Back ache that never leaves
The ache is there when you wake up. It is there when you sit, when you stand, and when you try to fall asleep. It may shift from dull to sharp, but it never fully goes away.
Back pain that lasts more than three months is called chronic, which just means long-lasting. Often there was no one injury that started it. Muscles, joints, discs, and nerves in the low back all play a part, and so do sleep, stress, and how much you move each day.
Scans can look normal even when the pain is very real. Nerves can keep sending pain signals long after the first strain has healed. That does not mean the pain is in your head.
When to see someone
Go to an emergency room now if you cannot control your pee or poo, or if you feel numb around your groin or inner thighs. Call a doctor soon if a leg feels weak or gives way, if you have a fever, if you have lost weight without trying, or if the pain started after a fall or crash. Call as well if you have ever had cancer, or if the pain wakes you most nights.
Below is a list of remedies that people use for long-lasting low back pain. Each one carries a grade that shows how much research has been done on it, not how well it will fit you. A grade is not a promise, so talk with your doctor before you try anything new, and keep taking any medicine you were given.
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