What are the common types of back pain?

1. Axial pain
2. Referred pain
3. Radicular pain

It might look simple, but back pain can significantly affect your quality of life. Depending on the severity of the pain, you might have to miss work and social events to stay at home and rest. The aches can make it extremely difficult to move around, with even the most simple tasks requiring assistance. For you to treat your condition, it helps to know what sort of discomfort you’re experiencing. Here are the common types of back pain. Keep on reading.

Axial Back Pain

Axial back pain or mechanical pain, can vary from sharp to dull pain and can occur constantly or from time to time. This typically affects your lower back area. To determine if you’re experiencing axial back pain, here are some symptoms to look out for:

• Pain that worsens when you’re in a certain position (sitting, bending, etc.)
• Pain that worsens with certain activities (sports, lifting, etc.)
• Pain that is alleviated after resting

There are a variety of reasons why you might be experiencing axial back pain:

• Muscle strain
• Degenerated disc
• Facet joint issues
• Damage to soft tissues — including muscles, ligaments, or tendons.

Sometimes, a condition might not have anything to do with the pain and is only considered if your case is severe. Treatment for axial back pain includes rest, ice or heat therapy, pain medications, and physical therapy. Most cases of axial low back pain will get better with a period of rest. But if symptoms persist or the pain is severe, there are other treatment options.

Referred Back Pain

Referred back pain occurs in the low back area. This pain usually radiates into other areas — including your buttocks, groin, and upper thigh. This happens because you have interconnecting sensory nerves in your low back, thigh, and pelvis. To diagnose if you have referred back pain, you need to undergo a history and physical exam. These exams will look for diseases that might have caused your back pain. If an underlying medical condition is ruled out, then you will be treated with non-surgical methods similar to treating axial pain.

Radicular Back Pain

Radicular back pain often starts from your back and radiates into your hips and legs. The pain travels through your spinal nerve root, causing pain that is similar to electric shocks. This type of pain is also referred to as sciatica or radiculopathy. Because it affects many areas of your body, it could be difficult to move with radicular back pain.  Some common causes of radicular back pain are the following:

• Herniated disc
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Scar tissue from spinal surgery
• Diabetes

Treatment for radicular back pain will depend on the body part impacted. But these include non-surgical methods such as pain medication, epidural injections, and physical therapy. If your condition is severe, there are other treatment methods available.

Key Takeaway

If you want to know more about the different types of back pain, you can contact us here at Chiropractor Philippines! We can help you determine what type of pain you’re experiencing and provide treatment to alleviate it. If you want to visit for a consultation, we have clinics in Alabang and Paranaque.