Back pain at night - Cause, symptoms and treatment

Pain in the back at night that disturbs the night's sleep? If you have back pain at night then this may indicate that it is e.g. is something wrong with muscles, joints or intervertebral discs. By night pain in the back is meant pain that awakens you from sleep or approximately constant night pain that does not improve even in different lying positions.

Back pain affects most of us, but normally with adapted training, ergonomic adaptation and possibly also physical treatment (eg from a physiotherapist or chiropractor), you will expect to see an improvement within a few weeks. In the case of back pain at night, on the other hand, the person affected will not get the rest / sleep needed - and thus we get less repair in the affected area. This is because soft tissue and other tendon tissue grow best when we sleep.

What are night pain in the back?

As mentioned, most people with back pain can make adjustments in the supine position and thus find a position that does not hurt. By night pain in the back is meant mainly back pain that does not get better no matter what position you are in - and which thus goes hard beyond sleep and energy levels.

Cause of night pain in the back

There are several possible reasons for suffering from back pain at night.

Biomechanical dysfunction: Muscle tension, stiff joints and nerve irritation can all contribute to night pain in the back. This is because such dysfunction can cause one to move the spine incorrectly and thus overload certain parts of the back. Lack of core muscles with consequent overload can also lead to disc degeneration in the intervertebral discs - such as disc flexion, prolapse og spinal stenosis. In case of night pain, it is strongly recommended that you consult a clinician (the four health-authorized professions are physiotherapist, doctor, manual therapist and chiropractor) for assessment and possible treatment.

Organic Disease: Kidney stones, endometriosis, certain types of cancer and various types of rheumatism can all cause back pain at night.

Trauma / injuries: Previous or recent (and perhaps undetected) injuries from falls and trauma (eg car accident) can cause back pain at night. Possible diagnoses can be stress fractures and fractures - especially in the elderly and those with proven osteoporosis.

Can night pain in the back be dangerous?

Yes, it can - but it's one of the rarities. Red flag is a term used to find pathological diseases through the history of a patient's symptomatology. On this list of red flags we find, among other things night pain in the back. Night pain can be a symptom of certain types of cancer - for example, primary spinal cancer or secondary metastasis (spread) to the vertebrae. Furthermore, night pain in the back can be a symptom of bone infection (osteomyelitis) and rheumatic disease (e.g. Ankylosing spondylite, also known as Bekhterev's disease).

Other red flags include:

Fever
Prehistory with previous cancer
Stomach pain or pulsation in the stomach
Newcomer problems with urinary retention (difficulty in starting a urethra) or sphincter problems
Reduced immune system
Weakness in the legs or lack of muscle control
Unexplained and accidental weight loss

If you have any of these in addition to night pain, you are encouraged to contact your GP as soon as possible - possibly consult your telephone at the nearest emergency room.

Investigation and treatment of night pain in the back

First - do not seek out a clinician if you have night pain. Seek out a doctor or public clinician who can evaluate whether the cause is pathological or biomechanical - and then guide you through the correct course of treatment.

In the case of mechanical pain, it is primarily physical treatment of muscles and joints - in combination with adapted training - that is the solution to the problem. The treatment will often be part of getting you up to a physical level where you can exercise without pain. If you are unsure of what kind of training this entails or if you need an exercise program - then you are advised to contact physical therapist or modern chiropractor for setting up a training program customized for you.

Special training with exercise bands can be particularly effective for building hip and buttock muscles - due to the fact that the resistance then comes from different angles that we are almost never exposed to - then often in combination with regular back training. Below you see an exercise that is used for hip and back problems (called MONSTERGANGE). You will also find many more exercises under our main article: training (see the top menu or use the search box).