Many of us will experience low back pain at least once in our lifetime. Muscle sprains account for almost 80% of cases and most patients usually recover from back pain within 6 weeks. Other causes of back pain include herniated or torn intervertebral discs, facet joint pain and sacroiliac joint pain.

Pain medications that are useful for back pain include paracetamol, anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants.

Medical attention should be sought if symptoms such as sharp, shooting pain, numbness or weakness are present in one or both legs. Urinary incontinence or retention and bowel incontinence are also important warning signs. Such symptoms may suggest involvement of the spinal cord or nerve roots.

In addition to common painkillers, specific medications to target nerve pain may also be prescribed. Other treatments include physiotherapy, epidural steroid injections, facet joint blocks, sacroiliac joint blocks, radiofrequency thermoablation, or intradiscal therapy (transdiscal biacuplasty, disc decompression and nucleoplasty).

Some patients with persistent back or leg pain despite successful surgery may also be suitable candidates for more advanced interventional pain therapy such as spinal cord stimulation, peripheral nerve field stimulation or intrathecal drug delivery systems.