Bad back pain. 13 years old. ?

Question

I'm 13 years old. I've had lower back pain for about 4 month, maybe more. It's been constant, non stop. It hurts the most when i have to stand for over 20 minutes. It hurts a lot when i have to sit up straight for a long time too. It gets real stiff and i end up cracking it to temporarily relieve the pain. But it ends up coming back within 10 minutes. The back pain sometimes causes bad shooting pains in my legs. I do have a pretty bad slouch and i don't drink milk. I also sleep on my stomach, but only sometimes, not too often. Could that be the problem? What else could it be?

Answer 1

Back pain is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.

The pain may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain; it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may be felt in the neck in the upper back, or in the low back,  and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.

Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. In the U.S., acute low back pain is the fifth most common reason for physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year

The spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments, and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities.

Back pain can be a sign of a serious medical problem, although this is not most frequently the underlying cause:

Typical warning signs of a potentially life-threatening problem are bowel and/or bladder incontinence or progressive weakness in the legs.

Severe back pain  that occurs with other signs of severe illness  may also indicate a serious underlying medical condition.

Back pain that occurs after a trauma, such as a car accident or fall may indicate a bone fracture or other injury.

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.

Back pain in individuals with a history of cancer (especially cancers known to spread to the spine like breast, lung and prostate cancer) should be evaluated to rule out metastatic disease of the spine.

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.

A few observational studies suggest that two conditions to which back pain is often attributed, lumbar disc herniation and 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.[2][3]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

[edit] Underlying causes

Muscle strains are commonly identified as the cause of back pain, as are muscle imbalances. Pain from such an injury often remains as long as the muscle imbalances persist. The muscle imbalances cause a mechanical problem with the skeleton, building up pressure at points along the spine, which causes the pain.

Another cause of acute low back pain is a meniscoid occlusion. The more mobile regions of the spine, such as the facet joints, have invaginations of their synovial membranes that act as a cushion to help the bones move over each other smoothly. The synovial membrane is well supplied with blood and nerves. When these become pinched or trapped sudden severe pain may result. The pinching causes the membrane to become inflamed, causing greater pressure and ongoing pain. Symptoms include severe low back pain that may be accompanied by muscle spasm, pain with walking, concentration of pain to one side, but no radiculopathy  Relief should be felt with flexion and exacerbated with extension (bending backward).

When back pain lasts more than three months, or if there is more radicular pain than back pain, a more specific diagnosis can usually be made. There are several common causes of back pain: for adults under age 50, these include spinal disc herniation and degenerative disc disease or isthmic spondylolisthesis; in adults over age 50, common causes also include osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis, trauma, cancer, infection, fractures, and inflammatory diseaseNon-anatomical factors can also contribute to or cause back pain, such as stress, Even if there is an anatomical cause for the pain, if depression is present it should also be treated concurrently.

New attention has been focused on non-discogenic back pain, where patients have normal or near-normal MRI and CT scans. One of the newer investigations looks into the role of the dorsal ramus in patients that have no radiographic abnormalities. See Posterior Rami Syndrome.

Not all treatments work for all conditions or for all individuals with the same condition, and many find that they need to try several treatment options to determine what works best for them. The present stage of the condition is als

Answer 2

try checking out the doctor i am 12 years old and i had have back pains before but omly about a few hours i alsop had to crack it to get rid of the pain but i only get it like twice a year.Check ur back in a doctors office and try getting to theripy or a massage that worked for me.

Answer 3

go to a doctor something must be wrong

Answer 4

me too i been having the same problem for almosta month and im almost 13 i guess that its normal i dont drink milk and i alwaysss sleep on my stomach i dont think thats the prb but if it really hurts you u should see ur doctor.

Answer 5

well if u play any sports or lifting heavy objects the wrong way could've hurt it but that doesn't sound like it i would go to a doctor and find out before it gets any worse  

Answer 6

I have been having the same pains in my lower left back for about 4 months. Im 13 too and so is almost everyone else who answered this question. Im guessing that its growing pains? maybe?

Answer 7

well it might be scoliosis (srry not sure how to spell it jsut heard of it) which means that ur spine isnt straight, not to bad in some cases but u shuld tell your gardian to take u to see a docter as soon as u can cause u culd damage ur life by letting it get worse!! so plz consalt a docter!

Answer 8

First off, I am not a doctor, so please, please, please go visit one.  It is much better to be safe than sorry.

The pain can be one of three things (in my opinion):  a broken/fractured/etc vertebrae; a narrow ciatic nerve/or a pinched nerve; or something more serious such as an internal organ issue.  Some pains in your internal organs can feel like back pain.

Definitely go to the doctor.  Good luck!

Answer 9

Do you stand on your feet a lot and have flat feet?  Flat feet can cause this sort of thing if you're standing a lot and don't have the proper insoles in your shoes.