Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States. The only ailment that is more common is a headache.

The nice part about lower back pain is that it will usually disappear in a few days. After you have a minor fall or some other injury that can cause you to have a muscle pull or a ligament strain, it is very common to have some lower back pain.

The use of anti inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofin can be used along with ice and rest to help ease the pain over the next 5 to 7 days. Back pain is common in middle school and high school teenagers as well as adults. Treatment for pain is usually the same despite the age differences.

Many ligaments, bones, neurological components make up the structure of our backs. Due to these complex structures, back pain can be difficult to diagnose. The onset of muscle fatigue associated with back pain can come at any time, causing debilitating conditions.

All countries have back pain problems and there is much knowledge about the subject. Even with the medical advances we have on the subject we do not know the many causes of back pain. In fact a lot of times back pain is caused by other body parts not functioning as they should. Fatigue in the muscles or low back pain are not a diagnosis but just a symptom. More than 80% of all Americans suffer from some type of back pain at some time in their lives. Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability for younger people under 45 years old.

Back pain is very common and can be classified into three different categories, based on the length of the symptoms:

Acute back pain - Pain will normally last for less than six weeks. Subacute back pain - Pain lasts for anywhere between six to twelve weeks. Chronic back pain - Any pain that lasts longer than twelve weeks.

Back pain is caused by these common reasons:

Sciatic back pain, impingement of the nerve, also known as the pinched nerve. Slipped disc also known as the ruptured or herniated disc. Osteoarthritis. Muscular debilitation. Degeneration of the spine.

In cases regarding the nerve roots or details of the discs in your back such as, isthmic spondylolisthesis, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, or spinal stenosis, MRI scans have become very useful and the preferred modality for looking for the cause of back pain. MRI scans are normally taken after x-rays have been taken and are painless. MRI scans provide information that can help rule out spinal infections or tumors as the cause of back pain.

Back spasms are often treated with medications known as muscle relaxants. You should not take these types of drugs for long periods of time because they often are known to cloud the mind. The drugs are also known to be controversial because they are known to have side effects such as: dependency to the drugs and they can make you sedated.

You can relax the back spasm by treating the muscles with a tens unit, gentle stretching, heat, massage and other types of back pain therapy. These types of treatment are good at helping relax the muscles causing the back pain. Pulled muscles are sometimes the cause of muscle imbalances and chronic back pain. For the length of this imbalance, so the pain can continue.