Back Injuries

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your back is made of bones, muscles, and other tissues extending from your neck to your pelvis. Back injuries can result from sports injuries, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident. The lower back is the most common site of back injuries and back pain. Common back injuries include :

• Sprains and strains
• Herniated disks
• Fractured (broken) vertebrae

These injuries can cause pain and limit your movement. Treatments vary but might include medicines, icing, bed rest, physical therapy, or surgery. You might be able to prevent some back injuries by maintaining a healthy weight, lifting objects with your legs, and using lower-back support when you sit.

Start Here

• Office Ergonomics (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Spine CT (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Spine MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Lifting Safety: Tips To Help Prevent Back Injuries (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Back Surgery: When Is It a Good Idea? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Vertebroplasty for Spine Fracture Pain (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Spine Rehabilitation Exercises (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Specifics

• Fractures of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF

Images

• Spinal fusion - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vertebroplasty - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Prevention: Exercise (North American Spine Society)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Back Injuries (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Traumatic spinal cord injury in South Korea for 13 years (2008-2020).
• Article: Injury patterns in Swedish elite female and male ice hockey -...
• Article: A Novel Passive Back-Support Exoskeleton With a Spring-Cable-Differential for Lifting Assistance.
• Back Injuries -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
• Find a Physical Therapist Near You (American Physical Therapy Association)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Back pain - returning to work (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Back pain and sports (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Lifting and bending the right way (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Returning to sports after a back injury (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish