Back pain is felt on our backside. It is called dorsalgia in medical terminology. It usually occurs on one's affected muscles, bones, joints, nerves and in other structures of our spine.



The pain that we feel may be chronic or a sudden onset. It may also be intermittent or constant. It can radiate in other areas or simply stay in one place. The pain felt can be a burning sensation, a dull ache or a sharp piercing.

We feel pain from different areas of the body and the back is the most common point. We may feel pain on the neck, arm, hand and foot whenever some force or something has gone wrong. Upper and lower back pains can sometimes radiate to the foot or the leg. Other symptoms are marked weakness, a tingling sensation or numbness.

All over the world, back pains are the most frequent complaints of people. In the US alone, about 20 percent of hospital visits are due to back pains, particularly lumbago or acute lower back pains. Nine out of ten individuals experience back pains at least once in their lives. Consequently, one out of two working individuals experience back pains each year.

Our spinal cord is a complex structure which involves numerous nerves, joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles quite capable of inducing pain when harmed. There are big nerves that extend to the arms and legs, causing great pain when affected.

Each disease or illness is accompanied by myths and back pains are among them. Since a lot of people feel back pains, it is important that we have full knowledge and understanding about it.

There are many alternative back pain treatments considered a myth. They are myths because they have no scientific basis. Such methods may often result to worsening pain or puncturing parts of our spinal cord.

A common myth among back pains is that you can not do anything about the pain and we just have to live with it. In reality, there are various treatments available.

If the pain is tolerable, it can be cured with medications and home exercises. If it is pain beyond your ability to handle, immediately call a doctor.

Sometimes, when we neglect these simple aches, it may be aggravated with time and result to more complications. A sickness may be triggering the pain so you should consult with your physician.

Another myth is that the pain is just in your head. They say that the sickness is all in the mind. We should focus on other things and don't mind the pain. This can be a soothing reminder that the mind is truly powerful but we should take things in consideration. In reality, we should consider pain as a sign or a symptom of a sickness.

Pain is a natural feeling in our body since our minds possess a specific stimuli built for pain. This means that the pain we feel is not in the mind. Rather, the mind sends us signals that something had gone wrong inside our body. Ignoring the pain can just lead to serious complications.

It is said that an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is an effective way to determine the cause of the back pains. If truth be told, MRIs can really determine inter-verbal disc damages or nerve root damages but it is only used when a treatment fails and surgery is the only option.

To avoid all the fuss, you can just check with your doctor about it and include your medical history. You can also get a physical examination and this can reveal what causes your pains.