Acute lower back pain
Subacute lower back pain
Chronic lower back pain
Acute lower back pain is an isolated episode that occurs after a sudden movement (or repetitive movement), excessive twisting, lifting a heavy object (especially with the back bent), etc. The pain subsides within a few days, and in rarer cases even after a few weeks.
Chronic and Subacute Lower Back Pain:
Unlike acute lower back pain, which is an isolated episode lasting no more than a week or two, lower back pain is considered subacute when it lasts longer than four weeks and chronic when episodes of lumbago recur regularly after three months. It is estimated that 5 to 10% of acute lower back pain cases become chronic.
Specific Lower Back Pain
In addition to these two types of so-called “ordinary” lower back pain, which has a purely mechanical origin, less frequently encountered is “specific” lower back pain, which is pain resulting from a diagnosed condition such as scoliosis, fracture, infection, etc.
