Cause |
Common Features* |
Tests† |
Common causes |
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Pain that |
A doctor's examination |
|
Osteoarthritis, sometimes with compression of a spinal nerve root |
Pain over a specific part of the spine, which sometimes Usually in older people with pain and/or deformities in other joints |
X-rays Sometimes MRI or CT (for osteoarthritis that is severe enough to cause nerve root pain) |
Pain over a specific part of the spine, sometimes starting suddenly Usually in people who are older or who have osteoporosis |
X-rays Sometimes CT or MRI |
|
A herniated disk, usually with compression of a spinal nerve root |
Pain over a specific part of the spine that usually |
A doctor's examination Sometimes MRI Rarely CT |
Pain over a specific part of the spine in the lower back that Usually in older adults |
A doctor's examination Sometimes MRI |
|
Spondylolisthesis, sometimes with compression of a spinal nerve root |
Back pain that sometimes Often in adolescents associated with a fracture and in adults associated with degeneration (two different processes) |
X-rays MRI or sometimes CT |
Aching and stiffness in many areas of the body (not just the lower back) Sore areas that are tender to the touch Often poor sleep Most common among young or middle-aged women |
A doctor's examination |
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Less common causes |
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Ankylosing spondylitis (inflammation of the spine and large joints) |
Stiffness, often worse immediately after awakening Progressive loss of back flexibility, often causing the back to hunch forward Sometimes a painful red eye and/or pain in other joints Often in young men |
X-rays or occasionally MRI Blood tests |
Numbness in the groin and around the anus Loss of bladder control and/or loss of bowel control (incontinence) |
MRI |
|
Pain in a strip of skin on either the right or left side of the body, but not both Usually blisters develop on the painful strip of skin often after the pain starts |
A doctor's examination |
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Cancer |
Progressively worsening pain, regardless of position or activity Sometimes loss of appetite and/or weight |
Usually x-rays MRI or CT |
Infection
|
Progressively worsening, constant pain, regardless of position or activity Sometimes fever and/or night sweats Often in people who have had back surgery, who have an immune disorder, who take drugs that suppress the immune system, or who use IV drugs |
Usually x-rays MRI or CT Blood tests |
* Features include symptoms and results of the doctor's examination. Features mentioned, including pain, are typical but not always present. † If pain resolves without treatment and no warning signs are present, testing may not be necessary. |
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CT = computed tomography; IV = intravenous; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging. |