Your doctor will examine your back to determine where the pain is, what degree of motion you have without pain and whether you have muscle spasms.

You may also undergo several procedures as your doctor diagnoses back pain:

• X-ray. These images show the alignment of your bones, whether you have degenerative joint disease and whether you have a tumor.

• Myelography. A special dye injected into your spinal canal allows a herniated disk or other lesions to show up on X-rays.

• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scans. These scans can generate images that may reveal herniated disks or problems with bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and blood vessels.

• Bone scan. You'll receive an injection of a radioactive substance (tracer) into a vein. Using a special camera, your doctor may be able to detect bone tumors or compression fractures caused by osteoporosis.

• Electrodiagnostic studies. Studying your nerve conduction pathways can confirm nerve compression caused by herniated disks or narrowing of your spinal canal (spinal stenosis). Electrodiagnosis measures how long it takes for an electrical charge to move from a needle in your spine to a needle in your leg.