Chronic lumbar strain

For a lay person:

Chronic lumbar strain is long-lasting aching in the muscles and soft tissues of the lower back, often from posture, repetitive work or an injury that did not fully heal. The pain usually worsens with prolonged sitting, standing or bending and eases with rest and changing position. It is very common in working-age adults.

For a trained medical person:

Persistent non-specific low back pain attributed to cumulative overload of the lumbar paraspinal muscles, fascia and ligaments, usually lasting more than 12 weeks and influenced by deconditioning and psychosocial factors. Diagnosis is clinical after excluding red flags and radicular or inflammatory causes; imaging is reserved for specific indications. First-line care is exercise therapy and physiotherapy, education and staying active, with manual therapy, acupuncture or psychological approaches as adjuncts and cautious short-term analgesia.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Kidney Deficiency; Kidney Yang Deficiency; Kidney Yin Deficiency; Kidney Deficiency with Cold-Damp; Blood Stasis. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: See a doctor if back pain is getting worse, spreads down a leg with numbness or weakness, or comes with weight loss, fever or night pain. Seek urgent care for numbness around the groin or loss of bladder or bowel control.