This article will review the possible causes of back pain in teens and younger children.
Youll also learn the warning signs that indicate its time to call your childs provider.
Muscular Pain
Muscular back pain is the most common reason for back pain in children and adolescents.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
They might say their back aches or feels sore and tender.
This kind of back pain is often frommuscle strainsand ligament strains, as well as overuse.
Kids who play intense, year-round sports are particularly at risk for these injuries.
If your child does not have other symptoms, your provider probably wont order these tests.
Dont hesitate to ask your childs provider why they are ordering a test and if its really necessary.
Treating Muscular Pain
Muscular back pain will usually get better if your child rests.
Usingheat and icetreatments can also help soothe the ache.
However, these treatments may not help with long-term back pain.
Stress Fractures
Stress fracturesin the spine are common causes of back pain in adolescents.
They might also notice that the pain gets worse when theyre moving and feels better when theyre resting.
Types of Stress Fractures
The most common bang out of spinal stress fracture is calledspondylolysis.
Its a bone injury that happens in the back of the spinal column.
If the stress fracture occurs on both sides of the spinal column, it can become unstable.
This condition is calledspondylolisthesisor a spinal slip, and it can cause alignment problems within thebackbones(vertebrae).
If the slip is very bad, a teen might start havingnumbness and tinglingin 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 likephysical therapy,chiropracticcare, and wearing a brace.
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.
Disc Problems
Adisc herniationof the spine shows up when the soft cushion between two vertebrae is ruptured.
The disc material is squeezed out and can push against the nerves and spinal cord.
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.
Ruptures can also happen if the discs have an abnormal structure.
Symptoms of a disc herniation include:
Disc herniations are much less common in children than in adults.
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.
Spine Infections
Toddlers, children, and adolescents can get infections that involve their spines.
Spinal Meningitis
One of the most serious infections of the spine ismeningitis.
It can be due to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other germs.
Meningitis that is sparked by bacteria is a medical emergency.
Abnormal blood tests showingsigns of infectionormarkers of inflammationwill be clues about the cause of your childs back pain.
Imaging tests can be used to help providers figure out where the infection is.
If the infection is brought on by bacteria, your child will need to haveantibiotics.
They may need to get themthrough an IVinstead of by mouth.
Alignment Problems
If your childs spinal alignment is abnormal, it can cause back pain.
It may change how your childs back looks as well.
Sometimes, the deformities are easy to see but dont cause pain.
While these two conditions are very different, the treatments are similar.
If the deformity is severe, a child may need towear a back brace.
Surgery is only considered for severe deformities.
Some tumors cause a lot of pain, while others may not cause any symptoms.
If a child has these symptoms, their provider may want to order tests to look for a tumor.
Treating Spinal Tumors
The treatment forspinal tumorsdepends on the throw in of tumor.
Even tumors that are not cancerous may require surgery because they can lead to spine deformities.
Cancerous tumors in the spineoften need a combination of treatments, including medications, radiation, and surgery.
Treating a Kidney Infection
A urine sample is needed to diagnose a UTI in a child.
If your child is diagnosed with a UTI, they will need to take antibiotics right away.
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 apulled muscle, back pain can also have a more serious cause.
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 other red flag symptoms in addition to back pain.
A Word From Verywell
If your child has back pain, its natural to be concerned.
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