I just started having some low back pain in the last few days. Is there any way to tell how long this will last?

Not exactly but there are some guidelines that might help you. Some studies report 90 percent of patients with acute low back pain recover within 72 hours (3 days). Other patients take a little longer and recover within two to four weeks.

In a small number of people, recovery never occurs. Chronic back pain becomes a major problem. Factors linked with nonrecovery include age over 45, two or more neurologic signs, and depression.

Many studies agree that psychosocial factors seem to be the strongest predictor of outcome for patients with back pain. Depression, distress, work-related issues, and emotional factors seem to play a major role in long-term back pain.