How do you tell if lower back pain is muscle or disc?

Your spinal disc is at the bottom of your back, so if you have pain in your lower back, you may assume it is a slipped disc. Furthermore, the feeling of pain will differ between the two. Muscle pain will feel like post-workout soreness, while disc pain will feel debilitating and tingly.

How do you know if back pain is muscular or spinal?

If the pain you feel extends to your arms, forearms, and hands, the source may be your cervical spine. On the other hand, if you feel the pain radiating to your legs, it may be a problem with the lumbar spine.

What does muscle pain in lower back feel like?

Back pain can range from a muscle aching to a shooting, burning or stabbing sensation. Also, the pain can radiate down a leg. Bending, twisting, lifting, standing or walking can make it worse.

What does a slipped disk feel like lower back?

If your herniated disk is in your lower back, besides pain in your lower back, you'll typically feel pain in your buttocks, thigh and calf. You might have pain in part of the foot as well. For a herniated disk in your neck, you'll typically feel the most pain in your shoulder and arm.

Is it better to sit or lay down with lower back pain?

If you're experiencing back pain when sitting, your impulse may be to lie down and then try to slowly progress back to sitting, says Dr. Atlas. But this is the wrong approach. You should lie down to relieve the pain, but the goal should be not to return to sitting, but rather to regain your ability to stand and move.

How To Tell If Your Back Pain Is A Muscle or Disc Problem

When should I be worried about lower back pain?

See a GP if: back pain does not improve after treating it at home for a few weeks. the pain is stopping you doing your day-to-day activities. the pain is severe or getting worse over time.

How can I tell what kind of back pain I have?

What should you not do with lower back pain?

Does MRI show muscle damage in back?

An MRI will not show muscle strains or other problems with soft tissues. The pain usually will go away on its own, although it may take several months. An MRI won't change your treatment plan.

When Is back pain a red flag?

Night pain and pain at rest are red flags that can indicate a serious cause. Be suspicious for infection or malignancy in patients presenting with low back pain who experience unexplained weight loss, night pain, or pain with rest.

What are the symptoms of a pulled muscle in your back?

How should I sit with lower back pain?

What scan is best for back pain?

An MRI scan creates detailed pictures of your spine. It can pick up most injuries that you have had in your spine or changes that happen with aging. Even small problems or changes that are not the cause of your current back pain are picked up. These findings rarely change how your provider first treats you.

Will an MRI show a pinched nerve in the lower back?

Neck or low back pain that radiates into your arms or legs is often a sign of impingement or pinching of a nerve as it emerges from your spinal cord. An MRI may be able help identify structural lesions that may be pressing against the nerve so the problem can be corrected before permanent nerve damage occurs.

What does the ER do for back pain?

Emergency department physicians are not specialized in pain management and musculoskeletal injuries, so the ER physician may refer you to your primary care physician or an orthopedic specialist. Emergency departments help to stabilize low back pain, but they do not offer long-term treatment.

Should you walk around with lower back pain?

The simple movement of walking is one of the best things we can do for chronic lower back pain. Ten to fifteen minutes of walking twice a day will help ease lower back pain. Substitute this activity for a more vigorous type of exercise if you prefer and/or are able.

Can stretching make back pain worse?

While stretching is highly recommended before physical activity and even as a way to release tight muscles in the morning, it may not be wise when suffering with current back pain. It can actually aggravate the muscles that are already inflamed due to injury.

Should I push through lower back pain?

Don't work through the pain.

“Pressing into a painful position can cause further tissue damage and aggravate [existing] damage,” he warns.

How do I identify my lower back pain?

What is the most common cause of lower back pain?

"Straining a muscle or spraining a ligament are the most common causes of lower back pain," says Dr. Palmer. "While they can be serious, these common causes of lower back pain aren't long-lasting — taking anywhere from a few days to heal or, at most, a few months."

How do I know if my back pain is inflammatory?

How long is too long for lower back pain?

Chronic back pain is defined as pain that continues for 12 weeks or longer, even after an initial injury or underlying cause of acute low back pain has been treated. About 20 percent of people affected by acute low back pain develop chronic low back pain with persistent symptoms at one year.

How much lower back pain is too much?

While some back pain is only mild to moderate, severe back pain is when your pain is constant, intense or gets worse when you're resting or at night. 2. Your pain is persistent. If your back pain lasts longer than three months, it's considered chronic and may require a tailored treatment plan.

How long should lower back pain last before seeing a doctor?

If your back pain lasts more than two weeks and keeps you from participating in normal, daily activities, see your family doctor. If your pain is severe, you should see a doctor sooner. You should seek urgent medical care if you have: Fever associated with back pain.

Why is back pain at night a red flag?

Back pain red flags – Night Pain

Back pain that worsens at night or while you're sleeping might indicate something more severe like an infection or cancer. This is especially true if you also have other symptoms in addition to your back discomfort when you sleep or relax.