| Many people who suffer recurrent back pain say that | | | | vicious cycle that begins after an injury to the back. If |
| fear is as big a problem as the pain. Their fear stems | | | | you are in pain after an injury, you may hold your |
| from the notion that the pain is a sign of permanent | | | | muscles tense, move in careful ways, or limit your |
| damage to the spine or a manifestation of a grave | | | | movement and become inactive. These behaviors will |
| illness. In fact, recurrent back pain can have many | | | | cause your muscles and ligaments to shorten, resulting |
| different causes, and the overwhelming majority of | | | | in more pain. Lack of activity may also weaken your |
| people with this problem do not have a medically | | | | back muscles, making them prone to fatigue and |
| serious condition. That is, the pain is not a sign that | | | | spasm. Chronic muscle tension and guarding can lead |
| something serious is wrong with the back. | | | | to a similar outcome. Or perhaps an initial injury causes |
| Nevertheless, the first step in managing your back pain | | | | a flare-up of pain, which triggers tension and more |
| is to rule out the possibility that it is caused by a | | | | discomfort in the nearby muscle. Another explanation |
| serious medical problem such as a fracture, pinched | | | | is that recurrent back pain is linked to the sensitization |
| nerve, tumor, or infection. Most people with back pain | | | | of nerves. After repeated episodes of pain or a single |
| will have none of these signs. For them, the discomfort | | | | period of severe pain, a nerve may require less |
| may come from any number or causes, which rarely | | | | simulation than before to send a pain signal to the brain. |
| involve progressive illness or harmful injury. Just about | | | | Because so many factors can be involved, few back |
| every part of the back - muscles, tendons, disks, | | | | pain conditions are definitively diagnosed. |
| ligaments, joints, and bones - can cause this type of | | | | Even when the cause of back pain cannot be |
| pain. | | | | determined, as long as there are no red flag |
| The causes of recurrent back pain may be difficult to | | | | symptoms, the condition is not serious or dangerous. |
| identify. In most cases, physicians cannot find any | | | | Whether pain is caused by tight muscles, weakness, |
| specific injury or condition in the muscles, joints, | | | | nerve sensitization, or a bulging disk, it is time to focus |
| ligaments, or nerves of the back to explain the pain. | | | | on managing the serious problem of your pain rather |
| Even if the onset of pain can be linked to an identifiable | | | | than being concerned that it is a symptom of |
| injury, why the pain recurs may remain unknown. | | | | something worse. |
| One theory is that recurrent back pain is caused by a | | | | |