What does it mean to throw your back out? does it just mean that you hurt your back and can't move or something else?

When : When people say that they have 'thrown their back out, ' what they really mean is while performing a specific activity (such as gardening, twisting, sneezing, or bending) they experienced an onset of severe back pain. The fact is, 'throwing your back out' is a figure of speech. While there are several causes of this sudden back pain (for example: muscle spasm, arthritis, pinched nerve or a herniated disk), this sudden pain actually remain a mystery. The condition of back pain can be treated in many ways including chiropractic care (patients often experience rapid improvement), pain injections, physical therapy, otc medications, massage and surgical intervention. Each person's pain experience is very personal and differs from person to person. Your doctor can help you determine the specific cause of the back pain (via xray, ct, mri) and prescribe a treatment regimen that will work for you. In the meantime, some things you can do to promote back health is to work towards a healthy weight, lose excess weight, wear comfortable/supportive shoes, ensure your work area/computer is ergonomic and promotes good posture, stretch and exercise regularly and go easy on your back and use good technique when lifting (bend at knees, not the hip).

This expression: usually refers to a strain/sprain related to lifting or using back for other heavy duty job. It sometimes means an actual "slippage" of one of the lumbar veterbra. It comes from a chiropractic concept that a temporary disturbance in the alignment of the veterbrae has occurred requiring "adjustment" of the back manually! Hope this is helpful! Dr Z