So, you have dorsalgia.
Maybe your doctor threw this term around, but you’re wondering: “What is dorsalgia?” Or maybe you stumbled on this term on the internet but can’t get a clear definition of “dorsalgia meaning.”
Here at Back Muscle Solutions, it’s our specialty to make complicated terms about back health simple. Sometimes, that’s harder than it sounds. So, please bear with me as I do my best to explain dorsalgia to you.
Dorsalgia means “back pain.”
Whew. That was it.
That wasn't so bad, was it?
No, but actually…dorsalgia is a very easy term to explain because it is something we, as humans, talk about and deal with every day. Back pain. It’s just packaged up in a fancy name.
So, if you’re looking to impress some friends at a cocktail party this weekend, throw in the term “dorsalgia,” and you’ll be sure to turn some heads.
In this article, I’ll break down dorsalgia/back pain. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll have learned 6 clear, actionable steps to take that will take your back from stiff, achy, and sore to strong, bulletproof, and pain-free.
I’ll cover:
- What is Dorsalgia? / Dorsalgia Meaning
- 6 Types of Dorsalgia
- Dorsalgia Causes
- Dorsalgia Symptoms
- Dorsalgia Diagnosis
- Dorsalgia Prevention: 6 Ways to Get Rid of Dorsalgia
- Dorsalgia FAQs
We’ll also talk about our top recommendation to get out of back pain–using the QL Claw, an at-home massage device that provides deep tissue massage and trigger point release right from the comfort of your own home!
Learn more about the QL Claw HERE.
What is Dorsalgia? / Dorsalgia Meaning
First, let’s get nerdy.
Dorsal = back
Algia = pain
Hence, dorsalgia just meaning “back pain.”
So now, let’s add a little nuance to the mix and address the question, “What is dorsalgia?” in more detail.
- Dorsalgia is a catch-all term for several conditions that create back pain–whether it’s to your muscles, bones, nerves, discs, etc.
- Dorsalgia can range from minorly annoying back pain to very irritating pain.
- Dorsalgia can be temporary or chronic.
- Dorsalgia comes in 6 types, and I’ll break them down in the next section.
- Dorsalgia affects people of all ages, races, genders etc.
- Dorsalgia can feel like dull, aching pain or sharp, shooting pain and can vary in severity.
6 Types of Dorsalgia
Now that you’re clear on “dorsalgia meaning,” let’s explore the 6 types of dorsalgia. Each type is based on a different area of the spine. You can determine which type of dorsalgia you have based on where your dorsalgia originates.
- Cervical Dorsalgia: The cervical spine is the neck region of your spine. Neck pain is fairly common, especially in our hunched-over, look-at-your-phone day and age. If you have cervical dorsalgia, you experience neck pain either from an injury or from tension and poor posture.
- Cervicothoracic dorsalgia: The cervicothoracic spine is the place on your back where your neck and back meet. This pain can range from your lower neck to mid back and all the way down to your shoulder blades.
- Thoracic Dorsalgia: The thoracic spine is your mid back–ranging from below your neck to just below your ribs. Mid-back dorsalgia is less common than dorsalgia in your neck or lower back.
- Thoracolumbar Dorsalgia: The thoracolumbar region of your spine refers to the space between your mid back and your lower back/lumbar. This type of dorsalgia refers to if you have back pain both in your middle and lower back.
- Lumbar Dorsalgia: The lumbar spine is the lower part of your spine–spanning from the bottom of your ribs to your butt. Many people can relate to lower back pain, and this is one of the most common types of Dorsalgia because our low backs take a ton of wear and tear from sitting, working out, and pretty much all of our daily activities.
- Lumbosacral Dorsalgia: The lumbosacral spine is the part of your spine spanning from your lower back down to your tailbone. This type of Dorsalgia means you have pain from both your lumbar and sacrum.
Acute or Chronic Dorsalgia
All 6 types of dorsalgia can then be classified into either:
- Acute Dorsalgia
- OR Chronic Dorsalgia
Acute Dorsalgia: Acute Dorsalgia is temporary, and typically only lasts a few days–potentially a few weeks. Acute dorsalgia might stem from a specific event, such as an injury.
Chronic Dorsalgia: Chronic Dorsalgia is back pain that lasts longer than a few months. In some cases, the dorsalgia will dissipate or go away after a few months. In others, dorsalgia is truly a chronic, lifelong condition, such as arthritis. This type of dorsalgia might also start with an injury that then persists into consistent back pain.
Dorsalgia Unspecified
Dorsalgia Unspecified: Lastly, there is dorsalgia unspecified. Dorsalgia unspecified refers to dorsalgia with a mysterious cause or an unspecified location.
What Causes Dorsalgia?
With back pain and dorsalgia as such a common aspect of the human experience, it seems like everybody has their own unique back pain story.
For me, I was moving houses. And I decided to hire the “more affordable” movers that you pay by the hour. I still remember watching the movers taking their sweet time as they transferred my furniture and boxes from one house to the other. And so, I did the only thing I knew to do–I jumped in and helped to move the process along.
A week later, I noticed constant, dull aching in my lower back–to the point where I was pretty much always in discomfort.
And it didn’t go away.
An MRI showed me that I had a bulging disc in my lumbar spine, and it took over a year to resolve.
Chronic dorsalgia.
Our founder, Ben, had a similar story, but his back pain lasted for 4 years–and came from years of playing hockey.
That’s what spurred him to create the massage device that solved his own back pain–the QL Claw–and start Back Muscle Solutions.
Learn more about the QL Claw HERE.
I share these stories here because–whatever your back pain story is–please know you’re not alone.
In fact, up to 23% of adults across the world suffer from chronic lower back pain. [2] And that’s just one of the 6 types of dorsalgia.
Here are some potential causes of dorsalgia. As you read, see if any resonate with you.
Poor Posture
Poor posture is one of the most common causes of dorsalgia. If you’re like me, your day looks a little something like:
- Working at a computer for hours on end
- Checking your phone repeatedly throughout the day
- Some mindless Instagram scrolling
And the truth is, when we perform these tasks, posture is not usually top of mind.
So, if you suspect your dorsalgia might be caused by poor posture, this one’s an easy fix. Working on standing up straighter, maintaining a neutral posture, and even creating an ergonomic workspace are all ways you might experience relief from posture-caused dorsalgia.
Sedentary Lifestyle & Obesity
A sedentary lifestyle can also cause symptoms of dorsalgia to start showing up. Muscles crave activity–including back muscles. But unfortunately, our culture doesn’t always place a ton of emphasis on moving around and getting active.
Obesity often results from a sedentary lifestyle, and when we carry around more weight than needed, it does take a toll on our backs.
Smoking
Smoking reduces blood flow to the spine, which can weaken the discs and other structures in your back. It also slows down healing and can increase the risk of conditions like herniated discs, leading to pain.
Muscle Injury
If you’re an athlete, this should be catching your eye. Lots of athletes experience dorsalgia deriving from a muscle strain or sprain that happens on the field, court, or rink. However, muscle strain or sprain can also happen if you lift something poorly *looking at myself here.*
Many times, muscle injuries like this end up causing herniated discs or bulging discs. Both of these injuries most often happen in the neck and lower back.
Herniated Disc: A herniated disc happens when the soft, jelly-like center of a spinal disc pushes out through a crack in the tougher outer layer, sometimes pressing on nearby nerves.
Bulging Disc: A bulging disc occurs when a spinal disc flattens out and sticks out beyond its usual place, but the outer layer remains intact without any rupture.
Traumatic Injury
This cause of dorsalgia definitely has more potential for longer-lasting, chronic symptoms. Many people experience this type of dorsalgia from an accident at work or a car accident.
Underlying Medical Conditions
In some cases, underlying medical conditions cause the dorsalgia. Some examples of this are:
- Scoliosis
- Arthritis
- Spinal Stenosis
- Degenerative Disc Disease
Symptoms of Dorsalgia
Depending on the cause of your dorsalgia, you may experience varying symptoms. These symptoms can show up in acute or chronic cases.
- Dull, aching back pain
- Sharp or shooting back pain
- Sharp pain in your legs
- Numbness and tingling
- Limited back flexibility
- Limited range of motion
- Difficulty engaging in daily activities
Since dorsalgia is such a broad term, all of these dorsalgia symptoms can vary in intensity levels.
Dorsalgia Diagnosis: What to Expect
Even though back pain is so common, to truly get diagnosed with dorsalgia, you do need to visit your doctor, so they can assess your symptoms.
Here is what you can expect if you seek out the help of a physician for your dorsalgia symptoms:
Questions
Your doctor will ask you important questions to determine your level of pain as well as the potential cause of your dorsalgia. Your doctor may ask you:
- Where do you mostly experience the back pain?
- How would you rate the pain on a pain scale?
- How would you describe the pain?
- What measures have you already taken to help with the pain?
- Do you smoke?
- How active are you?
- Do you have any underlying health conditions that could be a contributing factor?
- Do you have a family history of back pain?
Physical Evaluation
Your doctor will also assess your physical condition through a physical examination. During the exam, your doctor will most likely check to see your flexibility and range of motion. If needed, further measures will be taken to assess your back pain.
Imaging Tests
I already mentioned that I needed an MRI to determine that a bulging disc was the cause of my own dorsalgia. Often, doctors need to see images through an X-ray or MRI before they can move forward with a plan to make your back better.
Electromyography (EMG)
If your doctor suspects nerve damage, as opposed to muscle damage, they may perform neurological testing like an EMG. An EMG is a test that measures the electrical signals in your muscles to see how well they’re working. It helps doctors figure out if there’s a problem with the nerves controlling your muscles.
Treatment for Your Dorsalgia
When it comes to treating your dorsalgia, you can talk with your doctor about which option is right based on the symptoms and the causes.
Medication
Some doctors will prescribe over-the-counter medication to help with back pain. This can be helpful in some milder cases. Of course, if you don’t want to always have to take medication, there are other options as well.
Chiropractics & Physical Therapy
There’s a classic debate between chiropractics and physical therapy and which one works. Some people prefer one over the other, and if you have dorsalgia, you can decide which option works for you.
Chiropractors: Chiropractors focus on adjusting the spine and other joints to help with pain, improve movement, and support the body’s natural healing process. They often use hands-on techniques to align the spine and relieve pressure on nerves.
Physical Therapists: Physical therapists help people recover from injuries, surgeries, or chronic pain by guiding them through exercises, stretches, and other treatments. They focus on improving strength, flexibility, and overall function so you can move and feel better.
Massage
The truth is: Our founder, Ben, tried all types of fixes for his back, but it wasn’t until he found deep tissue massage that he experienced actual lasting relief for his dorsalgia.
There are, in fact, 5 muscles that tend to cause major lower back pain. And even though dorsalgia is so common, most people don’t even know about these muscles.
When you get a deep tissue massage, your masseuse can perform trigger point therapy and myofascial release for these muscles, which will, in turn, relax and put less pressure on your spine and discs.
Anti-Inflammatory Injections
There are times when your muscles just won’t calm down–no matter what you do to help. In those cases, your doctor may prescribe an anti-inflammatory injection, which would be administered to the area of pain.
Then, once the injection signals to your muscles that they can calm down, oftentimes, long-term healing for the dorsalgia can take place.
Surgery
This option is for the most severe cases because it’s obviously the most invasive. Your doctor may recommend surgery depending on your specific situation.
Some common surgeries used to help dorsalgia are:
Spinal Fusion: Spinal fusion is a surgery where two or more bones in your spine are permanently connected to stop them from moving. This helps stabilize the spine and can reduce pain caused by conditions like severe arthritis or a slipped disc.
Discectomy: Discectomy is a surgery to remove part or all of a damaged spinal disc that’s pressing on a nerve. This helps relieve pain, numbness, or weakness caused by the nerve being pinched.
Dorsalgia Prevention: 6 Ways to Get Rid of Dorsalgia
If you’re reading this and…
- Your dorsalgia has only just started, and you want to stop it in its tracks
- Or if you've healed from dorsalgia want to make sure it never happens again…
…here are 6 ways you can prevent dorsalgia that you can start today!
1. Get Active!
If your day looks like going from your bed, to your work desk, to your couch, it may be time to add in some activity. Adding exercise to your routine can be a very practical way to help your dorsalgia.
For me, I started working with a personal trainer to help strengthen my core, my back, and the rest of my body. This was a huge part of my healing journey, and it helped ensure that–next time I accidentally lift something a bit too heavy–my back might be able to take it.
2. Stop Smoking
As we mentioned, smoking can increase back pain by limiting blood flow and slowing down your healing process. Removing this habit can help prevent dorsalgia.
3. Lose the Weight
This goes hand-in-hand with being active. When you lose extra weight, your back takes less daily strain.
4. Fix Your Posture
If poor posture is the leading contributor to your dorsalgia, this one’s easy to fix. Check out some of our resources on how to correct posture below:
“How Can Poor Posture Result In Back Pain?”
“What’s the Most Important Benefit of Maintaining a Neutral Posture?”
“Posture Correction Exercises”
“Easy Upper Back Posture Correction Exercises Using Just A Stick And A Wall”
“This Posture Routine Is Fixing My Shoulders & Neck”
5. Watch How You Lift
Don’t make the mistake I did of lifting more than your back can handle–or lifting with improper form. Keeping your back in neutral spine–not rounded–while you lift is so important. You also want to make sure you lift from your legs and not your back.
6. Get a Massage
Getting regular massages plays a huge role in healing from dorsalgia, because massage signals to your muscles that they can relax, which in turn, causes less pain.
The problem is–going regularly for massages can really break the bank.
That’s why I recommend our at-home lower back massage device: The QL Claw. This is the device our founder, Ben created.
He got frustrated that there was no tool out there that could massage all 5 muscles that tend to defer pain to our lower backs. And he used that frustration to drive his creativity in making the QL Claw.
Unlike any other tool on the market, the QL Claw is designed to provide deep tissue massage to your:
- Quadratus Lumborum (QL)
- Iliacus
- Psoas
- Glute Medius
- Piriformis
- 6. And as a bonus, your TFL as well!
Buy the QL Claw once, and you have access to an at-home massage that will release trigger points and help prevent back muscle pain from dorsalgia.
Learn more about the QL Claw HERE.
More Dorsalgia Resources
Fixing muscles that cause back pain is what we do here at Back Muscle Solutions.
If you’re interested in more resources to help your Dorsalgia, check out our two back training programs to get a healthier, stronger, more bullet-proof back!
Lower Back Strengthening Program - Back Of Steel 2.0
This program includes training principles, exercises, anatomy references, and actual regimens to help strengthen your lower back!
Lower Back Flexibility Program - Flexible Back 2.0
This program includes stretching exercises, principles, frequencies, and regimens to achieve a more flexible lower back!
Dorsalgia FAQs
What does dorsalgia mean?
Dorsalgia is just a broad term that means “back pain.”
Can dorsalgia be cured?
Dorsalgia can be cured in some cases through physical exercise, massage, and even surgery.
What is the difference between low back pain and dorsalgia?
Lower back pain is a type of dorsalgia called Lumbar Dorsalgia–which literally just means “lower back pain.”
What are the 6 types of dorsalgia?
The six types of dorsalgia are
- Cervical Dorsalgia
- Cervicothoracic Dorsalgia
- Thoracic Dorsalgia
- Thoracolumbar Dorsalgia
- Lumbar Dorsalgia
- Lumbosacral Dorsalgia
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562204
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538173/
[3] Davies, Clair, and Amber Davies. The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief. 3rd ed., New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 2013.
[4] Donnelly, Joseph M. Travell, Simons & Simons Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: the Trigger Point Manual. 3rd ed., Wolters Kluwer Health, 2019.