Overview

What Is Back Pain?

Nearly 80 percent of people face a painful back problem at some point in their lives. From care for common injuries to complex spine surgery, the Northwestern Medicine spine specialists blend innovation and skill to help restore your movement and improve your quality of life.

Back pain can range from mild, dull, annoying pain to persistent, severe, disabling pain in the back. Pain in the back can restrict mobility and interfere with normal functioning and quality of life.

Pain in the back can be acute, which comes on suddenly and intensely, or chronic, which can last for weeks, months or even years. The pain can be continuous or intermittent.