Back pain also known as "dorsalgia" is pain experienced in the back that normally originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Back pain is one of the most common medical problems, affecting 80% people at some point during their lives.

The pain can often be classified into neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain or tailbone pain. Back pain can range from a constant ache to a sudden, dull, sharp pain. Acute back pain comes suddenly and normally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Back pain can be termed as chronic if it lasts for more than three months. The pain might be related to a certain movement or might be painful always. The pain may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. Back ache can be in a small area or experienced in a radiating pattern, coming from a central "hot spot". Pain can be a symptom all by itself or might be joined with other sensory sensations. The most common of these additional symptoms are numbness, tingling and weakness.

Neck pain (or cervicalgia) is a common problem, with two-thirds of the population having neck pain at some point in their lives. There are a wide range of symptomatic conditions which can cause cervical pain due to injury, disease or degeneration. Neck ache is known to affect many surrounding tissues, as well, including the head and face, shoulders, upper back and arms.
Back pain can have many underlying reasons, but often no specific cause will be found and the pain will stop.

The most common causes of back and neck pains are:

*Disease or injury to the muscles, bones, and/or nerves of the spine.
*Pain arising from the discs themselves called discogenic pain
*Pain from bulging discs compressing exiting nerve roots or ridiculer pain, which can lead to sciatica from the back or pain radiating down from the neck to one or both arms.
*Normal pregnancy can cause back pain in many ways, including stretching ligaments within the pelvis, irritating nerves, and straining the low back.
*pain from arthritis of the facet joints - the joints that hold the spine in alignment, also called facet joint syndrome
*pain from bony compression of the nerves of the spine called spinal steno sis
*Pain arising from abnormalities of organs within the abdomen, pelvis, or chest may also be felt in the back. This is called referred pain. Many intra-abdominal disorders, such as appendicitis, aneurysms, kidney diseases, bladder infections, pelvic infections, and ovarian disorders, among others, can cause pain referred to the back.

The following are the common treatments used to relieve back and neck pain:-

* Minimal rest then exercise
* Over-the-counter pain relievers
* Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
* Spinal cord stimulation
* Magnet Therapy
* Relaxation and biofeedback
* Physical therapy
* Opioid therapy
* Membrane stabilization
* Epidurals, facet joint blocks, etc.
* Acupuncture and Acupressure
* Mini-invasive therapies: IDET, annuloplasty, nucleoplasty, etc.
* Surgery, if warranted
* Intrathecal therapies