Do you have inflammatory or mechanical back pain?
What type of back pain do you have?
Mechanical vs Inflammatory Back Pain
Everyone experiences back pain. For some, it’s a minor annoyance. For others the pain becomes a barrier to their daily activities and work and treatment is sought. For others, the pain can be completely debilitating.
The vast majority of back pain comes from some dysfunction in the structures that connect to your back, including the spine, muscles, and discs. This is called “Mechanical” or “Acute” back pain.
Mechanical back pain can happen at any time in your life and generally comes on quickly and lasts for a short period, up to a few months. It can also often be eased with rest and care from your doctor or other healthcare practitioner, like a physiotherapist or chiropractor.
If you’ve ever thrown your back out, or had a bout of sciatica, you’ve experienced mechanical pain.
However, there is another cause for back pain that can’t be traced back to a mechanical source.
Inflammatory back pain is caused by an autoimmune response, when your body attacks healthy tissues, causing inflammation and pain.
The pain comes on slowly and persists for many months or years. The pain and stiffness are usually worse in the morning but improve with some movement and light exercise.
Inflammation can be localized to your back and hips, but usually the inflammation causing pain is systemic, which means you may also experience pain or swelling in other parts of your body. Common areas include the eyes, ankles, and neck.
Inflammatory back pain often interrupts sleep or can make sleep difficulties worse. Your immune system working so hard against your body is also exhausting. It’s normal for someone experiencing inflammatory back pain to feel exhausted much of the time.
Could I have Spondyloarthritis?
The pain you are experiencing may be inflammatory, a condition broadly known as spondylitis (a term meaning inflammation of the spine). There are many things that cause spondylitis, including a condition called Axial Spondyloarthritis.
(You may also hear Axial Spondylarthritis (AxSpA) called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) or Non-radiographic axSpA (nr-AxSpA)).
Early Diagnosis is Important
The earliest possible diagnosis and treatment are vital to managing your condition and improving long term outcomes, including prevention of irreversible damage caused by inflammation. If you think you have inflammatory back pain, take the quiz and discuss your concerns with your doctor.
Unfortunately, in Canada, it takes an average of 7-9 years for people with AxSpA to receive a diagnosis. Women often take longer than men to be diagnosed, partially due to the fact that ankylosing spondylitis was often seen as a “man’s disease”.
Do you have Inflammatory or Mechanical Back Pain? AxSpA Questionnaire
When you complete the quiz, we will send your responses and tools you can use to track your symptoms and communicate your concerns.
This tool is designed to help people understand if they may have axial Spondyloarthritis or Ankylosing Spondylitis. If you suspect that you may have another form of Spondyloarthritis, please review the information we have on other Spondyloarthritic conditions here
This quiz has been adapted from the NASS Symptom checker, found here.