Back pain in the lower back or lower back pain is a common concern,
affecting up to 90% of Australians at some point in their lifetime. Up to
50% will have more than one episode. Lower back pain is not a specific
disease. Rather, it is a symptom that may occur from a variety of
different processes. In up to 85% of people with low back pain, despite
a thorough medical examination, no specific cause of the pain can be
identified.
Low back pain is second only to the common cold
as a cause of lost days at work. It is also one of the most common
reasons to visit a doctor's office or a hospital's emergency
department Doctors usually refer to back pain as acute if it has been present for
less than a month and chronic if it lasts for a longer period of time.
Back Pain Symptoms
Pain in the lumbosacral area (lower part of the back) is the primary symptom of low back pain.
The pain may radiate down the front, side, or back of your leg, or it may be confined to the low back.
The pain may become worse with activity.
Occasionally, the pain may be worse at night or with prolonged sitting such as on a long car trip.
You may have numbness or weakness in the part of the leg that receives its nerve supply from a compressed nerve.
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