The
course of low back pain depends both on its cause and on how well you treat your
back.
Most
low back pain lasts less than 3 months. Overall, 60% of low back pain goes
away within 1 week, 90% within 6 weeks, and up to 95% recover within 12
weeks. Over 98% of low back pain is gone within 1 year.
After
the first time you have hurt your back, you are more likely to hurt your
back again. Many people who recover from low back pain will have a repeat
episode within a year. Most people will have it again sometime during their
lives.
Long-lasting
(chronic) pain not only makes you tired, irritable, and less productive and
active, but it can trigger other problems. If your back pain causes you to
use your body in different ways (for example to limp or to sit differently),
pain can develop in other areas of the body. Pain can also cause biochemical
changes in your body that tend to keep the pain going. Without specialized
treatment, chronic pain syndrome can become disabling.
