Back and neck pain: Overview

Woman with back pain

Pain in the back

Pain can occur anywhere down the back:1

  • Pain in the region between the base of the neck to the bottom of the ribcage is classified as upper and middle back pain
  • Pain between the bottom of the ribcage and top of the legs is known as lower back pain

Back pain affects most people at some point in their lives. Lower back pain is a particularly common problem in need of a solution.1

The underlying causes of back pain can be difficult to uncover, but effective symptomatic relief is available.

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Back pain is highly prevalent 

Back and neck pain can be disabling

Graphic of a person with altering mood

Back and neck pain can negatively affect a person's day-to-day life

Around 80% of people with back pain, lower back pain or neck pain report a significant impact of their pain on their day-to-day lives.4

Lower back pain is estimated as the most disabling condition in the world6, and such body pain negatively impacts people’s mood and self-esteem, and makes people feel older than they are. Despite this, many people are not aware of the source of their pain.4,5

Meet Laura and Riya

Laura

Laura

Laura, 32, is an active mother who loves to take her children swimming.

Recently, she hurt her back and cannot do as much with her family as she used to. She is having difficulty bending, twisting and reaching, which makes caring for two young children more challenging than ever.

Laura needs a solution that offers rapid relief from her back pain.

She explains, “I want my back pain to go away, so I can get back to enjoying life!”

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Riya

Riya

Riya, 48, works as a shop assistant in a large grocery store.

She spends most of her working day on her feet and has recently been experiencing aches and twinges in her back. 

Riya needs a solution that offers effective relief from back pain.

“I’m on my feet a lot, so I need a treatment that can help me stay that way,” she describes.

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Understanding back pain

Causes icon

Causes

Find out about the causes of back pain.

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Signs and symptoms

Find out how to recognise back pain and when to refer patients.

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Management icon

Management

Learn how back pain can be managed.

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Voltaren Rapid 25

Voltaren Rapid 25

Unlike non-NSAID pain killers that treat pain only, diclofenac, the active ingredient in Voltaren Rapid 25 has a dual action – it treats pain and reduces inflammation to help manage strong pain, such as back pain.7,12

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Voltaren Emulgel with No Mess Applicator

Voltaren Emulgel with No Mess Applicator for strains and sprains8

Relieves muscle pain and reduces inflammation. 9-11

The No Mess Applicator enables targeted, effective pain relief straight from the tube to the point of pain, without messy fingers.

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Educational resource

Educational resources

Access detailed clinical information about pain.

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