What Causes Lower Back Pain | Symptoms?

The common areas of the body that have higher risk of low back pain may include from above the legs to below the ribs! This health problem is one of universal human experiences. In other words, almost everybody experience it at some points in their life. Luckily, if you experience this pain, don’t worry -- it will often be better on its own way! But if it doesn't  fortunately there are also some effective therapies and treatments to relieve it! And the next question, what are common causes of lower back pain?

You might also like to read the previous posts about can constipation cause back pain and best mattress for back pain, before continuing?

And before discussing about some common causes of low back pain, you may also be interested to know more about some common symptoms of this health problem!

Low back pain symptoms

Sometimes, the symptoms that occur are dependent on the cause of lower back pain. You may feel pain over a broad area or in one small area. The pain may also be sharp or dull! Even sufferer may also experience muscle spasms.

Other symptoms may include:

1. Problems in the leg which include tingling, numbness, or pain -- and these symptoms may also extend below your knee!
2. If there are squeezed-nerves at the end of spinal cord, this condition can lead to cauda equina syndrome! Fortunately, it is very rare symptom. But you need to call your doctor immediately if you lose your bowel control or your bladder control, or experience numbness/weakness in both your legs.

Based on how long it last, there are two major types; chronic (long-lasting low back pain) and acute low back pain! Your chance of having the first type is higher when at the same you also experience stress or depression, because your emotional stress may also influence the progress of your back pain! And for the second type, it usually will go away on its own in few days or weeks.

Causes of lower back pain

The following are some common causes:

1. Injury/overuse of your muscles, your joints and your ligaments!
2. Compression fractures which are more common in people (both women and men) after long-term use of corticosteroid and in women with post-menopausal osteoporosis. In an individual who have osteoporosis, a small amount of movement on the spine may be able to lead to low back pain.
3. There are nerve roots in our spinal canal. And there are some conditions that can cause pressure on these nerve roots, which then finally can put you at higher risk of low back pain. Some factors or conditions that cause pressure on nerve roots include; (a) spinal deformities, (b) getting older which then can increase your risk of spinal stenosis & osteoarthritis, (c) spondylolisthesis, (d) a lot of force (like a bicycle or auto accident) that cause fractures of the vertebrae, and (e) a herniated disc which is usually associated with repeated motion/vibration (such as lifting or using machine in wrong way), more pressure on the lower back, and a heavy strain (sudden strain)!

Furthermore in rare cases, lower back pain may also be caused by:

1. Spinal tumors that begin & grow on the ligaments of spine and bones (read also foods to promote healthy bones).
2. Infections (bacterial infection). These infections may affect the spine through an injury, drug use, injection treatments, surgery, or certain bacterial infection in other areas of the body!
3. A kind of arthritis that affects the spine or also familiar called ankylosing spondylitis!

Don’t forget to talk more with your doctor to find a clearly diagnosis of the causes of your lower back pain, and for more advice & best treatments!

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Reference: WebMD
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