Somatic pain is a pain in the muscles, bones, or soft tissues. Visceral pain is pain that comes from your blood vessels and internal organs. Somatic or muscle pain is intense and fairly easy to pinpoint. This is because the soft tissues have many nerves that detect pain.   Internal pain is more difficult to identify because the organs do not have as many nerves that detect pain. Internal pain can be vague or have an aching feeling.   If you can connect your back pain to a specific activity or event and the pain goes away in a few days after resting and applying ice, it is probably muscle pain. If the pain comes on gradually or doesn’t go away it may require medical attention. If your pain doesn’t go away, the problem may be serious.   Some things that you will want to keep in mind when dealing with back pain are the following: - If your pain is a sharp pain, then it is probably a torn muscle or ligament. It could be an issue with an organ in the back or side. - If you have pain that shoots out to the buttocks or legs, this could be caused by nerve compression and would require medical help. - If you have weakness in the legs, it could be caused by spinal compression and will need medical attention. - Back pain that is present with the loss of bladder or bowel control will require medical attention. - If you feel pins and needles or numbness in the groin or buttocks, this is a sign of serious nerve damage or a spine condition.   If you have incontinence, weakness, and numbness at the same time, you might have cauda equina syndrome. This is a serious condition characterized by nerve damage and is a medical emergency.