What’s Causing Your Back Pain and What to Do About It

Each year, Americans spend billions of dollars on treating back pain, even though the malady usually goes away regardless of treatment.

That’s one of the main reasons the latest back pain treatment guidelines recommend that sufferers first seek relief somewhere besides their medicine cabinet. Non-drug therapies, such as physical therapy and stretching exercises, can bring long-term relief without the risks associated with medications.

What Causes Back Pain?

In any three-month period, more than a quarter of U.S. adults experience back pain for at least a day, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Back pain might keep you up at night and disrupt your daily routine, but is rarely a sign of a serious health condition.

Your doctor might tell you your pain stems from degenerative disc disease, but that’s actually a normal part of aging, not a disease. The soft discs, filled with a jelly-like substance, lie between the bones of the spine and act as shock absorbers. MRI studies have shown that nearly everyone over age 60 has some degeneration of the discs, although they don’t necessarily have back pain, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Click here to continue reading.