Top 7 Causes of Back Pain & How to Treat Correctly
Although back pain can manifest itself anywhere from the bottom of the spine to the neck, for the purposes of today’s article we will be focusing on the lower back exclusively. Lower back pain, also referred to as lumbago, is usually a symptom brought on by a number of different medical issues.
It is typically caused by a problem stemming from one or more parts of the lower back, including the vertebrae, ligaments, muscles, and nerves. In some instances it may be caused by issues with nearby organs like the kidneys, for example.
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons estimates that somewhere between 75% and 85% of people will experience some type of back pain in their lifetime. Of that number, about half of them will have more than one issue within 12 months. Common symptoms include:
- Dull, aching sensations in the lower back
- A shooting or stabbing pain in the leg which can sometimes go down to the foot
- Difficulty standing up straight without pain
- A decreased ability to flex the back and a reduced range of motion
When back pain is the result of strain or overuse, it oftentimes diminishes in a matter of days. However, when the symptoms persist for more than three months it is considered chronic. Here are seven of the most common causes for back pain:
Pulled Tendon or Muscle
Doing any type of heavy lifting is one of the most frequent causes of back pain. This includes going a little harder at the gym than you need to. It is important to listen to your body when exerting yourself as it will usually tell you when you are pushing it too far. However, something as minor as sleeping the wrong way or even sneezing in an awkward position can also do it.
Accident or Injury
This is another reason that people experience back pain, especially if they’ve never had it before. There are a lot of ways to hurt yourself unintentionally. Falling down, playing sports, car accidents, as well as workplace injuries can all lead to back pain.
Inflammation
Inflammation is a very common cause of back pain. The sacroiliac joint is where the pelvis and spine come together. Although it does not move very much, it does shift the load away from the upper body down to the lower. Things such as arthritis, injury, and even pregnancy can cause this issue. Even though this part of the bodies’ immune response, it can still cause pain and discomfort heat. If it lingers due to a disease or injury it can lead to chronic pain.
Physical Stress
The spines’ job is to keep your body straight and upright. When you practice poor posture for any reason from laziness to discomfort, it leads to extra stress on the spine. This makes your muscles and other support systems have to work harder, creating strain.
Emotional Stress
You also shouldn’t dismiss the role that stress and anxiety can have in back pain. Emotional turmoil and various frustrations can manifest themselves in the form of back, neck, and shoulder pain. In fact, those are the most common areas where stress accumulates physically. Depression can also have this effect in some cases.
Herniated Discs
This occurs when the soft tissue in the discs between the joints is worn out. It is oftentimes nothing more than the normal wear and tear of daily life. When this happens it can cause pain in not only the lower back but also the hips as it presses the nerves.
Fibromyalgia
Although fibromyalgia is still not very well understood in the medical community, it is confirmed to cause pain all throughout your body. This includes the lower back. In these cases, lifestyle changes from less heavy lifting to eating more nutrient rich food and losing weight may help.
Traditional Treatment
Obviously, there are a number of therapy options that have been around for years. Some may work better for others, depending on the severity and frequency of their pain. Let’s take a look at a few of them:
Exercise
For some people, their back pain may be so severe that they aren’t able to exert themselves physically, even with a light workout. This is not something that lifting weights is good for. If you are dealing with back trouble the best options are stretching, walking, yoga, Tai Chi, and other activities that are easy to perform without straining.
Medication
Pain killers, anti-inflammatory medicines, and even anti-depressants may be prescribed to fight back pain. However, these don’t treat or improve the root cause of the problem. There are also a number of people who don’t like to take these types of medications due to side effects and addiction concerns.
Surgery
This should always be a last resort for anyone seeking treatment for back pain. The problem with this type of treatment is the fact that it can sometimes make the problem even worse.
Regenerative Treatment
One of the best things about regenerative medicine is that it seeks to address the problem at the source, not at the symptoms. Although no solution can be guaranteed, the potential here is amazing, especially for people who may not like or be able to try older, more conventional therapies.
Treatments such as bone marrow concentrate, amino derived fluids, and PRP have shown great promise in easing back pain suffering. Get in touch with us here at Pain Relief Institute; we can help you learn more about this innovative method of therapy.