ปวดหลัง

Explanation

This expression combines ปวด, “to ache or hurt,” with หลัง, “back,” giving the literal sense “the back aches.” It functions as a stative verb, so ฉันปวดหลัง directly means “My back hurts”; เป็น is not needed. When referring to back pain as a symptom, Thai commonly uses อาการปวดหลัง, “back pain,” or มีอาการปวดหลัง, “to have symptoms of back pain.” It is a neutral, everyday expression that is also appropriate in medical settings.

Usage

It is commonly used to report back pain after sitting for a long time, lifting something heavy, exercising, or similar activities. It is also appropriate when describing symptoms at a hospital, pharmacy, or massage shop. The location can be specified with phrases such as ปวดหลังส่วนบน, “have upper-back pain,” or ปวดหลังส่วนล่าง, “have lower-back pain.”

Caution

ปวดหลัง describes the symptom but does not identify its cause. Here หลัง means the body part “back,” not “behind” or “after.” To specify pain in the lower-back or waist area, ปวดเอว or ปวดหลังส่วนล่าง is clearer.

1 have back pain synonyms

• ปวดเอว

  pùat eew have lower-back pain

  ปวดเอว specifically refers to pain around the waist or lower-back area. ปวดหลัง has a broader range and can refer to the back generally, including the lower back in some contexts.

• เจ็บหลัง

  เจ็บหลัง also means that the back hurts and is readily used for pain caused by an injury, movement, or contact. ปวดหลัง is especially common for describing an ongoing or aching pain as a physical symptom.