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| ===Complications=== | | ===Complications=== |
| Back pain can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause:
| | *[[Complications]] of [[back]] [[pain]] varies according to the underlying [[etiology]]. |
| * Typical warning signs of a potentially life-threatening problem are [[Intestine|bowel]] and/or [[Urinary bladder|bladder]] [[incontinence]] or progressive weakness in the legs. Patients with these symptoms should seek immediate medical care. | | *[[Back]] [[pain]] of any origin can lead to long term [[disabiliy]], [[depression]], social distancing, decreased [[quality of life]]. |
| * Severe back pain (such as pain that is bad enough to interrupt [[sleep]]) that occurs with other signs of severe illness (''e.g.'' [[fever]], unexplained [[weight loss]]) may also indicate a serious underlying medical condition, such as [[cancer]]. | | *[[Disease]] specific [[complications]] are the following: |
| * Back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall, should also be promptly evaluated by a medical professional to check for a [[fracture]] or other injury.
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| * Back pain in individuals with medical conditions that put them at high risk for a spinal fracture, such as [[osteoporosis]] or [[multiple myeloma]], also warrants prompt medical attention. | |
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| In general, however, back pain does not usually require immediate medical intervention. The vast majority of episodes of back pain are self-limiting and non-progressive. Most back pain syndromes are due to [[inflammation]], especially in the acute phase, which typically lasts for two weeks to three months.
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| A few observational studies suggest that two common diagnoses of back pain, lumbar disc herniation or [[degenerative disc disease]] may not be more prevalent among those in pain than among the general population and that the mechanisms by which these conditions might cause pain are not known.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Borenstein DG, O'Mara JW, Boden SD, ''et al'' |title=The value of magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine to predict low-back pain in asymptomatic subjects : a seven-year follow-up study |journal=The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume |volume=83-A |issue=9 |pages=1306-11 |year=2001 |pmid=11568190 |doi=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Savage RA, Whitehouse GH, Roberts N |title=The relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the lumbar spine and low back pain, age and occupation in males |journal=European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=106-14 |year=1997 |pmid=9209878 |doi=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Jensen MC, Brant-Zawadzki MN, Obuchowski N, Modic MT, Malkasian D, Ross JS |title=Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain |journal=N. Engl. J. Med. |volume=331 |issue=2 |pages=69-73 |year=1994 |pmid=8208267 |url = http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/331/2/69}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Kleinstück F, Dvorak J, Mannion AF |title=Are "structural abnormalities" on magnetic resonance imaging a contraindication to the successful conservative treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain? |journal=Spine |volume=31 |issue=19 |pages=2250-7 |year=2006 |pmid=16946663 |doi=10.1097/01.brs.0000232802.95773.89}}</ref> Other studies suggest that for as many as 85% of cases, no physiological cause for the pain has been able to be specifically identified.<ref>{{cite journal |author=White AA, Gordon SL |title=Synopsis: workshop on idiopathic low-back pain |journal=Spine |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=141-9 |year=1982 |pmid=6211779 |doi=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=van den Bosch MA, Hollingworth W, Kinmonth AL, Dixon AK |title=Evidence against the use of lumbar spine radiography for low back pain |journal=Clinical radiology |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=69-76 |year=2004 |pmid=14697378 |doi=}}</ref>
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| A few studies suggest that psychosocial factors such as on-the-job stress and dysfunctional family relationships may correlate more closely with back pain than structural abnormalities revealed in x-rays and other medical imaging scans.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Burton AK, Tillotson KM, Main CJ, Hollis S |title=Psychosocial predictors of outcome in acute and subchronic low back trouble |journal=Spine |volume=20 |issue=6 |pages=722-8 |year=1995 |pmid=7604349 |doi=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Carragee EJ, Alamin TF, Miller JL, Carragee JM |title=Discographic, MRI and psychosocial determinants of low back pain disability and remission: a prospective study in subjects with benign persistent back pain |journal=The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=24-35 |year=2005 |pmid=15653082 |doi=10.1016/j.spinee.2004.05.250}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Hurwitz EL, Morgenstern H, Yu F |title=Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of low-back pain and related disability with psychological distress among patients enrolled in the UCLA Low-Back Pain Study |journal=Journal of clinical epidemiology |volume=56 |issue=5 |pages=463-71 |year=2003 |pmid=12812821 |doi=}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Dionne CE |title=Psychological distress confirmed as predictor of long-term back-related functional limitations in primary care settings |journal=Journal of clinical epidemiology |volume=58 |issue=7 |pages=714-8 |year=2005 |pmid=15939223 |doi=10.1016/j.jclinepi.2004.12.005}}</ref>
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| ===Prognosis=== | | ===Prognosis=== |