Your back is not broken.

It is sending a message you were never taught to read.

If your scan came back "normal" and you are still in pain, you are not imagining it, and you are not being dramatic. Getting handed a clean MRI and no explanation is one of the most common experiences in chronic back pain.

That gap is the entire reason this site exists.

Body Translator takes one question at a time and answers it directly: what is probably driving this, how to test it yourself at home, and when to stop guessing and see a clinician.

Where to start

• New here? Read [Start Here](/start-here/) first — what this site does, and what it refuses to do.
• Back pain right now? Get the free [7-Day Back Check](/checklist/) — seven self-checks to run before you spend another dollar on cushions, belts or gadgets.

Most "back pain" is one of two different problems

They feel similar. They get treated the same way. That is why so many fixes fail.

Pain that travels. It goes down the buttock, into the leg, sometimes with numbness or pins and needles, and it is often worse after sitting. This points toward a disc or nerve-root pattern.

Pain that shifts with load. It stays central or moves side to side, and it changes with how you sit, stand, or load one side. This points toward a pelvis and rotation pattern.

You do not need to fix everything. You need to find the one or two that are actually yours.

The free checklist is built to tell you which of the two you are closest to.

What this is not

This site is educational content. It is not a diagnosis, it is not treatment, and it does not replace a licensed clinician. Every page states where its claims come from and where the safety line sits.