[toc]Lower back pain remains one of the commonest reasons, for which individuals of both the gender visit the doctor’s clinic in today’s scenario.
The lower back consists of vertebrae of spine, ligaments and muscles and injury of any of these or intervertebral discs, present between two vertebrae, results in back pain. The risks become more profound for the people with poor posture, excess weight or weak abdominal muscles and weak back.
Important Causes Of Low Back Pain
Most of the times, it is very difficult to identify the cause for back pain as it could be the result of many factors affecting the back. But, still some causes are considered more prominent than the rest.
Overweight
The excess weight of body puts strain over the spinal disc and muscle while performing each act and over a prolonged period will result in injury to the intervertebral discs, resulting in lower back pain. Moreover, the use of poor or bad posture gradually deforms the spine and puts an undue pressure over them that can result in slipped discs. During pregnancy, the increased body mass, increase of muscle mass, change in ligament firmness or head pressure from the baby may lead to compression of spinal nerves in mother, causing the lower back pain.
Muscle Or Ligament Strain
Muscle or ligament strains are the most common cause of low back pain. When back pain happens all of a sudden, it is the result of a sprained ligament, muscle tear or trouble with the spinal disc. One can even have a slipped disc, when an intense pressure causes the disc to get rupture or bulge out, pushing away the cartilage to the sides. The shifting of cartilage put pressure over the nerves of the spinal cord, resulting in intense pain.
Joint Or Bone Problems
Various bone or joint disorders like osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, ankylosing spondylitis, spinal stenosis and fibromyalgia may also lead to back pain. These disorders majorly affect the ligament firmness and muscle strength associated with the specific joint or bone that in turn pressurizes the spinal vertebrae, causing pain.
Uncommon Causes Of Lower Back Pain
Certain medical problems like gallbladder disease, pneumonia, stomach problems and kidney infections may also result in lower back pain, where there is no direct injury to the back. Still the back pain may appear due to infection of spine or tumors in form of a secondary pain termed as ‘referred pain’.
Major Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is itself a symptom of certain underlying injury or disease. The kind of pain one experiences will depend on whether is of mild or sever form, periodic or chronic form. The pain can appear as aching, throbbing, stabbing and deep rooted one. The pain may radiate to different parts of the body like originating from back down to the leg.
Severe Pain At Morning Or Night
At times, pain is most severe at mornings but gets reduced with stretching and movement. Such pain is an indication of muscle injury. For those, whose lower back become worst at night and are not decreased through exercises, it can be the signal of pain due to bone problem or disease of some other organ.
Radiating Pain Deep Down To The Leg
The lower back pain that radiates down one or both of the legs is the symptom of sciatica. When some spinal nerve or sciatic nerve is compressed, it causes increased pain on straining, sneezing and coughing. One may also observe difficulty raising the leg, while keeping the leg straight. The possible underlying cause for such painful symptoms could be a slipped disc.
