Nighttime Back Pain

What Is Nighttime Back Pain?

The majority of people with back pain are able to adjust how they sleep to get relief from the pain they experience during the day. But with nighttime back pain — also called nocturnal back pain — the hurting doesn’t stop when a person lies down, no matter what adjustments they make. For some, the pain actually gets worse. And for others, the pain doesn’t even start until they lie down.

A person can actually go through a day virtually pain-free. But then at night, they might find it nearly impossible to get a full night’s sleep.

What Causes Nocturnal Pain?

Just as with normal back pain, the cause of nighttime back pain isn’t always clear. Among other things, back pain can be caused by any of the following:

• Problems with the way the spine moves or other mechanical problems, the most common of which is disc degeneration. Discs are tissue between the vertebrae that function as a type of shock absorber; the discs can break down with age.
• Injuries such as sprains or fractures or more severe injuries such as a fall or an auto accident.
• Diseases and conditions, such as scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, or spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column. Kidney stones, pregnancy, endometriosis, certain cancers, and various forms of arthritis can all lead to back pain.

A large number of the participants in the British study suffered disc degeneration. Sometimes the cause of back pain might not be determined.

Can Nocturnal Back Pain Be a Sign of Something Serious?

Guidelines for discovering serious spinal health problems list a number of “red flags,” among them nocturnal back pain.

• Back pain that spreads down one or both legs
• Weakness, numbness, or tingling in legs
• New problems with bowel or bladder control
• Pain or throbbing in your abdomen
• Fever
• Spots warm to the touch
• Unexplained weight loss
• History of cancer
• History of a suppressed immune system
• History of trauma

If one or more of these symptoms accompanies back pain — especially if you have a history of cancer — see your doctor right away. It’s also important to call the doctor if your back pain is the result of a recent injury.

It’s important to note that it’s rare that nighttime back pain is caused by a tumor, infection, or AS.