3 most common types of lower-back pain
About one in four adults in the U.S. has had lower-back pain lasting an entire day in the last three months, which may explain why it has been rated the fifth most common reason people go to a doctor. Most often, no related structural cause is identified.
Not all lower-back pain is alike, but it can be classified into subtypes in order to help doctors reach a diagnosis and determine treatment. In our survey of more than 14,000 people with such pain, we focused on the three most common types, excluding a small group who said their lower-back pain was associated with vertebral infection, fracture, or cancer.
A guide to the causes of back pain
Back pain associated with a pinched nerve, which doctors call radiculopathy, or nerve-root pain, is the second distinct group
in our sample. People who suffer from this type of back pain tend to have more severe and persistent symptoms. If you are
under 55 and have a pinched nerve, it most likely stems from pressure on a nerve root from a herniated (slipped) disk. You
might feel:- Sharp, dull aching, burning, or throbbing pain that radiates down a leg.
- Numbness or weakness in certain parts of the lower body.
- Worsening pain when bending forward or sitting, and with sneezing or coughing.
Symptom chart
| Description | Pain from pressure on a nerve root from a herniated (slipped) disk, most commonly, or any other condition that compresses a nerve |
|---|---|
| Hallmark | Radiating pain usually in one leg (may be in both legs if disk herniation is central) |
| Sensory/motor symptoms | Can be accompanied by numbness, tingling, or weakness in parts of the leg and foot |
| Character of pain | Back and leg pain described as sharp, dull aching, burning, or throbbing |
| Pain worsens | With sneezing or coughing, bending forward or sitting |
| Pain relieved | By lying down or at times walking |
| Age | Men are most likely to develop symptoms in their 40s; women most often between ages 50 and 60 |
“I was fine for a while, and then doing something minor, like bending over to pull up a sock, would bring pain shooting down my leg,” says Diane McNamara, 53, of Warner Robins, Ga. Carrying a heavy space heater down a flight of stairs caused her to experience her first episode of lower-back pain more than 10 years ago. The sharp piercing pain started in the small of her back and radiated from her left buttock to her foot. At times she would experience tingling of the foot as well. An MRI showed disk disease, and her doctor was ready to discuss surgery.
But McNamara eventually went to a physical therapist, who taught her stretching exercises. She says she has been doing much better and has not had the nerve pain for the past year and a half, but she occasionally experiences lower-back pain. McNamara also says that for the most part she’s more careful these days and avoids lifting whenever possible. Her brother had two separate back operations, she says, and her sister’s back surgery needed to be redone, so she’d much rather avoid surgery herself.
