Health Topics A-Z

What Are the Symptoms?

The symptoms for back pain are:

• Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your spine, from the base of the neck to the hips.
• Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or lower back — especially after lifting heavy objects or engaging in other strenuous activity.
• Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially after sitting or standing for extended periods.

• You feel numbness, tingling, or loss of control in your arms or legs. This may signal damage to the spinal cord.
• The pain in your back extends downward along the back of the leg. You may be suffering from sciatica.
• The pain increases when you cough or bend forward at the waist. This can be the sign of a herniated disk.
• The pain is accompanied by fever. You may have a bacterial infection.
• You have dull pain in one area of your spine when lying in or getting out of bed. If you are over 50 you may be suffering from osteoarthritis.