3 Types of Back Pain

By Debra Rodzinak

In order to better control back pain, it is necessary and important to understand how to define the pain that you are feeling. There are three categories of back pain: Acute, chronic, and neuropathic pain.

Acute Pain

This type of pain lasts less than six months and is accompanied by damage to the tissue surrounding the back. An example of this type of pain would be if you fell and bruised the muscles across your lower back. As the muscles heal, the pain subsides.

The longer the pain remains acute, the greater chance there is for the pain to develop into chronic pain. Lack of exercise, ongoing pain signals from the nervous system, even a person’s thoughts about pain, can lead to chronic pain.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is divided into two different subgroups: Chronic pain due to to an identifiable pain generator, such as an injury, and chronic pain with no identifiable pain generator, such as after the injury has healed. Chronic pain lasts more than three months or after the point that the injured tissue has healed.

Chronic pain due to an injury or spinal condition like degenerative disc disease can cause a patient continuous pain until the area is successfully treated. These types of conditions have a definite diagnosable problem.

Chronic pain without a definite diagnosable problem is often caused by a misfire of a nerve that sends pain signals to the brain even though the area has healed and no longer has any identifiable injury or disease.

Neuropathic Pain

This type of pain could be under the chronic pain category, but the pain feels different than chronic pain in that the pain tends to be severe, sharp, stabbing, numb, or accompanying weakness. The pain does not stay in the back area but can travel down the legs or arms. Common over-the-counter pain relievers do not relieve neuropathic pain.

Treatment for Back Pain

Whether you suffer from acute, chronic, or neuropathic pain, seek the advice of a medical professional to rule out a more serious issue such as a tumor or cancer. Then, come by The Joint Chiropractic to receive a gentle spinal adjustment. The expert doctors at The Joint are reinventing the chiropractic experience by putting the patient in charge of their overall treatment program. It's on your terms, not ours.

Many times, the cost of a treatment at The Joint is less than an insurance copay. The Joint makes finding pain relief from acute, chronic, or neuropathic back pain simple, easy, and stress-free.