Causes of Lower Back Pain - and How to Treat It

Nearly 80% of people have back pain, including lower back pain, at some point or another during their life. Since this is a problem which affects nearly everyone, it is important to know what the causes of lower back pain are. It's important to understand how you can keep lower back pain at bay by controlling these factors.

Causes of Lower Back Pain

As we age, we lose a lot of our body’s natural muscle tone and elasticity. As well, bone strength generally decreases as we get older. Our spinal discs lose flexibility due to the loss of fluid. This results in less protection for the vertebrae. Just the fact of getting older can play a part in experiencing lower back pain.

A strain, sprain or spasm in your muscles or ligaments can result in the rupture of a spinal disc. This leads to increased pressure on your spinal cord nerves. Our back lets us know about this with the neural signals we know as pain. What are the causes of these strains, sprains and spasms? Frequently, this type of injury is caused by attempting to lift heavy objects or overstretching the muscles.

Ailments such as arthritis or osteoporosis can also lead to lower back pain. There are also causes including viral infections, joint or disc irritation and spinal abnormalities.

Lower back pain can also be caused by various physical conditions. This includes smoking, being overweight, pregnancy, stress, bad posture and being in poor shape. Hip pain and lower back pain sometimes come as a distressing package deal. Scar tissue from previous injuries can also be a cause of lower back pain – this scar tissue buildup can even cause other, more serious injuries.

When to Worry About Lower Back Pain

You should take your lower back pain seriously if it comes along with other symptoms. These might include a fever, a painful cough, loss of bladder or bowel control and muscular weakness, especially in the legs. If your lower back pain is accompanied by these symptoms, contact your physician immediately. They may indicate a pinched nerve or other underlying problem. If you suffer from diabetes, your back pain might be related to neuropathy.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain

By taking good care of your back in daily life, most lower back pain can be avoided. Poor posture is often the root cause of lower back pain that never quite goes away. There are ways to change this. Stand straight, remember to lift with your legs rather than with your back, and do exercises to build lower back strength. Make sure to follow proper ergonomic procedures during your workday. This will greatly impact your ability to prevent lower back pain.