Burning Back Pain: Causes and Relief
Medically reviewed by Laura Campedelli, DPT
Burning back pain is often caused by nerve damage, such as compression or irritation. Other common causes include muscle tension, infection, and arthritis, in addition to problems with the bladder or kidneys.
Sharp, burning back pain can interfere with many different aspects of your daily life, from work and exercise to being able to rest comfortably at night. It’s important not to ignore back pain, as it may be a sign of an underlying condition.
In this article, we’ll discuss possible causes of burning back pain, as well as treatment options and tips for managing chronic discomfort.
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Describing Burning Back Pain
Burning back pain often feels like a hot, unpleasant tingling sensation in one or more areas of your back. This may be accompanied by sharp pain that shoots down one or both legs, almost like a lightning bolt. You might also notice numbness, inflammation, or a “pins and needles” sensation. It might worsen when you lie down on your back or engage in physical activity.
Some people experience burning back pain in an isolated area, such as their upper, middle, or lower back. Others have pain that radiates to different areas of the body, such as the neck, buttocks, hips, or legs. The pain may be left-sided, right-sided, or both.
Nerve-Related Causes of Burning Back Pain
In many cases, burning back pain is caused by problems with the nerves that run down your back and into your legs. This may be caused by a chronic medical condition, such as diabetes, or a mechanical (structural) problem with your back. Here are some ways that nerve damage can lead to burning back pain.
Disc Problems
The “cushions” that separate and protect the vertebrae (bones) in your spine are called discs. Any problems affecting the discs near the sciatic nerve (where the spine meets the hips) can lead to sciatica, a burning, stabbing nerve pain that shoots down the sciatic nerve from the lower back to the feet.
One example is degenerative disc disease, which occurs when one or more discs break down. This can lead to bone spurs (bony growths) that pinch surrounding nerves and cause pain. A herniated disc, meaning a disc that’s out of place, can also cause this kind of pain. Finally, disc problems can cause spinal stenosis, which occurs when the spinal column narrows and compresses the spinal cord. This, too, often leads to nerve pain, numbness, weakness, and difficulties with balance.
Arachnoiditis
The arachnoid is a membrane that protects the spinal cord from damage and compression. When it becomes inflamed, often due to an injury, chemical exposure, infection, or surgery complications, you may develop symptoms of arachnoiditis, such as:
Burning and/or stinging nerve pain in the back and legs
Numbness
Weakness
Tingling
Spasms
Sexual dysfunction
Problems with the bladder and bowels
Paralysis
Diabetes
Some people with diabetes develop nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy. Burning, tingling pain due to diabetic neuropathy may occur anywhere on the body, including the back. You’re especially likely to develop nerve damage from diabetes if you have high blood sugar levels for an extended period.
Shingles
Shingles, or herpes zoster (HZ), is an itchy, painful skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox (the varicella-zoster virus, or VZV). After you have chickenpox, this virus lies dormant in your body and can be reactivated later in life.
About 10–18% of people with shingles develop a complication called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN involves severe, chronic nerve pain in the area where you initially had the rash. Since the shingles rash often shows up on your face and torso, this sometimes causes burning back pain.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Multiple sclerosis (MS), believed to be an autoimmune disorder, is a condition caused by damage to the myelin sheath that protects your spinal cord and brain. One of the primary symptoms of MS-related nerve damage is the telltale tingling, squeezing, stabbing, itching, and/or burning neuropathic pain. This may affect any part of your body, but it often runs down the spine from the back of your neck all the way to your legs.
Lyme Disease
The first stage of Lyme disease, a condition caused by a tick bite, usually involves flu-like symptoms for up to two weeks. Later, neurological symptoms may follow, including burning nerve pain, numbness, or weakness in the face, neck, back, arms, or legs.
Causes of Burning Back Pain Unrelated to Nerve Damage
Outside of nerve damage, there are several other possible causes of burning back pain, including:
Muscular problems: Muscle problems such as sprains or strains, often caused by injury or tension, are a common cause of burning back pain and spasms.
Infections: Bacterial infections, such as bladder or kidney infections, may cause stabbing or burning back pain. This pain often occurs in the lower back and may be one-sided.
Kidney stones: Severe cramping or burning pain on the back or side may be a sign of kidney stones.
Arthritis: Arthritis causes stiffness and inflammation in and around the joints. The most common kind, osteoarthritis, frequently affects the spine. Pain in the lower back that gets worse when you bend over or turn to the side is a telltale symptom of osteoarthritis.
Painful bladder syndrome: Symptoms of painful bladder syndrome, or interstitial cystitis (IC), include frequent urination, the urgent sensation of needing to urinate, pain during sex, and pain in the lower part of the pelvic area. For some people, this pain may radiate to the back.
Endometriosis: Endometriosis is a condition that causes cells from the uterine lining to grow in the fallopian tubes and other parts of the body. Many people with endometriosis experience cramping and lower back pain that gets worse when urinating, during sex, during bowel movements, and before and during your period.
Adenomyosis: Adenomyosis leads to thickening of the uterine lining. It may exacerbate symptoms during your menstrual cycle, in addition to causing heavy, painful periods and pelvic pain. Some people also notice burning or cramping back pain.
Tumors: Very rarely, burning back pain may be a sign of a spinal tumor. These may be either benign or cancerous.
How to Treat Acute Burning Back Pain
Acute burning back pain refers to short-term pain that lasts just a few days or weeks. It may go away on its own or with self-care measures, such as:
Rest: Resting may initially reduce inflammation and offer quick relief. After a few days, however, you should gradually return to physical activity (gently at first).
Ice: Both heat and ice can help with back pain, but ice may provide more relief if your back is hot and stinging.
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) may help if your burning back pain is due to muscle strain or swelling.
Managing Chronic Burning Back Pain
Chronic, or long-term, burning back pain lasts three months or more. It may be either intermittent or continuous.
If you have chronic back pain, you should reach out to a healthcare provider. They can perform a physical examination and imaging tests to diagnose the cause of your pain. If your burning pain is due to an underlying condition, treating it may relieve your symptoms.
Potential treatment options for ongoing burning back pain include:
Prescription medications for nerve damage, such as anticonvulsant medications like gabapentin
Physical therapy, which may include specific exercises or hands-on treatment
Surgery, such as spinal fusion surgery, if your pain is severe and caused by a problem with your intervertebral discs
Back Pain and Quality of Life
Back pain is common, affecting nearly 80% of people in the U.S. at some point in their lifetime. However, it can still lead to complications and affect your quality of life. If back pain is left untreated, it can affect your sleep and mental health, as well as your ability to be productive at work or school. Let your healthcare provider know if you experience back pain that lasts more than three days at a time.
Summary
Burning back pain feels like a stinging, stabbing, or tingling sensation. It may occur only on one part of your back or shoot down one or both of your legs.
Nerve-related causes of burning back pain may include problems with the intervertebral discs, inflammation of the arachnoid that surrounds the spinal cord, multiple sclerosis, and complications from Lyme disease, shingles, or diabetes. Other possible causes include muscular problems, kidney stones, infection, arthritis, endometriosis, painful bladder syndrome, adenomyosis, or (in rare causes) tumors.
Short-term burning back pain can be treated with rest, ice, or over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Prescription medication, physical therapy, or surgery may be necessary if your burning back pain becomes chronic.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
