Types of Back Pain and What They Mean

Back Pain Doctor

There are over 50 million people in the United States that suffer from back pain each year. That means you are likely to be one of them and when it hits you, it can be debilitating. Spine health is vital to your everyday life and how you move. This is why monitoring your pain and keeping track of it can be vital. 

 Knowing how long it has been painful can help narrow down what type of back pain you are suffering from. Nothing is handier than knowing when it all started and possibly how. Knowing this information can help you in the long run. Read on to learn more about the types of back pain you could suffer from. 

Acute Pain 

Acute pain is known as short-term pain. This can last anywhere from a day to up to four weeks before it passes the acute phase. Typically, you can attribute acute pain to a specific injury or event. This can be anything front lifting a heavy box the wrong way, falling down, or bending wrong while doing yardwork. There are even times just sleeping awkwardly can cause back pain. 

In many cases, the pain will resolve itself as the muscles heal or the swelling does down. However, depending on your severity of pain, you may want to seek medical attention. 

Subacute Pain 

After you pass the acute pain stage you enter the subacute stage. This is when the pain lasts anywhere from four to 12 weeks. At this point, you should see your doctor to know what the treatment plan is for you. Finding a trusted back pain doctor is going to be in your best interest to helping solve the source of your pain. 

Chronic Pain 

Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than 12 weeks. The severity of the pain can different from stabbing to a constant dull ache. It can even be a series of flare-ups that happens constantly. If chronic pain is left untreated it can be debilitating to life and can negatively impact the psyche. 

The sad thing is, the source of chronic pain is often difficult to diagnose. While there are cases where the reason is obvious like an injury, chronic pain is as unique as you are. Sometimes the pain can’t be terraced to an obvious source and that is where it becomes symptom management. This could be learning new stretches or even limiting the movement that causes the pain in the first place. 

Back pain isn’t easy to deal with, no matter who you are. Since it plays such an important role in how we do everything, it can be hard to know what to do. If you are suffering from back pain don’t hesitate to reach out to AmeriWell Clinics to learn what we can do for your pain.