There are many reasons why people suffer from back pain, and almost everyone will experience this pain at one point in their life. Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons for people missing work, and most pain occurs due to muscle or ligament injury. Back pain can be caused by muscle strains when the muscle fibers stretch abnormally or get torn. It can also be due to lumber sprain, when the ligaments are torn away from their attachments.

Often times, it is difficult to differentiate between a strain and a sprain, due to similarities of the symptoms. Most people tend to ignore back pain until it gets serious. This is very dangerous, as delay will often make the problem worse. If you are unable to determine the cause of your back pain, you should see a doctor immediately.

While it is true most back problems get better on their own, it is important to see the doctor in order to rule out anything serious. Using self-treatment methods may not be enough when you do not know what is causing the pain.

While self-treatment methods do work in some situations, others have left these symptoms untreated for too long, leading to needing serious treatment methods to reverse the situation. Lower back pain can be acute and short term, usually lasting less than a month; or it can be chronic or long term, lasting more than three months. The long-term continuous pain is usually a symptom of an underlying problem and should not be ignored.

The lower back pain can originate from the spine, nerves, muscles or other parts in that region. It can also radiate from the upper or middle back, or a hernia in the groin. A problem in the ovaries or testicles can also lead to back pain. When you have a hurt back, you can exhibit different symptoms including a burning sensation, tingling, a dull ache or a sharp pain. Sometimes you may feel weak in the legs or feet. In other cases, the back pain may not necessarily be due to one specific event. It can be due to a lifetime of doing things the wrong way, such as the way you stand, sit or lift. You can be okay for a long time, and then suddenly you experience pain when reaching for something or bending to lift an object from the ground.

If you are having back pain and you suddenly loose bladder or bowel control, you should seek emergency medical attention. Other symptoms that should cause you to visit the doctor immediately include fever, redness or swelling in the back or spine, pain traveling down the legs to below the knees, or weakness in the thigh, pelvis, buttocks or legs. Other serious symptoms include blood in the urine along with a burning sensation, losing weight, incontinence and very sharp back pains. If the pain has lasted longer than four weeks, you should definitely get medical attention.