BBC - Health - Conditions - Causes and effects of back pain

Understanding your symptoms People injure their backs in all manner of ways, and often the pain is a result of a strain rather than a dramatic accident. So why do we experience so much pain and what can we do to reduce our risk of injury?

In this section

How the back works
Your spine is made up of 24 vertebrae

Common causes
Stresses and strains can build up over time

Work-related problems
We aren't designed for sitting in front of a computer

Medical causes
Some conditions put you at more risk of back pain

Understanding pain
The difference between acute and chronic pain

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