Back & Neck Pain: Symptoms
Symptoms associated with back pain include:

• Pain that is aggravated by coughing or sneezing
• Pain or numbness that travels down one or both legs
• Pain that awakens you from sleep
• Swelling, stiffness and limited motion
• Difficulty with bowel movements or with passing urine
• Pain that is accompanied by loss of urination or bowel control

If you experience any of these symptoms you should see a doctor immediately as they could indicate nerve damage or other serious medical problems.

Keep in mind that back pain and associated symptoms vary depending on the underlying cause. Some of the more common causes of back pain include:

• Strain: Lumbar strain is essentially a stretching injury to the ligaments, tendons, and/or muscles of the lower back. This injury can occur as the result of overuse, improper use, or trauma. The most prominent symptom is pain or discomfort in the lower back with onset occurring after an event that has stressed the lumbar tissues.
  
• Herniated disk: Disk herniation is a rupture of the material that surrounds the intervertebral disk. This rupture may cause pressure on nearby nerves, resulting in severe pain occurring at the point of rupture. If the bulging disc presses on a spinal nerve, the pain may spread to the area of the body that is served by that nerve.
  
• Sciatica: Approximately 40% of the population experiences sciatica at some point in their lives, as a result of injury or pressure to the sciatic nerve. The largest and longest nerve in the body, it runs from the lower part of the spinal cord, down the back of the leg, to the foot.  A characteristic symptom of sciatica is a sharp or burning pain that emanates from the lower back or hip, often following the path of the sciatic nerve to the foot.
  
• Spinal stenosis: Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal nerve cord. Pressure on the back nerves causes back pain and can also cause numbness, pain and weakness in the legs, as well. The pain gets worse after standing for a long time.
  
• Radiculopathy: Pain and other symptoms like numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs, often indicate a problem with the nerve roots, referred to as radiculopathy.