Back pain is one of the most debilitating and chronic ailments affecting 8 out of 10 individuals at some point in their lives. Lower back pain is not a disease, but is a symptom occurring from variety of different conditions and processes. Most of the lower back pain causes are combination of muscle strain, overuse and injury. The lower back provides the movement, structural support and protection to certain body tissues.
Common Lower Back Pain Causes
The pain that is felt in the back can arise from other organs, and this is called referred pain. Many intra-abdominal disorders such as aneurysms, appendicitis, bladder infections, kidney diseases, ovarian disorders and pelvic infections, among others are the common lower back pain causes.
Stretching injury to the tendons, ligaments or the muscles of the lower back is called lumbar strain, and this results in the microscopic tears in these tissues. Lumbar strain is one of the most common lower back pain causes.
The injury can be caused due to improper use, overuse, or trauma. Lumbar strain is more common among people over the age of 40, and can cause the localized discomfort and pain depending on the severity of strain.
Nerve irritation is yet another common lower back pain cause, and the nerves of lumbar spine can get irritated by any disease of mechanical impingement. These conditions include bony encroachment, lumbar disc disease and inflammation of nerves due to viral infection.
When the discs between vertebrae are damaged, they cause the irritation in the nerve, known as lumbar radiculopathy. The disc can get damaged due to traumatic injury, degeneration of outer ring of the disc or both. This causes disc to rupture, and the pain can shoot down the leg. The pain increases with the movement, coughing or sneezing.
Bone and joint conditions can also be the leading lower back pain causes. These conditions could be existing from birth, from inflammation of the joints, result of the wear and tear or injury. Arthritis can affect the sacroiliac joints and lower back, and can cause the pain. Some of the other lower back pain causes include kidney problems, ovary problems, pregnancy, and tumors. Paget’s disease of the bone, cartilage or spinal bone infection, infection or bleeding in the pelvis, shingles, and aneurysm of aorta are some of the uncommon lower back pain causes.
In the past, doctors used to prescribe the bed rest for lower back pain relief, however, now it is known that this advice is not good. Staying in bed for more than few hours can make the pain worse, so you should start moving around as soon as you can. Try to carry out the normal activities, but avoid anything that might cause too much pain.
