While back pain is exceedingly common, it is equally challenging to diagnose, since there is no established guideline or protocol to evaluate this problem. Besides, the typical setting of a 15-minute doctor's visit is usually not enough to explain, understand, and evaluate everything that's going on in your achy back.
Chronic back pain is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated. About 20 percent of people affected by acute low back pain develop chronic low back pain with persistent symptoms at one year.
“Red flags” include pain that lasts more than 6 weeks; pain in persons younger than 18 years or older than 50 years; pain that radiates below the knee; a history of major trauma; constitutional symptoms; atypical pain (eg, that which occurs at night or that is unrelenting); the presence of a severe or rapidly ...
Experiencing depression, mood fluctuations, anxiety, altered perceptions and cognition, and emotional instability, are all commonly associated with chronic pain. This is a result of the perceived stress that impacts the body on a physical and chemical level.
Regardless of its source, chronic pain can disrupt nearly all aspects of someone's life – beyond physical pain, it can impede their ability to work and participate in social and other activities like they used to, impact their relationships and cause feelings of isolation, frustration and anxiety.
Chronic pain can interfere with your daily activities, such as working, having a social life and taking care of yourself or others. It can lead to depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping, which can make your pain worse. This response creates a cycle that's difficult to break.
Using Adjectives – Adjectives provide the most accurate description because they give doctors a better idea of what your pain feels like, even from an outside perspective. Some adjectives you can use are burning, stinging, stiff, sore, radiating, and aching to paint the picture for your spine surgeon accurately.
The problem is that some back pain issues are difficult to diagnose, due to the complexity of the musculoskelatal structure of the spine. Many doctors, even spine specialists, have a difficult time pin-pointing the exact cause of pain.
To diagnose the cause of your back pain, you may need to undergo some imaging tests. You may have an x-ray, which can help your doctor "see" the bones in your spine. X-rays are effective at showing narrowed spinal channels (spinal stenosis), fractures, bone spurs (osteophytes), or osteoarthritis.
Benefits of an MRI for Back Pain
An MRI scan can reveal a range of painful spine and back conditions, including: Degenerative diseases: Chronic conditions, including multiple sclerosis, can be diagnosed with an MRI.
Muscle spasms or tightness. Sharp, tingling pain that starts in your lower back and travels down one leg (also known as sciatica) Pain that worsens with sitting and quickly improves while walking. Pain that is noticeably worse in the morning.
As a point of comparison, people with chronic pain typically have at least double the rate of previous trauma as compared to the general population. The US Department of Veterans Affairs explains that 15% to 35% of patients with chronic pain also have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
What should I do if I can't get a diagnosis? If you think you have an underlying disease that hasn't been diagnosed, you can ask your primary care provider for a referral to a specialist. And if you or your doctor suspect the disease could be genetic, you can always make an appointment at a medical genetics clinic.
The SSA does not consider chronic pain to be a disability, so there is no listing for it in the SSA's Blue Book. Chronic pain, even if it is severe and disabling, does not qualify unless you can prove it is caused by a verifiable condition that lasts for at least 12 months.
However, through research and study, it's now realised that pain is in fact not only physical, but biological, psychological and emotional as well. And as anyone who suffers from chronic pain can attest to, feeling perpetual pain can result in feelings of hopelessness, anger, sadness and anxiety.
Severe pain is defined as pain that interferes with some or all of the activities of daily living. May cause bed confinement or chair rest because of the severity. Typically doesn't go away, and treatment needs to be continuous for days, weeks, months, or years.
Persistent back pain.
Back pain often goes away in a few days on its own or with treatment at home. If your symptoms don't go away after a week or two, you should see a doctor.
Seek emergency medical care
Call 911 or emergency medical help or have someone drive you to the emergency room if your back pain: Occurs after a trauma, such as a car crash, bad fall or sports injury. Causes new bowel or bladder control problems. Occurs with a fever.
Scans are useful when low back pain or sciatica is thought to have a 'serious' cause. People often worry about this. However, serious causes of back pain are rare and result in signs or symptoms other than pain, that tell your clinician a scan is needed. Scans can also be helpful for people who have severe sciatica.