What is Back Pain?

Acute or short-term low back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Most acute back pain is the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident or other stress on spinal bones and tissues. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight. Chronic back pain is pain that persists for more than 3 months. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine.

Currently, researchers are examining the use of different drugs to effectively treat back pain, in particular, chronic pain that has lasted at least 6 months. Other studies are comparing different health care approaches to the management of acute low back pain (standard care versus chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy). These studies are measuring symptom relief, restoration of function, and patient satisfaction.

Kidney Infections Cause Back Pain

There are so many sources of back pain that a person often needs to see their health care provider to determine which cause they are suffering with. Before doing this the best thing to do is write down your symptoms and then you will know what to tell your doctor when you have your appointment. Most often you will have not much to say except for a simple description of the type of pain, throbbing, stabbing or dull, and the place it hurts. If that is all you need to tell them then your back pain is likely due to nothing more than back strain.

But sometimes there are other symptoms associated with the back pain that you need to mention. It is these other symptoms that may be a cause for concern. You might be having back pain because of a kidney infection. This type of condition, which begins in your bladder before it moves into your kidneys, can be dangerous if your health care provider does not see you quickly to begin treating the symptoms properly. You can suffer permanent harm to your kidneys or if the infection spreads into your bloodstream it can become a life-threatening situation. How will you know if this back pain is related to your kidneys?

The place you would have pain in your back from a kidney infection would be above the hips on either side of the spine. Your back will feel tender. If someone were to push on this area, even gently, with his or her hand it will definitely hurt. Although the pain is actually in the kidney itself it will feel like it is lower back pain. If the infection is treated quickly as it heals so will the pain in your back. This would also be true when it came to passing a kidney stone. Once the problem inside begins to heal so does the place that the pain seems to radiate from. When trying to determine whether the back pain is related to a kidney problem you need to see if you have the signs of a kidney infection. These include fever, pain or a burning feeling when urinating, chills, blood in the urine, excessive urinating or an inability to urinate. Treatment should begin with an antibiotic to clear the infection. This is the best that can be done and within a couple of days the symptoms will lessen, the back pain will begin to go away and the kidneys will be on their way to healing.

The kidneys and back are related in one more form of pain. If someone were to have an injury to the lower back it could actually damage the kidneys at the same time. That is where the term kidney punch came from. It refers to being hit in the lower back during a fight. A person must learn to protect their back from a variety of illnesses and injuries while taking care of their kidneys at the same time.

Written by: Scott Parat