Some reasons that kids and teens get back pain include obesity, intense year-round sports activities, and wearing a heavy backpack at school.
This article will go over the possible causes of back pain in children. You’ll also learn the warning signs that would mean it’s time to call your child’s provider.
Does My Child Need to See a Provider for Back Pain?
There are many reasons a child can have back pain. While it can be something minor like a pulled muscle, back pain can also have a more serious cause.
Back pain is more likely to point to a serious problem in kids than it is in adults. This is especially true if a child’s back pain does not get better in a few days or starts to get worse.
Call your child’s provider if your child:
Has back pain and is age 4 or younger Has pain at night (especially if it wakes them up) Has constant pain or pain that lasts for more than several weeks Has pain that shoots down one or both legs
Fever, chills, malaise Weight loss without trying Weakness, numbness, or trouble walking Problems controlling their bladder or bowels
This kind of back pain is often from muscle strains and ligament strains, as well as overuse. Kids that play intense, year-round sports are particularly at risk for these injuries.
Problems with posture can also lead to back pain in people of any age and can be a source of long-term discomfort.
Children who are overweight or have obesity can also have pain from the stress that extra weight puts on their back muscles, ligaments, and bones.
Diagnosing Muscular Pain
Tests like X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other imaging tests are not helpful for diagnosing muscular back pain. If your child does not have other symptoms, your provider probably won’t order these tests.
There are downsides to doing more testing than is needed, including exposing a child to a lot of medical radiation. Don’t hesitate to ask your child’s provider why they are ordering a test and if it’s really necessary.
Treating Muscular Pain
Muscular back pain will usually get better if your child rests. Using heat and ice treatments can also help soothe the ache.
In the short term, your child might benefit from physical therapy, stretching programs, yoga, or massage treatment. However, these treatments may not help with long-term back pain.
However, your teen might not even realize they are injured, as symptoms can take time to show up.
If they do start to feel pain from the fracture, it will probably feel like a dull ache in the place where the break has occurred. They might also notice that the pain gets worse when they’re moving and feels better when they’re resting.
Types of Stress Fractures
The most common type of spinal stress fracture is called spondylolysis. It’s a bone injury that happens in the back of the spinal column.
The injury is common in adolescents who do sports that involve repeatedly bending backward (hyperextension), such as gymnastics and diving.
If the stress fracture occurs on both sides of the spinal column, it can become unstable. This condition is called spondylolisthesis or a “spinal slip,” and it can cause alignment problems within the backbones (vertebrae).
Teens with this type of fracture may also notice stiffness in their back and legs, which might affect their ability to walk. If the slip is very bad, a teen might start having numbness and tingling in their back or legs.
Will My Child Need Surgery?
Most kids and teens with spondylolysis do not need surgery. Many young patients actually do better with nonsurgical treatments like physical therapy, chiropractic care, and wearing a brace.
Surgery is typically reserved for children with pain that doesn’t go away even after many months of trying other options.
Children with severe slips that lead to loss of spinal alignment may need surgery as well.
Even with treatment, the symptoms of a stress fracture may last into adolescence and young adulthood.
In children, the disc material is very elastic, which helps the spine handle unusual forces. As we get older, the discs lose their elasticity and are more likely to rupture.
However, discs can rupture in a child’s back if they experience excessive forces (like a traumatic injury). Ruptures can also happen if the discs have an abnormal structure.
Symptoms of a disc herniation include:
Leg pain Numbness and tingling in the legs Leg weakness Difficulty bending or straightening the spine
Disc herniations are much less common in children than in adults. However, when they do happen, they can cause serious problems.
Diagnosing and Treating Disc Problems
MRI tests can be helpful to diagnose disc herniation. X-rays, on the other hand, will typically be normal.
Disc herniations can usually be managed without surgery. However, children and adolescents with severe pain or signs of nerve injury may benefit from surgery to relieve pressure on the nerve.
Diagnosing and Treating Infections
Infections of the spinal bones or discs can be hard to diagnose, but there are some key things a provider will look for.
If your child has back pain and any of these symptoms of meningitis, go to the emergency room right away:
High feverStiff neckSevere headacheSensitivity to lightSeizuresVomitingConfusion, behavior changes
Abnormal blood tests showing signs of infection or markers of inflammation will be clues about the cause of your child’s back pain. Imaging tests can be used to help providers figure out where the infection is.
If the infection is caused by bacteria, your child will need to have antibiotics. They may need to get them through an IV instead of by mouth.
Surgery is only considered if the infection has damaged the spinal cord, is not getting better with antibiotics, or other complications develop.
The two most common spinal deformities in children are:
Scoliosis is a deformity that causes an S-shaped curve in the spine. You can see the deformity when you look at your child’s back. Scheuermann’s kyphosis is a condition that causes a sharp bend in the spine. You can see the shape when you look at your child from the side.
A provider can measure the curve of your child’s spine by taking X-ray or MRI images.
Will My Child Need Surgery?
While these two conditions are very different, the treatments are similar. If the deformity is severe, a child may need to wear a back brace.
Surgery is only considered for severe deformities. However, deformity of the spine may remain after surgery, as a full spinal correction can cause more problems than a partial one.
While spinal tumors are a very uncommon cause of back pain in children and teens, a provider may still consider them a possibility.
Some tumors cause a lot of pain, while others may not cause any symptoms.
Treating Spinal Tumors
The treatment for spinal tumors depends on the type of tumor. Even tumors that are not cancer may require surgery because they can lead to spine deformities.
If a child has these symptoms, their provider may want to order tests to look for a tumor.
Cancerous tumors in the spine often need a combination of treatments, including medications, radiation, and surgery.
Muscular injuries, stress fractures, and disc herniations are common reasons that young people have back pain.
Less commonly, serious conditions like spinal infections and tumors can cause back pain in kids. In these cases, there are usually “red flag” symptoms in addition to back pain.
A Word From Verywell
If your child has back pain, it’s natural to be concerned. As their caregiver, you don’t want to see them be uncomfortable or have to miss out on their favorite activities.
That said, most causes of back pain in kids and teens will get better if they take it easy and rest.
However, if your child’s back pain isn’t getting better, is getting worse, or they have other symptoms that are troubling, it’s time to call their provider.
