The findings of a recently published survey indicate that 80 percent of adults in the United States will suffer from back pain during their lifetime. This survey confirms what other studies have shown: back pain is a major cause of visits to physicians and of people not being able to work.

In America, back pain is so prevalent that the only neurological ailment that is more common is the headache. It's not hard to see why: 4 in 5 people have suffered from it at some point.

These are frightening statistics, yet there are many people who ignore back pain and do not worry about it at all. There is a good reason for this. It's most common to get an acute form of it, which typically lasts between a few days and several weeks. The treatment for this kind of back pain is a combination of exercise, rest, pain medications, hot or cold compression, and analgesics.

The problem, however, is that while the majority of back pain cases are acute, and don't last long, there are some rare instances in which such pain could be that of the chronic variety. Chronic pain in the back is a matter of great concern because it can indicate that there are other problems in the body. These can be more serious and might need attention from medical professionals immediately. One of these conditions is known as kidney back pain. It's a sign that there is a problem in the kidneys.

How can you tell if back pain is related to kidney infection?

A variety of ways exist to determine whether the back pain is normal" or an indication of kidney problems. The most common one is to figure out where the pain originates.

It can be difficult to do so because people who suffer from kidney back pain might feel as though their entire body is consumed by pain. The problem can be solved, however, by focusing on the location of the pain, rather than the feeling that it causes. Doing so will enable you to pinpoint the source fairly quickly.

If the pain comes from the part of the back where the kidneys are, then this is a sign that you might have this problem. Try to concentrate on your spine's sides, particularly the place right over your hips. If it turns out that the pain is coming from there, it is likely that it is related to some sort of kidney infection.

But can't there be kinds of kidney back pain unrelated to infection?

This is true. It is also possible that kidney back pain resulted from a trauma or injured kidneys, and not the infection of this organ. To determine whether the pain is related to injury, check for tenderness in the part of your hips near the kidneys. If you've been injured in this area, the organs could also be damaged. It's for that reason that we often hear about a kidney punch".