There are many causes of spinal pain. Mild spinal pain is usually caused by irritation of the muscles and tendons, overwork and overstretching of the spine. Usually, after the patient rests for a period of time, the pain in the spine will gradually decrease, especially when moving around. In addition, some very severe spinal pain is caused by spinal nerve irritation and pulling resulting in nerve pain. This is usually caused by the spinal cord being irritated by compression of the intervertebral foramina. Some tumors may cause pain in the spine.