Back Pain or Backache Can be Classified as:
Somatic Back Pain or Backache
- Superficial: Localized in skin and subcutaneous tissue e.g. skin abscess, laceration, incision, contusion, hematoma and hair follicle infection.[1]
- Deep: Localized in muscles and tendon e.g. muscle tear, muscle injuries, severe spasm, myofascial pain and fibromyalgia.[1]
Osseous Back Pain or Backache
- Disc: Discitis, herniation and bulge.
- Facet Joint: Arthritis, joint injury, joint hypermobility, joint instability and joint hypertrophy.
- Vertebral Body: Metastatic tumor and fracture.
- Foramina: Stenosis, fracture of pedicle and lamina, encroached by tumor mass.
- Fracture: Body of vertebrae, transverse process and spinous process.[2]
Back Pain or Backache Caused by Nerve Lesion
- Radiculopathy: Pinched nerve at foramina secondary to stenosis or tumor encroachment, bulged disc or herniated disc pinching the nerve.[3]
- Spinal Stenosis: Spinal canal is narrowed secondary to facet joint hypertrophy, ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, disc bulge and herniation, subluxation of vertebrae due to tumor mass compromising the spinal canal.[4]
Referral Back Pain or Backache
Pain caused by diseases in distant organs may be felt (referred) in back (neck, mid back and lower back) as a backache. Many disorders within the abdomen, such as appendicitis, aortic aneurysms, kidney diseases, kidney infection, bladder infections, pelvic infections, and ovarian disorders among others, can cause pain referred to the back.[5]
- https://www.healthline.com/health/somatic-vs-visceral-pain#symptoms
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bone-spurs/symptoms-causes/syc-20370212
- https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/radiculopathy
- https://www2.aoao.org/meetings/annual/2010/syllabus/submissions/PPT%208%20Eck.pdf
- https://www.emedicinehealth.com/back_pain_health/article_em.htm
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