Burning and hurting back pain is a common complaint that can significantly impact daily life. Understanding its various potential causes is crucial for effective management and treatment.
Musculoskeletal Strain and Injury
Musculoskeletal issues often cause burning and hurting back pain. Muscle strains (tears in muscle fibers) and sprains (stretched or torn ligaments) frequently cause discomfort. These injuries can result from improper lifting, sudden awkward movements, or overuse, leading to inflammation and muscle spasms. Pain is typically localized to the lower back, feeling sore or achy, and may intensify with movement.
Poor posture also contributes to musculoskeletal back pain. Maintaining unsupported postures or prolonged hunching incorrectly distributes spinal loads, stressing muscles, ligaments, and discs. This stress can lead to muscle fatigue, tightness, and burning. Weak core muscles and tight hamstrings can increase back strain risk.
Nerve Compression and Irritation
Burning back pain often indicates nerve involvement. Nerve compression or irritation can cause radiating pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness. Herniated or bulging discs, where spinal cushions press on nerves, are common culprits.
This causes sharp, burning pain radiating from the lower back into the buttocks, thigh, and calf. This radiating pain, known as sciatica, involves sciatic nerve irritation or compression, causing burning, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the affected leg. Spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal, also causes burning pain from pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Lumbar stenosis pain typically radiates from the lower back to the buttocks, leg, and foot, similar to sciatica. Nerve compression pain can worsen with coughing, sneezing, or prolonged sitting, as these increase nerve pressure.
Less Common Medical Conditions
Other medical conditions can also cause burning and hurting back pain. Shingles, caused by the varicella-zoster virus, can reactivate and cause a painful, burning rash, often on one side of the body along a nerve pathway, including the back.
Kidney stones or infections are another source of back pain. Kidney infections typically present with fever, chills, and pain in the lower back or side, often between the ribs and hips. This pain can be dull or severe and may be accompanied by other urinary symptoms.
Inflammatory conditions like ankylosing spondylitis can cause chronic back pain and stiffness. This condition primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac joints, causing inflammation that results in progressive spinal stiffness and pain, particularly in the morning or after inactivity. Back pain may also be referred pain from issues in other areas of the body, such as abdominal problems.
Recognizing Serious Symptoms
While most back pain isn’t severe, “red flag” symptoms require immediate medical attention. Sudden severe back pain, especially after trauma, warrants prompt evaluation. Neurological changes like new or worsening weakness, numbness, tingling in the legs, or difficulty walking are concerning.
Loss of bowel or bladder control is a rare but serious condition requiring emergency intervention. Other symptoms prompting a medical visit include unexplained fever, chills, or infection signs with back pain, suggesting a spinal infection. Unexplained weight loss, pain worsening at night or not improving with rest, or back pain with a cancer history are also important indicators for medical assessment.
Immediate Self-Help Measures
For mild to moderate back pain without “red flag” symptoms, self-help measures can provide temporary relief. Rest is often beneficial, but prolonged bed rest is not recommended as it can increase stiffness and muscle weakness.
Ice or heat can help manage discomfort. Ice therapy is typically used for acute injuries to reduce swelling and inflammation within the first 48-72 hours. Heat therapy can relax tight muscles, improve blood flow, and alleviate stiffness, suitable for chronic back pain or muscle soreness.
Gentle stretching improves flexibility and reduces muscle tension, while over-the-counter pain relievers like NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen) can manage pain and inflammation. Maintaining good posture, even when sitting or standing, distributes weight correctly and reduces back strain. These measures offer initial support, but if pain persists or worsens, seek professional medical advice for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.