Back pain is common to many people. You may be wondering about its causes. The causes are many including the daily activities that you may engage in. The lower back is the one that bears the most weight in your body, which subjects it to pains due to stress and fatigue. This is even more so in overweight or obese persons.
The following is a list of factors that leads to lower back pain. They include:
Injury to the Muscles, Joints or Ligaments in the Lower Vertebrae and Back
This can occur due to different activities that you are involved in. For example if you engage in an exercise during the day you may accidentally injure the muscles around the lower back. Joints at the lower back may be strained during various activities leading to acute pain in the lower back. This is especially when the connecting discs and vertebrae found near the lower back are strained; they may be misaligned which triggers severe pains that may require medical attention.
Pressure Increase on the Nerve Roots Leading to Low Back Pain
They can lead to chronic low back pains. The pains can make you be less productive or even completely redundant especially if your job involves lifting heavy loads. The abnormal pressure increase is caused by various complications as follows:
Herniated disc – This is brought about by repeated vibrations in the lower back or even twisting motion. This is common during sport activities. Lifting a machine the wrong way can also initiate the condition. Sometimes you may incur sudden strain on the lower back after you are frightened by certain unexpected occurrence like entrance of someone without a knock. By turning quickly, you may create increased pressure on the lower back.
Osteoarthritis – This condition is mainly prevalent in older people. It affects the proper functioning of the small joints of the spine. This can lead to low back pains. Osteoarthritis can affect other joints in your body, for example the hips. This will affect your posture and the way you walk which greatly contributes to low back pain as the pressure will tend to increase in the area accelerating the condition.
Spondylolisthesis – This is a defect that is responsible for your vertebrae sliding over the other. This will restrain you from making movements apart from causing pains to your low back due to accumulated pressure in the area. This is a serious condition and can be corrected after seeking professional assistance from qualified medical practitioners.
Spinal Stenosis – This is a condition that leads to narrowing in the spinal canal. A condition common to older people, it leads to increased pressure on the lower back of the elderly. It is the major cause of back pains that seniors mostly complain about.
Fractures in the Vertebrae – This is usually caused by sudden exertion of force on the vertebrae. The force may be due to the a number of instances. For example, accidents such as falling off a bicycle, during fighting where someone lands a blow on your spine, falling down from a low height where you land on your buttocks or your head will cause fractures to the vertebrae that will contribute to pain in your lower back.
Spinal Deformities – There are various deformities of the spine that can contribute to the situation. They are mostly curvature deformities. They include severe kyphosis or scoliosis.
Compression Fractures – This is the major cause of pains in the lower back that most women who are post menopausal complain about. Women usually affected with this condition are those with osteoporosis. Both men and women can be affected by back pains arising from compression fractures especially if they have been under the long-term use of corticosteroid. It is so serious that even a light force such as that of a sneeze may subject the spine to a compression fracture, hence leading to low back pain. Any or all of the symptoms might appear in such cases of this type of fracture: numbness, tingling, weakness, difficulty walking, and loss of bladder/bowel control.
Other Spinal Conditions That May Lead to Lower Back Pain
Anklosing Spondylitis – This is a type of arthritis that attacks the spine. After affecting the spine it leads to acute pains in the lower back. The pains can persist till the arthritis condition is treated.
Bacterial Infections – Bacteria can enter the blood stream and finally get transported to the spine. This bacteria affect the bone around the low back leading to low back pains. The bacteria affects the following after they reach the bone: bone of the spinal cord or the spinal discs. It is advisable to observe hygiene that will ensure you are free from bacteria as they can enter the body and finally entering the blood stream. Other risk factors that can lead to bacterial infection include intravenous drug use, injection treatments such as surgery or an injury exposing your inner parts of the body to the environment where bacteria are readily available.
Spinal Tumors – This is abnormal growth which develops on the bones. They can develop on any part of the spine such as spine ligaments, the nerve roots or the spinal cord. After the tumors develop they lead to chronic pains in the lower backbone, this is more evident in cases where the tumors develop on the ligaments of bones supporting the low back.
Why Is the Lower Back Prone To Pain Easily?
This is a question you may be asking yourself. The low back is an area that is exposed to many mechanical strains and stress in the body. When you turn, especially when seated the low back must make some movements. This mechanical stress together with the overlaying weight will make the area develop some strains which after a prolonged period will lead to pains in the low back.
The lower back comprises of a vertebrae that is made of many bones. This bones make slight movements against each other. There is a cushioning available between them in the form of cartilage to prevent the bones from grinding against each other. The cartilage acts as a shock absorber but with age it wears off exposing the lower back to pains during movements.
Your back may be causing you pains yet you fail to understand why they are there. After reading the above causes carefully you can see that the real cause of the back pain is complex and not so easy to identify. Therefore it is important to seek medical treatment especially if your pain is ongoing.