It is not uncommon to hear somone say “my back went out” but the question is “where did it go and when will it be back?” So what does that exactly mean?

As commonly as this phrase is used bt people, very few people can offer a viable explanation for its underlying meaning. To me, it just means it was easier for the doctor to come up with some quick, commonly used phrase than to take the time to explain to the patient what is actually wrong with them. It is just easier and faster to say, “Your hip is way out,” or “You have tendonitis.”

If your hip or your back actually went “out,” you would have a medical emergency on your hands and you would more than likely be in an emergency room under sedation or on an operating table. So what does this actually mean? Saying that your back “went out” is a generic phrase commonly used when you experience acute back pain or a level of back pain that prevents you from functioning as you would normally. There are many conditions or incidents that can cause the back to “go out”: generalized weakness, sprains, degenerative conditions such as arthritis, degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, etc. So if your back goes out, you shouldn’t settle for an answer such as “Your L4 is out” or “You threw your back out.” You should press your health care provider or a more sound cause of your back pain based on the regional anatomy and the current state of scientific evidence. For the most part, when we experience pain, there is an anatomical and physiological reason for the pain. As a health care provider, it is my job to figure out what that cause is and do my best to explain it to the patient. My experience has been that when I can do a good job explaining the patient’s condition and they have a good understanding of the problem, they are more compliant with treatment and are more dedicated to following through with home care recommendations. This usually leads to a better outcome.