The most common causes of back pain can be age-dependent:
Younger kids don't put their spine under the same severe stresses as adults or older children. Thus, most back pain or discomfort in younger children tends to be short-lived. Also, younger children tend to choose not to repeat painful activities, which helps in their recovery if back pain does occur.
If the back pain persists in a younger child despite a lack of re-injury, a further work-up and medical examination may be indicated to rule-out the greater concern of a serious condition, such as a spinal tumor, growth, or an infection of the spine.
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Older kids and teenages are typically more aggressive in their sports and activities, thereby increasing the risk of injury to the nerves, soft tissues and bones.
Compression fractures and disc injuries are more common in older kids and teenages. Older pediatric patients also can injure the joints between vertebral bones, causing painful stress injuries. Only very rarely do the nerve roots become compromised in older children.
For most injuries and episodes of back pain, the back pain treatment of choice is usually a short period of rest with an eye towards developing and maintaining physical conditioning.
Tumors and infection of the spine may occur in teens, but it is more common for back pain in teens to be caused by sports injuries or overuse syndromes.