Did you know?
If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, you should consult a spine specialist:- Has your low back pain extended down your leg?
- Does your leg pain increase if you lift your knee to your chest or bend over?
- Have you had severe back pain following a recent fall?
- Have you had significant back pain lasting for more than 3 weeks?
- Have you had back pain that becomes worse when you rest, or wakes you up at night?
- Do you have persistent bladder or bowel problems?
Spinal Conditions Overivew
What are some of the common causes of back pain? Back pain is usually caused by poor posture, lack of physical fitness, poor work habits, obesity, or poor sleeping habits. Another frequent cause is injury during physical labor, exercise, motor vehicle accidents, and sports activities. Rarer causes include chronic conditions such as arthritis or osteoporosis, infection, and tumor. In many instances, multiple causes exist. Although it may have started as a result of one cause, others aggravated and often complicated back pain.
Back pain is commonly the result of damage to the back muscles, ligaments attached to the spine or to the spinal discs (spinal discs are jelly-like cushions between the vertebrae that acts as shock absorbers).| Choose a spine location for more information: | ||||
| • | Cervical (neck) - Cervical vertebrae (Vertebrae cervicales) are the smallest of the true vertebrae and make up the first seven bones of the spinal cord: (C1-C7), and the spinal cord and the nerve roots (C1-C8). |  |
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| • | Thoracic (mid back) The thoracic vertebrae (vertebrae thoracales) are the twelve spinal vertebrae (T1-T12) below the neck in the upper and middle back, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. | |||
| • | Lumbar (lower back) The The lumbar vertebrae are the largest segments of the movable part of the vertebral column and make up the last five bones on the lower back above the base of the spine (L1-L5). | |||
| • | General (entire spine) The spinal column protects the spinal cord and allows for movement of the body in various ranges of motion. There are 24, movable bones (also known as vertebrae), plus a sacrum and a coccyx at the bottom of this column which is surrounded by the bony pelvis. | |||
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The Spine Institute is often in the news pioneering new treatments to help the reported 34 million Americans 18 years and older who suffer lower back pain, and another 9 million who suffer neck pain. Watch the news coverage here.