When to See a Doctor for Back Pain

Seek emergency care right away if you have:

These symptoms, especially alongside back pain, can point to a serious underlying problem and shouldn’t wait for a regular appointment.

• Loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness in the groin/inner thigh area (saddle numbness) — these can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, a rare but serious emergency involving compressed nerves at the base of the spine.
• Severe, progressive weakness or numbness in one or both legs — especially if it’s getting worse quickly.
• Back pain following a significant fall, car accident, or other trauma, particularly if you’re over 50 or have osteoporosis.
• Back pain with a high fever, which can indicate a spinal infection.
• Severe abdominal pain along with back pain, which can occasionally indicate an issue unrelated to your spine, such as an abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Schedule a doctor’s visit this week if you have:

Not an emergency, but worth getting checked out rather than waiting to see if it resolves on its own.

• Pain that hasn’t improved after 2–4 weeks of reasonable self-care (gentle movement, over-the-counter pain relief, rest from aggravating activities).
• Pain that radiates down one or both legs, especially past the knee, or is accompanied by tingling or numbness.
• Unexplained weight loss alongside back pain.
• A history of cancer, and new or worsening back pain.
• Back pain that’s worse at night or when lying down, or that doesn’t ease up with rest at all.
• Pain accompanied by morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, which can sometimes point to an inflammatory type of arthritis rather than mechanical back pain.

Probably okay to manage on your own for now if:

Most back pain falls into this category, and self-care combined with staying reasonably active is the right first step.

• The pain started after a specific activity (lifting, an awkward movement, a long drive) and feels like a muscle strain.
• It’s a dull, achy pain localized to one area without radiating down a leg.
• You have no fever, no numbness, no weakness, and no loss of bladder/bowel control.
• It’s improving, even slowly, with rest from the aggravating activity and gentle movement.

If you’re in this category, our causes and relief guide covers what tends to actually help.