Back pain can make you miserable, and is very common, affecting about 80% of people at some point in their lives. It can also be costly due to cost of specialist treatments and lost earnings from time off work.

Fortunately, serious back damage is rare and new research is changing the way we deal with it. The traditional approaches of bed rest and painkillers have been discarded because not only are these approaches ineffective, they can actually cause more harm.

It is proven that what you do about back pain yourself is usually more important than the exact diagnosis or treatment in the long term.

Acute low back pain is very distressing, and because of the severe pain it is natural to think that something serious might have happened. But stop and look at the facts:

Fact about your Back

* Back pain is rarely due to any serious disease.
* The "acute phase" of a bad back will usually improve within a few days or weeks, allowing you to return to some levels of activity. A licensed health professional (Chiropractor, Physiotherapist, Medical Doctor, Massage Therapist, etc.) can often help get you through this phase a lot quicker.
* Your back pain can last a long time, or come and go. Most people can get on with their lives even if they still have some pain. Most people return to normal activities with very little or no pain between attacks.
* Think about what you do in the early stages- Resting for more than a day or two usually won't help, and can actually prolong your pain and disability and make it less likely that you will fully recover.
* Your back is designed for movement: It needs movement. It thrives on movement. Lots of it. The sooner you get going and tackling your daily life as normally as possible, the sooner you will get better.
* Spinal manipulation, as provided by chiropractors, osteopaths, and some physical therapists has been proven to help you get moving again, and keep you moving later. In the initial acute stage of a bad back attack, this prospect may seem daunting, but the evidence is clear that these professionals can really get you back in motion again. Not only can they help you get moving again, they can help to prevent relapses by prescribing specific exercises to keep you as flexible and pain-free as possible.

Causes of Back Pain

Your spine is very strong. It is made from block-shaped bones separated by tightly bound fluid discs. This gives it a combination of strength and flexibility. These are reinforced by strong ligaments, and surrounded by powerful muscles that control and protect the spine. Most back strains do not cause any lasting damage.

Often, your doctor or therapist won't be able to pinpoint the source of pain, or different practitioners have different terms for the pain. This can get confusing and frustrating to not understand exactly what's wrong with you. But in a way this is actually good news: You do not have anything serious!

Most back pain comes from the parts of your back that are designed to move- the discs, ligaments, muscles, and small joints. When these don't move correctly, your back seizes up. What you need to do is get it moving again, because moving will stimulate your natural ability to heal.

Don't worry about some popping or cracking when you get moving- that's normal when you've been stuck for a while.

Some people may also get constipation, buttock pain, some pain down the leg, or mild pins and needles. These common symptoms don't necessarily mean a trapped nerve, and generally settle along with the back pain.