Medical Health Encyclopedia

Questions will include:

• Is your pain on one side only or both sides?
• What does the pain feel like? Is it dull, sharp, throbbing, or burning?
• Is this the first time you have had back pain?
• When did the pain begin? Did it start suddenly?
• Did you have a particular injury or accident?
• What were you doing just before the pain began? Were you lifting or bending? Sitting at your computer? Driving a long distance?
• If you have had back pain before, is this pain similar or different? In what way is it different?
• Do you know the cause of previous episodes of back pain?
• How long does each episode of back pain usually last?
• Do you feel the pain anywhere other than your back, like your hip, thigh, leg or feet?
• Do you have any numbness or tingling? Any weakness or loss of function in your leg or elsewhere?
• What makes the pain worse? Lifting, twisting, standing, or sitting for long periods of time?
• What makes you feel better?
• Are there any other symptoms present? Weight loss? Fever? Change in urination? Change in bowel habits?

During the physical exam, your doctor will try to pinpoint the location of the pain and figure out how it affects your movement. You will be asked to:

• Sit, stand, and walk. While walking, your doctor may ask you to try walking on your toes and then your heels.
• Bend forward, backward, and sideways.
• Lift your legs straight up while lying down. If the pain is worse when you do this, you may have sciatica, especially if you also feel numbness or tingling in one of your legs.

Your doctor will also move your legs in different positions, including bending and straightening your knees. All the while, the doctor is assessing your strength as well as your ability to move.

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To test nerve function, the doctor will use a rubber hammer to check your reflexes. Touching your legs in many locations with a pin, cotton swab, or feather tests your sensory nervous system (how well you feel). Your doctor will instruct you to speak up if there are areas where the sensation from the pin, cotton, or feather is duller.