Low back pain caused by degeneration and injury to the spine, muscle or ligament strain. Repeatedly lifting heavy objects or making a sudden, uncomfortable movement can strain your back muscles and ligaments. Discs act as shock absorbers between the bones (vertebrae) of the spine. Most often, mechanical problems and soft tissue injuries are the cause of low back pain.
These injuries can include damage to the intervertebral discs, compression of nerve roots, and incorrect movement of the spinal joints. This collapse can cause severe pain, and people who suffer a lumbar compression fracture often experience sudden pain and limited mobility of the spine. Lumbar spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal canal in your lower back narrows, putting pressure on nearby nerve roots. It can be caused by bone spurs forming, thickening of a nearby ligament, or degeneration of a lumbar disc or joint.
Pain in the lumbar spine area may be due to major problems that are not actually related to the back. Referred pain occurs when a problem in one part of the body causes pain elsewhere. The pain moves along a nerve. Sources of lower back pain (and could be mistaken for a spinal problem) may include abdominal aneurysm (enlargement of the artery in the abdomen), tubal pregnancy, kidney stones, pancreatitis, and colon cancer.
Signs of these diseases include pain that increases and decreases over a short period of time, with frequent peaks of severe pain, weight loss, abnormalities detected during abdominal examination, and traces of blood in the urine. On the other hand, pain can stem from the lower back and be felt elsewhere, as is often the case with sciatica. For example, it is not uncommon for a patient with a “herniated disc” in the lower back to have pain in the back of the thigh, in the calf, or even in the foot, and not to have pain in the lower back. This situation requires the doctor to determine the type of pain and perform the necessary examination to show that the pain actually comes from the spine (and radiological imaging studies can help confirm this).
Spinal arthritis: Slow degeneration of the joints in the spine is the most common cause of low back pain. We all experience wear and tear as we age, and it's normal for our lower back to start behaving badly as you age. As cartilage breaks down between the joints of the spine, surrounding tissues can become inflamed. Inflammation and thinning of the cartilage increases friction in the joints, which can cause lower back pain.
A serious fall or car accident can result in a lower back injury. But you can also carry a laundry basket up the stairs. Some back injuries can be sudden and traumatic, and others occur slowly over time. You may think that athletes and active people are the most injured because of their active lifestyles.
You're just as likely to twist your back as you bend down to pick up a sock from under the bed. It's everyday tasks, such as carrying a child, that can cause back injuries if done incorrectly.
