An accident is the only obvious cause of severe back pain. It is possible that a vertebra or a bone in the pelvic girdle has fractured following a fall, and the chances of such an adverse event are high for older women with osteoporosis. Soft tissue injury in the areas can also cause inflammation and resulting pain. Any undue swelling in the abdomen also refers pain to the back. All women, especially those who are expecting, are vulnerable to these kinds of referred pain, which afflict the back though their root causes lie elsewhere in the body. People and care givers can generally guess the probable reasons for unbearable pain in these obvious circumstances.

Sudden onset of severe back pain, especially if it occurs following a jerky movement of the lower body, could indicate a displacement of the connective tissue between vertebrae. Lifting a suitcase, a pile of text books, or picking up any other weighty object without bending the knees, are examples of carelessness, which can leave one immobilized in pain. Even coughing or sneezing in a bent position can lead to this kind of acute discomfort. The bony vertebrae are separated by cushions of cartilage, and a slight displacement, which may also involve a nerve fiber, will have a victim crying out in pain.

Severe back pain can also be due to displacements of nerve fibers, clots in blood vessels, or due to infections inside the spinal cord. Lay people cannot detect these causes, but a doctor may suspect them on clinical examination, and confirm suspicions through tests. Some degree of symptomatic relief is possible, but managing the basic cause can require prolonged treatment, and can involve complications as well. This is why every case of acute pain needs professional medical attention. However, it can take time to reach an Emergency Room, and there are places where medical help may not be available within a reasonable period of time, so awareness of steps that can be taken until help arrives, can save on both acute discomfort and later complications.

First Aid for Severe Back Pain

It is best to lie still on a hard surface until a victim of severe back pain can be conveyed to an Emergency Room. A conscious person may try to swallow pain killers which do not require prescriptions, and a balm can be applied if the person is able to expose the affected area. However, it is important for doctors to have details of all first-aid medication before they start treatment, since what ever they may decide to administer could react with other drugs in the system. The back should be immobilized to the extent possible if a victim has to be moved before trained and equipped emergency workers arrive on the scene, though it is best to wait patiently and be completely still.