Patient guide / Back: lower and upper back
Understanding back pain
Pain in the same area can have different explanations. These guides explain the terms, care options and when to seek help. They cannot diagnose your condition.
This page is awaiting validation. It does not replace a consultation or a programme adapted to your situation.
Low back pain and lumbago: symptoms, recovery and care
Low back pain can make simple movements surprisingly difficult. Understanding what the term means, what an assessment looks for and how to return to activity can help you make sense of your situation without reducing it to a scan finding or a supposedly bad posture.
Read the guidePain and conditionsLumbar herniated disc: symptoms, assessment and recovery
Seeing “herniated disc” in a scan report can be worrying. A lumbar herniated disc is a change in a disc in the lower back. Its significance depends on your symptoms and examination, rather than its size on an image alone.
Read the guidePain and conditionsSciatica: understanding pain that travels down the leg
Pain travelling down the leg can be distressing and make you worry about a trapped nerve. Sciatica describes a pattern of symptoms. Understanding where they travel, how they change and which signs need attention helps you prepare for a useful assessment.
Read the guidePain and conditionsUpper back pain and pain between the shoulder blades
Pain between the shoulder blades can arise from muscles and joints in the upper back, but its location alone does not identify the cause. Understanding this region helps you prepare for assessment and adjust activity while recognising unusual symptoms.
Read the guidePain and conditionsLumbar spinal stenosis: understanding a narrowed spinal canal
Lumbar spinal stenosis means narrowing of spaces around nerves in the lower back. It can make standing and walking difficult. Understanding how images, symptoms and abilities relate helps you discuss care choices with your doctor.
Read the guidePain and conditionsScoliosis: understanding the curve and adapting care
Scoliosis involves sideways curvature and rotation of the spine. Follow-up depends on growth, the curve and its effects. A growing teenager and an adult troubled by pain therefore need different treatment goals.
Read the guidePain and conditionsInflammatory back pain and ankylosing spondylitis
Some persistent back pain is related to inflammation in joints of the spine and pelvis. Axial spondyloarthritis needs specific assessment. Recognising useful clues helps you speak with your doctor without treating a symptom list as a self-diagnosis.
Read the guidePain and conditionsBack pain: when should you seek medical help?
Most back pain is not an emergency. Some symptoms change the priority, however. This page explains when to call immediately, when to seek advice the same day and what information to prepare. It cannot rule out a condition remotely.
Read the guideText updated on
Medical review: awaiting Hasib Selimovic.