Normal back pain is limited to a specific area and tends to decrease with rest, while cancer pain can last a long time, accompanied by many other symptoms.
Back pain is often caused by poor posture, sitting for long hours, menstruation, pregnancy or hormonal changes, improper sleep, back injury… But sometimes it can be more than just a muscle tension problem and can be a warning of a medical condition such as cancer. Here are some signs to help you distinguish between normal back pain and cancer.
Back pain usually does not last long
Most middle and lower back pain comes from muscles or ligaments, which is the result of hunched posture, heavy lifting or difficult sudden movements. Sometimes, pain also originates from problems such as degenerative disc disease or spinal arthritis. In cases where the pain is limited to a specific area, it tends to decrease with rest or gentle exercise and does not get worse at night.
The patient may feel stiffness or pain, but other signs such as numbness, weakness… often do not appear. Mechanical back pain is the most common type, and conservative treatments such as proper stretching, heat therapy, and over-the-counter pain relievers are often effective. If the pain appears after an injury and gradually improves over a few days to a few weeks, it is less likely to be caused by cancer.
Back pain caused by cancer often comes with a number of signs
When pain intensifies at night or flares up when lying still, it may signal a problem beyond normal muscle soreness. The pain is often intense, persistent, and unrelenting, and rest or changing positions rarely provide pain relief.
Other warning signs that may appear include weight loss, persistent fatigue, fever, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, and sudden loss of bladder and bowel control. In general, these symptoms may indicate that the tumor is compressing the spinal cord or nerves.
How cancer can cause back pain
Cancer-related back pain often occurs when the tumor compresses or even invades the skeleton of the spine, nerve roots, or the spinal cord itself. As the tumor erodes the vertebrae, fractures or deformities may occur, leading to pain that often increases over time.
When a nerve is compressed, the patient experiences sharp, burning pain that spreads down the arm or leg, sometimes accompanied by a feeling of tingling, numbness or loss of strength. Some types of cancer can invade the meninges – membranes that line the brain and spinal cord, causing neurological dysfunction and pain. When bones are destroyed, calcium floods into the blood, often causing persistent, sharp pain and a variety of systemic symptoms.
Types of cancer often cause back pain
Many types of cancer can present with pain in the mid-back, either because they originate near the spine or metastasize into the spine. Tumors that arise in the spine itself, even if secondary, are especially significant because they directly affect the bones and nerves. Lung cancer, breast cancer, multiple myeloma, and gastrointestinal malignancies such as stomach or colon cancer, can all cause back pain by invading or compressing structures. Pancreatic cancer can also cause pain when it involves the nerves. Bone metastases from these types of cancer can lead to severe pain, fractures, and neurological symptoms that require urgent treatment.
If your back pain becomes more persistent, gets worse at night, or dangerous warning signs appear such as difficulty sleeping, insomnia, or unexplained weight loss, you should see a doctor soon. Imaging tests such as MRI scans and bone CT scans, combined with blood tests and biopsies when necessary, help determine the location of tumors or metastases. Early detection of the disease helps doctors come up with an appropriate treatment plan.