Nobody wants to deal with back pain at any part of their day, but back pain that develops and worsens as you’re trying to wind down for the night and get ready for a restful night’s sleep can really cause problems for your daily routine. But what might be causing back pain to intensify at night, and how can you work to treat it? Those questions and their answers are the feature of today’s blog on nighttime back pain.
Back Pain Worsens At Night
Back pain is one of the most common reasons that people seek out medical attention from their doctor, and the condition can present in many forms. For a good chunk of people, they find relief when they lay down and take some vertical pressure off their spine. For others, nighttime is the worst part of their day because it’s when their back pain is at its most intense. But why is this oftentimes restful part of the day so problematic for certain back pain sufferers?
As with many cases of back pain, the answer isn’t always obvious. However, some common causes of back pain that flare up at night include:
- Disc degeneration
- Spinal conditions like scoliosis or stenosis
- Arthritic degeneration
- Tumors
Other causes that aren’t directly related to the spine include the presence of kidney stones or shifting muscle structures as a result of pregnancy. It’s also worth noting that in a recent British study on nocturnal back pain, the majority of respondents were dealing with nighttime back pain caused by some form of spinal disc degeneration, so odds are this is where your doctor will look first.
If your back pain doesn’t resolve on its own after a few days of home care, or if it presents with some other “red flag” symptoms, reach out to a doctor sooner rather than later. Some red flag symptoms include back pain that spreads to your legs, fever, muscle weakness, bowel issues, unexplained weight loss or a family history of cancer.
Diagnosis and Treatment
If your back pain is getting worse at night and making it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, reach out to a physician. Sleep is a restorative process for your body, and if it can’t get enough restful sleep, you’re going to find yourself stuck in a cycle of pain.
During your diagnosis, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms, review your personal medical history and conduct a physical exam. From there, they may conduct some imaging tests in the form of an x-ray or MRI to look for disc degeneration or the presence of a tumor or an infection. With a combination of these techniques, doctors can typically find out what’s causing this nighttime pain, which is the first step in determining a successful treatment plan.
Treatment courses will depend on the underlying cause of pain. For those with disc degeneration, limiting certain movements, improving posture awareness, anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy may be all you need to help calm your nighttime back pain and get on with a healthy life. For others, antibiotics or corticosteroid injections can be just what the doctor ordered.
Surgery is reserved for the more serious cases or those who fail to find relief from multiple conservative techniques. Surgery may involve removing a tumor or caring for a damaged spinal disc, whatever is at the heart of your pain. These surgeries typically have a very high success rate when the condition is caught early enough, so speak up if you’re dealing with chronic nighttime back pain. For more information, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today.
