term for “bad jerk in the back”

[Tom]

Hi

Could you please inform me about the correct term for the bad jerk or jolt that we sometimes get in our backs? It usually happens while we are lifting weight or stand up suddenly from a sitting position.

1- She got a painful ______________in her back while lifting the suitcase.

Tom

[Pamela]

Do you mean lumbago, Tom?

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

Neither jerk nor jolt sound good to me. Deciding on the most appropriate word(s), however, depends on the type of pain.

If the pain is sudden and severe and also fairly localized, you might describe it as a 'stabbing pain', a 'sharp pain' or a 'shooting pain'.

Lumbago is a medical condition (usually with pain the lower back and legs, I think) and doesn't fit your sentence.

Amy

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

You might try 'twinge'.

A
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[Tom]

Many thanks, Amy and Alan.

I am very grateful for all the selfless help and cooperation from your side.

Further to all that discussion regarding back and twinge, could you please tell me which of the following sentences would you go for?

1- While lifting the heavy suitcase, she got a terrible twinge in her back.
2- While lifting the heavy suitcase, she got a terrible cramp in her back.
3- While lifting the heavy suitcase, she strained her back badly.
4- While lifting the heavy suitcase, she got a terrible catch in her back.

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

I might go for 1,2 or 3 but not 4. However, 3 indicates an injury which will probably take some time to heal. Of course there is probably pain with the injury, but the focus is on injury rather than pain.

Both sentences 1 and 2 refer to pain or discomfort which might be only temporary and there may be no real injury.

Cramps occur most frequently in arms and legs and normally pass quickly. The pain they produce can range from slight to severe.

Amy

[Pamela]

Hi Amy and Alan
I meant lumbago not to be in the cloze test(anyway, it refers to loin and has another underlying cause).I doubted the proper usage of ‘jerk’ and ‘jolt’ in the sentence. I wanted to write ‘pang’ first but presence of the ‘painful’ really makes the sentence pleonastic and unnatural. Do you agree with me? Can I use the word(like 'twinge') in Tom's sentence with 'terrible'?

P.S. Alan variant seems excellent to me.