Back pain is a common ailment and at some time or the other most people will experience it. However, it is not usually a serious condition and tends to subside even if left untreated. Nevertheless, pain that persists may need to be investigated.

Low back pain is the most frequently occurring condition that causes sufferers to seek medical attention. Lower back pain is usually caused due to straining of the muscles. Relaxing back rubs and some much needed rest usually alleviates this condition. If the pain gets worse then it is imperative to seek medical advice.

One kind of low back pain is kidney back pain. Kidney pain occurs if there is kidney inflammation, kidney infection, kidney stones or other kidney related disorders. Kidney back pain is difficult to bear and the sufferer often feels that the pain is coming from all over and cannot pinpoint the area of the pain. However, kidney back pain will be accompanied by other distress causing factors like fevers, chills, nausea and vomiting. In addition, the back around the kidney region will be sore and tender and rather painful to the touch. Moreover, kidney back pain has a sudden onset, and the pain is likened to the pain of childbirth in intensity. No amount of heating pads or back rubs will reduce this pain. It will only respond to appropriate treatment and it dissipates when the distress causing condition has been resolved. For example, if the cause is kidney stone, the pain will subside when the stone has been discharged.

Kidney pain can also be caused due to injury and trauma to the lower back.  The pain arising from injury feels like the kidney has been punched, and is therefore called ‘kidney punch’. Kidney back pain stems from the area where the kidneys are located, that is, on both sides of the spinal column and just above the hips. Pain in the kidneys due to injury, accident or trauma, must be attended to immediately to ensure that the organ is not damaged irreparably.

Arthritis! Oh no, It can’t be! Am I going to be crippled? Oh my God! My life’s over! Arthritis! I’d rather die than become a cripple! These are just some of the thoughts that run through the mind when a person is diagnosed with arthritis. However, the important thing is that you are not alone; there are hundreds if not thousands like you. Also, even if arthritis is not curable, at least arthritis pain relief is possible. It is very important that you educate yourself by talking to the doctor and by reading up on your ailment. Joining a support group will also help because it will provide the much needed emotional support you need in dealing with your condition.

Arthritis pain relief is a multi-pronged strategy. It includes dietary control and supplements, medication, exercise, alternative therapies, pain management and common sense. First things first. Consult the right kind of medical practitioner. A Rheumatologist is the consultant you need. Ask your physician for a referral. The consultant will be able to guide you n identifying your particular kind of arthritis since there are so many different kind of the condition. He will also help you deal with your fears. The important thing to remember is that even though you have to live with a certain amount of pain, there is no reason why you should live with excruciatingly crippling pain.

The diagnosis of a lifelong condition is a painful situation fraught with grief. The sufferer will first go into denial, next experience anger at having become a sufferer, and then the patient tries bargaining through self talk and prayer; when he finds that the ailment is not going to suddenly disappear, depression sets in. Finally the patient reaches the acceptance stage with or without help. Seeking assistance by visiting a psychologist or finding moral support from joining a support group for dealing with the five stages will help you emerge emotionally stronger. Some individuals are fortunate that they receive adequate support from family and friends that helps them deal with the five stages quite effortlessly.

One way of dealing with pain is to use the medications recommend by your doctor and make sure you use it correctly. This is important because constant pain is psychologically stressful that leads to muscles and nerves strain and even more pain. The vicious circle of pain leading to pain needs to be broken. Deep breathing is one way of relaxing that will help you relax and break the circle.

Using heat and cold is a good way to deal with pain, and can be used for pain relief. However, make sure you use it correctly when dealing with arthritis pain or your pain will worsen.

Your doctor will suggest gentle exercises for you too. These include walking, low impact aerobics, even dance exercise. Follow it religiously. Diet will help keep your weight in control and will help you stay away from foods that may be aggravating your condition. Dietary supplements like Glucosamine may also help but you need to consult your doctor.

Alternative therapies like acupuncture, acupressure and reflexology also make claims about effectiveness, but always talk to the therapist and learn all you can before you begin the therapy and do discontinue if you find that it is not working for you.

Pain in upper back is not as common as lower back pain. However, when it does occur, it causes tremendous pain and discomfort. Therefore, upper back pain relief sufferers seek therapies for relief from pain relatively earlier than do those suffering from other pains. Generally, back pain is classified as upper back pain when it originates at the base of the neck and spreads down to the lumbar region. It is also called thoriac pain or middle back pain.

Upper back pain is usually associated with muscle strains. Muscular back pain, however, should not be a self-diagnosis nor should it be taken lightly. This is especially true if the pain manifests itself in both the neck area and the mid back region. As a rule, modern life styles do not encourage the use of the muscles in the neck and upper to mid back region. Therefore it is easy to strain and overexert these muscles. Repetitive movements such as using the computer for work purposes for prolonged periods can also cause distress to the upper back muscular region. Nevertheless, if upper back pain is experienced it is important to meet with the physician, who will then guide you by investigating and finding the cause and suggesting appropriate treatment.

Upper back pain can also be caused by muscle spasm resulting from long periods of bending and cramping. Another cause could be a herniated disc. Upper back pain can also be the result of muscular irritation or dysfunction of the joints. Pain in the upper back is usually concentrated in locations like the right of the back under the neck or lower.

Pain in the upper back is usually the result of bad habits that have become ingrained, for example, bad posture. Sedentary lifestyles, lack of exercise and overexertion are classic reasons resulting in upper back pain.

Sufferers of upper back pain are know to seek relief by overdosing on pain killers. This is especially true in cases when upper back pain is severe. Upper back pain is all the more frustrating because there is no immediate remedy for it.

One cause of chronic upper back pain could be psychological. This kind of pain is said to usually accompany anxiety and related conditions. Medical histories of patients provide clues if during investigation no plausible reason for the pain has been found.

Pain in the shoulder or shoulder pain is also classified as upper back pain. It usually results when muscles in the shoulder region, the scapula become irritated. Scapula pain is usually excruciating and causes tremendous distress. Scapula pain is generally a result of sports injuries, but may also develop due to repetitive movements, over exertion, weak muscles. Treatment includes use of pain-killers and massage, physiotherapy and acupuncture.

Upper back pain can radiate to the front and manifest as chest pain too. Sometimes chest pain will be felt as shoulder pain. Upper back pain may be a sharp pain or a dull ache, usually a throbbing kind of sensation. When shoulder pain is felt as chest pain it is advisable to seek medical attention to rule out other conditions. Sharp sudden pains that persist and spinal pains should not be ignores because they could indicate spinal problems and need to be investigated to prevent them from becoming chronic problems.

A sharp back pain can take you by surprise. You may be doing something like standing, walking, bending and suddenly this sharp pain shoots through your back. You are more likely to experience back pain if you are over 30 years of age, are overweight, smoke and have a low threshold of pain. Sharp low back pain may also be due to muscle stiffness or muscles ‘freezing’ due to stress. Whatever the reason, help must be sought to determine the cause.

Back pains are usually characterized as:
Neuropathic – is the result of nerve conditions such as pinched nerve. It is a burning or stabbing pain.
Nociceptive – This kind of pain is a dull aching, more or less continuous and is caused by conditions outside the nervous system. One example of such pain is arthritis.

Sharp back pain in the lower back could be due to overexertion and muscle strain. It could also result from bad posture or sleeping in the wrong position. In severe cases it could be the alarm bell for other disorders like kidney, gall bladder or such infections in the intra-abdominal region. Sharp back pains are sometimes indications of spinal conditions.

Sharp upper back pain can also be a reason for concern. If the pain worsens by breathing, it could indicate conditions that require attention. If the chest is sore around the area where you felt the pain, it is likely to be muscular. But if there is no tenderness or soreness in the chest when touched, it could be an indication of nerve inflammation of the intercostals nerves. Another reason for sharp pain in the upper back is irritation of the pleura.

Rib subluxation causes sharp pain in the upper back every time you take a breath. In addition, this kind of pain does tend to be aggravated when you reach forward to grasp objects. This kind of pain often results from dysfunctional joints of the ribcage.

Sharp chest pains are normally associated with coronary conditions. However, coronary disease is not the only cause of chest pains. Sharp pain in the chest could be a number of other conditions also. Firstly, sharp chest pains are typical of panic and anxiety attacks. If the chest pain is reproduced under pressure it is most likely to be muscular in nature. In addition, chest pains may indicate neck problems. A sharp pain in the chest area, located more to the left side in the vicinity of the heart that usually makes you hold your breath is a condition that is called Precordial Catch Syndrome. It is colloquially referred to having a ‘stitch in your side’ and is common in children and teenagers, but adults also experience it. The onset and disappearance of the condition is so fast that doctors can never catch it in action. However due to the fact that it is so widespread and common, doctors tend to not accord importance to it. Though there are no known causes, it may be due to bad posture, heavy or irregular breathing or other unknown reason.

Other sharp pains include sharp pains in the head, or neck and in the middle back. Neck pains can be caused by fatigue tiredness and overexertion. However, serious conditions like herniated discs, spinal injuries and meningitis could also cause neck pain. If neck pain is severe, and other symptoms like vomiting, nausea fever and headache co-occur then it is best to consult a doctor. One kind of neck pain is a ‘crick’ in the neck. The crick is due to unnatural sleeping position. The best remedy is hot moist towels, massage and painkillers. Whiplash injuries and arthritis also cause neck pain. However, arthritis pain is rarely of a sharp nature.

Sharp head pains are sometimes the result of stress and anxiety. They usually come on sharp and may dissipate to a dull throbbing in the temples, the forehead, and the back of the head or even in some cases, to the top of the head, like an ache in the skull.

Needless to say, some sharp pains in the body appear out of the blue, they make you hold your breath and abate as suddenly leaving you wondering what happened. Such pains are unexplained phenomenon and can be ignored. However, persistent and recurring conditions demand that the sufferer see a doctor, and only the medical practitioner is skilled enoughto tell you when to ignore the pain, and when to investigate it.

When is back pain classified as severe? Partly it depends on the pain threshold level of individuals. In other words, some individuals are able to bear a lot more pain than others. However, medically pain is considered to be severe when the sufferer cannot function in normal regular routine situations because the pain impairs his or her ability to perform regular routine tasks such that require mobility and movement.

Severe pain may be continuous or intermittent; it may be a dull ache or a throbbing pulsating pain. It may be sharp and piercing or cause a burning sensation and may occur due to movement or even due to immobility.

Muscle soreness, overexertion and strained ligaments sometimes cause severe pain in the lower back. However, this pain is usually of o short duration and responds well to rest, pain medication and home remedies. Back pain of a severe nature in the lower back may be caused by accident or injury. Severe lower back pain is generally associated with sciatica, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs and such conditions. Low back pain of a severe nature may also be experienced as a symptom of normal pregnancy or of a pregnancy that is complicated. Lower back pain is also sometimes kidney back pain and is caused due to infections or stones in the kidneys. It is also likely to occur in cases of cancer of the kidney. Cases related to the kidney are referred to the nephrologists.

Severe upper back pain is extremely painful and distressing. Sufferers have been known to overdose themselves on pain medication due to the severity of the pain. Upper back pain is less common than other back pains, probably because this part of our anatomy is rather strong as it houses the vital organs like the heart, the lungs and also the spinal chord and the spinal column. Muscle and ligament strains, sprains and exertion do cause severe upper back pain, but these cases are easily resolved with rest and pain killers. However, pain that disturbs sleep or results in taking long sick leave needs to be attended to as soon as possible. Severe pain in the upper back could be an indication of other conditions like inflamed gall bladder, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, or isthmus spondylolisthesis. Severe upper back pain may also indicate osteoarthritis that is bone degenerative disorder or even spinal stenosis. Whatever the cause,it is advisable to seek medical help if upper back pain is severe and lasts beyond a few days; also if it not responded to pain medication and other simple therapies.

Severe constipation is also a cause of back pain. Doctors normally ask patients about bowel habits and the occurrence of constipation if patients report severe back pain. Constipation means that the waste material from the lower intestines is not being discharges, rather it is causing blockage. This blockage presses against the area of the lower back and that is how the lower back experiences pain. If the constipation is severe, the pressure build up is regular and therefore the lower back suffers pain and discomfort.

Neck pain is a fairly common condition and is not really considered serious, because it is generally a sign of tiredness, stress or exhaustion. However, if neck pain is severe, and you find that you cannot lower your chin to touch your chest, you must seek medical help. If neck pain and shoulder or back pain co-occurs then medical help is definitely needed. Neck pain in these cases could be caused by accidents or sports injuries. If not, it may signal disc degenerative disease or even worn joints. Severe neck pain can also be due to whiplash injuries.

Shoulder pain is so common that sufferers tend to ignore it and just use pain medication to overcome it. However, as in the case of other severe pains, severe shoulder pain also requires a trip to the doctor. This is more so in cases when the pain prevents you from carrying out normal daily routine tasks. Some conditions causing severe shoulder pain include shoulder dislocation, arthritis, ruptured tendons, frozen shoulder and bursitis. This is just a list of commonly occurring conditions; there could be other causes too.

Who has not suffered a headache? Headaches come from tiredness, stress, exhaustion, cold and flu and so much more. However, severe headaches that do not respond to common headache remedies may need to be investigated. Severe headaches are in cases migraine attacks and cause sensitivity to light and also nausea and vomiting. More serious causes could be cluster headaches and even more serious ones may be due to brain injury in case of accidents. Aneurysms or clots also cause severe pain in the head. Brain tumors are also culprits that cause severe head pain. It is important to see a doctor is head pain persists.

One cause of severe leg pain is the painful condition of sciatica. This condition occurs when the sciatic nerve is being compressed. The pain emanates in the lower back or lumbar region and travels down via the buttock down the front, back or side of the leg. Sitting, standing and moving become difficult and the pain may be accompanied by tingling, numbness and weakness.