Deadly Back Pain vs. Muscle Strain — Know the Difference #HealthEducation

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]On Saturday, we talked about when that back pain warrants that you call 911 and get to the ER. Some people wanted to know the difference [music] between a muscle strain that happens after lifting something heavy and an aortic dissection. These are the key differences. With a muscle [music] strain, that back pain is worse with movement. It gets better when you rest, and you can usually find a comfortable position where it doesn't hurt that much. But, for back pain caused by aortic dissection, that pain is constant. It is severe. They would usually describe it as the worst back pain of their lives. There [music] is no position that makes it better. It is constant. And often [clears throat] times, there was no kind of injury that you would say caused it.