Almost all of us have experienced back or neck discomfort at some point. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes it can be something as simple as sleeping the wrong way so that you have a slightly pulled muscle in your back or your neck. The short term pain that is felt, which is also called acute pain, is an indicator that you’ve done something you shouldn’t have done to your body and you need to take some time to heal.

Pain is often a good thing because it’s your body’s way of communicating with you. Pain becomes a hindrance when it serves no purpose. Pain that serves no purpose is chronic pain and chronic pain is long term pain lasting at least three months but more often more than six months. Treatment for chronic back pain may be different than treatment for acute back pain.

Chronic back pain is usually the cause of the nerves in the body overreacting to pain. Chronic pain can start out as acute pain and can switch over for reasons that aren’t entirely explainable. The pain sensors in the body become hyper sensitive leading to unrelenting pain that can be mild to severe. Acute pain is usually caused by an event in your life. Acute back pain can be caused by the following: injury or accident, poor posture, lack of exercise and poor lifestyle choices.

In many cases back pain is caused by an accident or injury. When the back is injured, it can lead to shock in the muscles and tendons. They can tear or become bruised. Nerves and tissue can be damaged. In severe back injuries, the bone can be dislocated. A mild back pain like that caused by sleeping the wrong way can often be self treated. It sometimes even goes away on its own without treatment. Any injury that is more severe should result in a visit to the doctor. It’s important to treat an injury effectively as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage to your back.

A slow and progressive increase in back pain can be caused by poor posture which exerts unnecessary stress on the muscle of the upper part of the shoulders, the back of the neck and the back. Poor posture forces the muscles into a state of constant contraction which can cause injury and discomfort.

Failure to exercise and poor lifestyle choices like a sedentary lifestyle can lead to lack of muscle tone and obesity. An imbalance of muscle strength can lead to back pressure and back pain. Lack of muscle tone may often also lead to back problems.

Treatment can include the application of heat or ice. Circulation problems need to be considered before applying heat or ice and it may be advisable to seek a physician’s advice before using this type of treatment, even if it’s for minor back pain.

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Massage is a very effective way to increase blood flow to the damaged muscles helping them relax. Massage can sometimes improve muscle tone. An educated and skilled remedial massage therapist can suggest which massage techniques would be most effective for treating back pain.

Over the counter pain relievers can take the edge off minor pain while your body heals. Pain that’s more severe and consistent should be checked out by a doctor.