Lower Back Pain | Causes Of It

by Dr Neha | Nov 13, 2020 | All, Body, Health

Back Pain is a horror that almost everyone has to go through. The remedies for it are sometimes easy and quick. The pain also causes back stiffness which leads to reduced movement and difficulty standing straight. But we are rarely aware of what causes it to kill the problem at its roots. The causes majorly revolve around our ways of personal health care; some of which we are responsible for and others are out of our hands. Some of these pain causes are
treatable easily and some others prove to be red flags for other severe ailments.

Back Pain, How Is It Caused?

Some of the most common causes of a bad back are listed in this list, but there are many more, that are due to many other conditions, such as spinal spondylosis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal injury, and spinal muscular atrophy. according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which is a part of the U.S. National
Institutes of Health (NIH).

Cancer

Back pain is also a symptom of cancer such as spinal, colorectal, and ovarian cancer. If there is a known cancer diagnosis that can be related to the low back pain, such as tumors, should be examined for possible metastases of the spine. Occasionally tumors start in the back and appear as tumors that have spread elsewhere in the body.

Obesity

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for low back pain. Obese people tend to have low back pain due to their increased weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. The excess weight pushes the pelvis forward and hence puts the strain due to the weight of the upper body on the lower back, leading to you experiencing mild to severe pain in that area.

Central Sensitization

Pain itself also affects the way the central nervous system works. Hence the patient eventually becomes more sensitive and experience more pain even when being minimally provocative. It is termed ‘central sensitization’ because it includes changes in the nervous system, especially the brain and the cord (spinal). Sensitized patients are not only sensitive to things that could
actually hurt but even sensitive to the normal touch and pressure-related activities. They experience chronic pain in echoes, which means it is amplified and fades very slowly than in regular patients.

Spinal Conditions

The shape of the spine and a spinal disease are other causes of back pain. Spinal arthrosis causes bone spurs, and spinal stenosis occurs when a spinal disc in the lower back is damaged by spinal cord injury or spinal muscular dystrophy. Lumbar spine stenosis is more common in older adults, especially in people with a history of spinal degeneration or spondylosis, but it can
also occur in young adults and people with other diseases. Kyphosis is another spinal disorder in which the spine has an excessive outward curve; it can mostly be seen in adolescents.

Mechanical pain in the lower back can be defined as pain caused by a fracture of the spine. Lower pain can be related to ligaments in the spine (intervertebral discs, spinal cord, nerves, etc.). Mechanical lower back pain is usually exacerbated by sitting or standing for long periods, leaning, and prolonged activities.

Lumbar Herniated Disc

Sometimes the jelly-like core of the lumbar disc cracks through the hard outer layer and irritates the nerve in its proximity. The herniated part of the disc is full of proteins that induce inflammation before it hits the nerve root. that inflammation, accompanied by nerve compression, triggers nerve root pain. tearing through the disc wall can also inflict pain.

Strenuous Causes

A strain is the phenomenon of wear and tear of a tendon or muscle, and a sprain is caused by overstretching or a torn ligament. This can happen when something is improperly twisted, improperly lifted or lifted too heavily, or when it is lifted improperly. Such movements can trigger cramps in the back muscles, which can also be painful.

If your work involves lifting objects, pulling heavy objects, or anything that twists your spine, it can also contribute to back pain. Sometimes it also can be related to a protrusion or rupture of the intervertebral disc, and when the disc bursts, the pain can extend from the buttocks to the leg. If you have a poor posture or are sitting in a chair all day with insufficient back support, inactive
activity, or desk work, even that can contribute to or cause it. Excessive physical activity can cause it too.

Rare Disorders

Back pain is rarely associated with a serious underlying condition, but when it does occur, the condition requires immediate medical attention. If the infection affects the intervertebral discs, it is called discitis. If the infection affects the sacroiliac joint (the joint which connects the lower spine and pelvis), it can lead to sacroiliitis, which means inflammation between the joints. In conditions like these, back pain is a major symptom. It is unusual for a back injury not to involve a bone injury such as a broken bone or a spinal cord fracture. If there are no serious, underlying ailments, back pain can be the result of a combination of many different causes, not one or two.

Back Pain, How To Cure It?

As you age, the risk of developing lower back pain increases, and the likelihood of finding the best treatment for it usually depends on the correct clinical diagnosis that identifies the cause of a patient’s symptoms.

However, as mentioned earlier, only in rare cases the back pain is a symptom of something severe. Even if the pain signals are similar to classic torture, most of the time they are shortlived and can be cured by a physical therapist. There are instances where the patient freaks out and goes to do tests like Ct scan, which proves to be an unnecessary expense later on.

In the easy and simple cases, the lower back pain is usually treated by physical therapy. The pain caused by obesity can be treated by following exercise and diet plans for weight loss. Physical fitness is the key here. In some cases, it is treated by a few sessions of physical therapy and a couple of days for the pain to fade. For more complicated cases there are specific drugs and surgery processes. A commonly used drug in these cases is Naproxen. Muscle relaxants are another category that helps in reducing the pain. However, these drugs are recommended as a solution for nonrecurring lower back pains that stay only for a short period of time.

The optimal treatment of back pain usually depends on the correct clinical diagnosis, which identifies the cause of the patient’s symptoms. For example, any possible metastasis of the spine should be assessed based on a known diagnosis of spinal stenoses, such as spinal meningitis or spinal hernia.

It is always suggested to consult the physician or the doctor in case of severe pain rather than assuming the ailment by yourself (and Google!) and going forward with a treatment plan which is most likely wrong and may generate harmful side effects.

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