Back pain
In this section, you’ll find information about back pain and other related symptoms. We’ll review the most common diagnoses, the muscles that may be involved, and the treatment and self-care strategies that can help you improve.
You’ll also find warning signs (red flags) that indicate when it’s necessary to consult a doctor without delay.
1. Common symptoms and diagnoses
Symptoms:
- Deep, dull, oppressive pain that is reproduced by pressing certain muscles, moving, or exercising; it sharpens with deep breathing and projects forward. Pain that changes with certain positions and movements.
- Feeling of stiffness, tightness, and tension. Limited trunk mobility.
Diagnoses:
- Thoracic radiculopathy, herniated disc, rib fissure, arthritis, Herpes Zoster (shingles), spondylosis, spondylolisthesis, vertebral block, vertebral fracture.
2. Possible muscles involved
Paravertebrals
- Common symptoms: Pain in the back, lumbosacral region, iliac crest, and buttocks. Sometimes it projects toward the abdominal region and lower ribs. Overload pain, a feeling of tightness like a cord lateral to the spine. Typical sensation of whiplash or getting “stuck” during a sudden back flexion-extension movement. Sensation of block-like movement and stiffness.
- Complete self-treatment.
Abdominals
- Common symptoms: Back, lower back, and abdominal pain. Sometimes this pain is associated with appendicitis or dysmenorrhea.
- Complete self-treatment.
Scalenes
- Common symptoms: Back pain, especially interscapular, and chest pain. Sometimes accompanied by weakness and a tingling or numbing sensation in the arm and hand.
- Complete self-treatment.
Trapezius and rhomboids
- Common symptoms: Interscapular pain.
- Complete self-treatment.
Latissimus dorsi
- Common symptoms: Pain in the back and the side of the trunk, shoulder pain. Difficulty standing up or sitting down using the arms, or cleaning oneself after using the bathroom.
- Complete self-treatment.
3. Treatments
The goal of treatment is to reduce pain, improve mobility, and restore normal function to the affected area. In most cases, these symptoms are related to muscle alterations, overload, or lack of movement, and can improve with simple self-care measures.
Treatment techniques: These self-applied techniques will help you reduce pain and improve function and quality of life.
● Tender point compression
Apply progressive pressure to painful points for 60–90 seconds to reduce muscle tension and pain.
● Self-massage: Self-massage helps reduce muscle tension, improve circulation, and decrease pain.
Perform longitudinal, transverse, or fascial massages to relax the muscles and improve mobility.
● Post-isometric relaxation and stretching: These help normalize muscle tone, reduce stiffness, and restore movement.
● Mobility and strengthening: These improve function, reduce overload and stiffness, and help prevent relapses. They also improve tolerance for activities of daily living.
It is the most effective strategy in the medium and long term.
● Habit modification: Small changes in your daily routine can make a big difference:
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Avoid holding prolonged postures.
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Take active breaks.
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Change positions frequently.
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Adapt and make the most of your workspace if necessary.
Access specific treatment in the “possible muscles involved” section.
4. Red flags
If you experience these symptoms, see a doctor without delay:
- Fever, chills, sweating, persistent spinal pain, intense general malaise.
- Night pain that doesn’t improve with postural changes.
- Extreme pain when touching a thoracic vertebra. Back deformity.
- Intense, sudden-onset pain radiating to the arm or back.
- Unexplained weight loss and persistent fatigue.
- History of cancer.
