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While back pain is quite common, it is difficult to diagnose due to the lack of a standard guideline or procedure for assessing this condition. Moreover, a standard 15-minute doctor’s visit is frequently insufficient to explain, comprehend, and evaluate the entirety of your ailing back’s condition.

Several medical specialists, including primary care physicians, physical therapists, physiatrists, and orthopaedic physicians, must collaborate in order to determine the underlying cause of back discomfort.

There are four primary reasons why the diagnosis of a back problem may fail or be unduly delayed:

It can be challenging to identify the root of pain.

There are a variety of potential causes of back pain:

    There may be issues with anatomical structures such as spinal nerve roots, lower back muscles, vertebral bones and joints, intervertebral discs, and abdominal organs.

    In certain circumstances, nerves may transmit erroneous pain signals to the brain, resulting in neuropathic back pain.

    Back pain may also be influenced by psychosocial factors such as tension, depression, and/or anxiety.

Due to the prevalence of multiple disorders, it can be difficult to determine the actual cause of a back problem. A patient may, for instance, have both a herniated disc and spinal stenosis, and the discomfort could be due to either of these conditions. However, treatment methods vary between the two, and administering the incorrect treatment would not help eliminate the source of discomfort.

The diagnostic value is limited.

There are numerous potential concerns associated with diagnostic examinations. The primary problem is that there is no singular diagnostic test that can accurately diagnose back pain. Consequently, many diagnostic tests have limited value, and some, such as diagnostic nerve block injections, may generate false-positive or false-negative results. 

Obviously, this does not prevent your physician from diagnosing your back condition. Using a combination of clinical tests, questionnaires, and medical imaging examinations, certain common disorders, such as a herniated lumbar disc that causes sciatica symptoms, can frequently be diagnosed promptly and accurately.

On the other hand, the inadequacy of a single diagnostic test helps to explain why you may receive different diagnoses from different specialists.

Pain is a highly subjective and highly variable experience.

Each individual’s suffering experience is unique. What one individual perceives as trivial back pain, another may experience as severe and debilitating. As a result, different individuals may require significantly different treatments and dosages for the same disease. For the majority of individuals, over-the-counter medications and/or exercise may be sufficient to alleviate the pain induced by a common back condition. Nevertheless, your subjective experience may suggest that you require a more robust treatment strategy, such as an epidural steroid injection, to manage your severe pain.

4. Your lifestyle may be a concealed cause.

Even with an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan, back pain may persist, return, or worsen over time. Possible concealed causes include sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive consumption of inflammatory foods and/or alcohol, and inadequate sleep. For instance, stress and anxiety can cause or aggravate preexisting back pain.

If you don’t know what’s causing your acute or chronic back pain, educate yourself on your symptoms and work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan. To keep your back healthy, you should adopt ergonomically supported positions, get regular exercise (even if it’s just 10 minutes per day), quit smoking, and consume a well-balanced diet. 

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