis Spinal Disord.2017;12:14. doi:10.1186/s13013-017-0121-3Zemková E, Kováčiková Z, Zapletalová L.Is There a Relationship Between Workload and Occurrence of Back Pain and Back Injuries in Athletes?Front Physiol. 2020 Jul 24;11:894. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.00894.Seo J, Song C, Shin D.A Single-Center Study Comparing the Effects of Thoracic Spine Manipulation vs Mobility Exercises in 26 Office Workers with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.Med Sci Monit. 2022 Jul 8;28:e937316. doi: 10.12659/MSM.937316.Gold R, Esterberg E, Hollombe C, Arkind J, Vakarcs PA, Tran H, Burdick T, Devoe JE, Horberg MA.Low back imaging when not indicated: A descriptive cross-system analysis.Perm J.2016 Spring;20(2):25-33. doi:10.7812/TPP/15-081Shipton EA.Physical Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2018;7(2):127-137. doi:10.1007/s40122-018-0105-xAbdel Shaheed C, Maher CG, Williams KA, Day R, McLachlan AJ.Efficacy, tolerability, and dose-dependent effects of opioid analgesics for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Jul 1;176(7):958-68. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1251MedlinePlus.Chiropractic care for back pain.
Noormohammadpour P, Mansournia MA, Koohpayehzadeh J, et al.Prevalence of Chronic Neck Pain, Low Back Pain, and Knee Pain and Their Related Factors in Community-Dwelling Adults in Iran: A Population-based National Study.Clin J Pain.2017;33(2):181-187. doi:10.1097/AJP.0000000000000396
Stevans JM, Delitto A, Khoja SS, Patterson CG, Smith CN, Schneider MJ,et al.Risk Factors Associated With Transition From Acute to Chronic Low Back Pain in US Patients Seeking Primary Care.JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Feb 1;4(2):e2037371. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.37371.
Sarkar PK, Singh P, Dhillon MS, Singh A, Bhattacharya S.Impact of two intervention packages on the health and fitness of ante - and post-natal women attending in a teaching hospital.J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Oct;10(10):3738-3747. doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_427_21Z.
Wong AY, Karppinen J, Samartzis D.Low back pain in older adults: risk factors, management options and future directions.Scoliosis Spinal Disord.2017;12:14. doi:10.1186/s13013-017-0121-3
Zemková E, Kováčiková Z, Zapletalová L.Is There a Relationship Between Workload and Occurrence of Back Pain and Back Injuries in Athletes?Front Physiol. 2020 Jul 24;11:894. doi:10.3389/fphys.2020.00894.
Seo J, Song C, Shin D.A Single-Center Study Comparing the Effects of Thoracic Spine Manipulation vs Mobility Exercises in 26 Office Workers with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.Med Sci Monit. 2022 Jul 8;28:e937316. doi: 10.12659/MSM.937316.
Gold R, Esterberg E, Hollombe C, Arkind J, Vakarcs PA, Tran H, Burdick T, Devoe JE, Horberg MA.Low back imaging when not indicated: A descriptive cross-system analysis.Perm J.2016 Spring;20(2):25-33. doi:10.7812/TPP/15-081
Shipton EA.Physical Therapy Approaches in the Treatment of Low Back Pain.Pain Ther. 2018;7(2):127-137. doi:10.1007/s40122-018-0105-x
Abdel Shaheed C, Maher CG, Williams KA, Day R, McLachlan AJ.Efficacy, tolerability, and dose-dependent effects of opioid analgesics for low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Jul 1;176(7):958-68. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1251
MedlinePlus.Chiropractic care for back pain.
Johansson, Stochkendahl J, Hartvigsen J, Boyle E, Cassidy J.Incidence and Prognosis of Mid-Back Pain in the General Population: A Systematic Review.European Journal of Pain.2017 Jan;21(1):20-28. doi:10.1002/ejp.884
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