How many people do you know in your life that have complained about back pain? It's probably quite a few. Now think about how many responses you have received when asking them where it hurts. It's back pain, but it's also pain that can occur anywhere along the back or sides and cause problems in the legs. It can be an elusive and chronic problem that comes and goes, or just stays and stays and stays.

Almost everyone has experienced some kind of back pain from lifting a box that's too heavy or falling asleep on the couch in an uncomfortable position. The pain can be as simple as a sore back muscle or as complicated as a degenerating disc. The pain can be mild or severe. But what many people don't know is the pain can also be the result of both emotional and physical influences. Stress plays a factor in back pain just like it does in everything else in our life.

Having back pain can be a miserable experience unless you take steps to alleviate the problem. The pain can take so many forms and some don't even seem like they are related to the back. For example, legs that have feelings of numbness or tingling feet may actually be the result of back problems. Other common symptoms related to back troubles include the following.

* Shooting pains that run down the legs
* Throbbing pain that comes and goes
* No pain in the back with pain in the legs
* Back pain that occurs only when you make certain movements
* Weakness in the back or legs with intermittent pain

One of the most elusive symptoms is when there's no back pain, but you continue to have a myriad of other symptoms difficult to pinpoint. For example, your legs have a tingly feeling accompanied by weakness, but your back doesn't hurt at all. Those kinds of symptoms often result in a person delaying a visit a doctor, because the symptoms don't seem severe enough.

Back pain is a fact of life for humans. It's estimated that almost 80% of people will have some kind of back pain. Back pain can attack anyone too. It's not just a problem for warehouse workers or people who stand on their feet all day on concrete floors. It can happen to stay-at-home mothers picking up toddlers, senior citizens playing golf regularly, teenagers carrying backpacks and everyone else. It can be difficult to pinpoint the problem, and once uncovered, difficult to correct.

Fortunately, there are many ways to deal with back pain. You can alleviate the pain using a number of therapies ranging from stress reduction to surgery. New medical techniques have given hope to people who thought they were destined to live in pain all their lives. Back pain can be controlled and/or cured in most situations. If you are experiencing back pain and need relief, the first step is to take control of the situation. You begin this process by learning exactly what you are learning right now - how to identify the elusive pain in your life.