Back pain symptoms can range in intensity from mild to severe. Learn the
signs to watch for.
Numbness and Weakness
Numbness and weakness
are manifestations of abnormal nervous system activity.
Numbness
Numbness is felt when nerve impulses aren't traveling properly from the
skin to the brain.
A patient with back problems may also experience numbness in other
parts of the body, especially the legs and feet. This always indicates
some kind of nerve damage in the peripheral nervous system or the
central nervous system (i.e. the spine or the brain) and deserves prompt
and serious attention.
Common cerebral causes of numbness include the following:
- Stroke
- Seizures
- Congenital abnormalities
- Concussion
- Other generalized conditions, such as psychological upsets
Weakness
Weakness happens when signals don't travel properly from the brain to
the muscles or from problems in the muscles themselves.
If weakness cannot be traced to another systemic condition, such as
diabetes, it can come from either a nerve or a muscle problem. Paralysis
is the extreme manifestation of weakness.
There are many reasons people experience weakness related to low back
pain, but the most
common cause of overall systemic weakness is inactivity.
A person's posture, gait, step size and degree and amount of arm
swing when walking all affect dozens of muscles in the middle and lower
back. A minor injury that may have no symptoms can cause a person to
compensate in different ways when walking, sometimes without even
knowing it. Both large and small adjustments to these everyday
activities can have a domino effect sometimes leading to back pain.
Common neurological causes of weakness include the following:
- Stroke
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Injury or damage to peripheral nerves - Often the result of
trauma, surgery or pressure produced by posture or position
- Myopathy - One or more nerves damaged systemic problems reducing
reflexes
- Osteoporosis/Osteoarthritis - Weakness is sometimes a secondary
symptom resulting in complications of these disorders
Pain
When you feel pain, it is really a reaction to signals transmitted
throughout your body. These signals are sent from the pain source --
such as a sore back, through the nerves in the spinal cord, and up to
the brain, where they are perceived as pain.
Different Types of Pain
The origin of some pain is neuropathic, while other pain is nociceptive.
This is important to know because different treatments work better for
each type of pain.
Neuropathic
pain is caused by damage to nerve tissue. It is often felt as a
burning or stabbing pain. One example of neuropathic pain is a "pinched
nerve."
Stiffness & Tightness
Stiffness and tightness in the back, neck, arms and legs is most
often due to changes in the muscles. More than 80% of neck and back
problems are a result of tight, achy
muscles brought on by years of bad posture. Additionally, joint
stiffness and pain, which sometimes presents itself as back pain, could
mean you are at risk for degenerative osteoarthritis. Studies have shown
that there are ways you can help prevent this. Poor posture and a
sedentary lifestyle have shown to increase the risk of the condition in
later years.
Chronic back pain? Sudden back pain? You need answers to these 10
questions.
