Backache Problems - Symptoms and Causes

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Following are a list of symptoms and what they may indicate. All subject of course to examination by a physician:

Pain in lower back, fever of 100 F or above, painful urination, nausea or vomiting--kidney infection.

Chronic pain and stiffness that seem worse in morning. Age between 20 and 40 - ankylysing spondylitis*.

Sudden onset of pain, may shoot down one leg after lifting heavy objects, strenuous exercise, sneezing or coughing, Bending forward at the waist increases pain. Lying down eases pain - herniated, ruptured and slipped disc.

Soreness after over-exertion or injury that develops at night. Radiates to hips or thighs - back muscle strain.

Chronic low back pain that comes and goes for months or years--misalignment of the spine.

Sharp pain in a specific place along the spine - osteoporosis.

Backache especially at night that is not helped by lying down - possible tumor.

Pain in back, hips, thighs and/or calves when walking or climbing stairs relieved by standing still or sitting--spinal stenosis. Stenosis is a narrowing of a passageway.

* Ankylysing Spondylitis is an inflammation of the spine and large joints resulting in stiffness and pain. 3x more common in men than in women, with a strong genetic (parent or sibling) component.