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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffYour spine is a column of more than 30 bones (vertebrae) held together by muscles, tendons and ligaments and cushioned by shock-absorbing disks. A problem in any part of your spine can cause back pain. For some people, back pain is simply an annoyance. For others, it can be both excruciating and disabling.
Back pain may occur suddenly or develop gradually — the result of wear and tear on your spine over time. Most back pain — even severe or long-standing back pain — goes away on its own in four to six weeks. Surgery is rarely needed for back pain and is generally considered only as a last resort.
- Low back pain fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/backpain/detail_backpain.htm. Accessed July 9, 2010.
- Chou R. Patient information: Low back pain in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 9, 2010.
- Aminoff MJ. Mechanical and other lesions of the spine, nerve roots and spinal cord. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/209103044-4/1023209029/1492/1420.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50428-6--cesec7_17846. Accessed July 9, 2010.
- Ferri FF. Back pain. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elseveir; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..00037-8--s0010&uniq=209073387&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&sid=1023114547. Accessed July 9, 2010.
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