Medical Causes Of Back Pain

The most common type of back pain occurs as a result of lifestyle factors. For example, people who sit in front of a computer all day or drive all day, are particularly at risk of developing back pains. The same applies to those whose job involves heavy lifting.

In this article, we will take a brief look at some of the different types of back pain a person could experience and the medical causes of that pain.

Back Pain From Lumbar Muscle Strains

Strains of the lower back are by far the most common cause of back pain. A muscle strain occurs when a sudden force creates a rip or tear in the muscle fibers creating a sharp intense pain.

Generally, lumbar strains occur as a result of lifting something too heavy for you, or lifting it in an incorrect manner.

However, it is also possible for such strains to occur as a result of sitting or lying in an awkward position and even from overstretching.

Lumbar muscle strains tend to be relatively short lived, so the pain should go away quite quickly.

Back Pains From Disc Problems

The spine runs down the center of the back and is comprised of 33 individual vertebrae. Between each vertebra is a small disc which acts like a shock absorber between each of the vertebra to allow your spine to flex and bend without causing you any pain or discomfort.

However, if there is a problem with one of these discs, the vertebrae of your spine could knock together causing you a great deal of pain. One such problem that can occur is a prolapsed disc, more commonly known as a slipped disc.

The likelihood of disc problems occurring increases as we age. However, those whose job involves heavy lifting, involves a lot of sitting or those who are obese are at a higher risk of developing disc problems at an early age.

Back Pain From Sciatica

Sciatica is a very common form of back pain. Sufferers tend to experience a pain in the lower back, which seems to stretch down into the buttocks and legs.

Sciatica occurs as a result of an irritation or overstimulation of the sciatic nerve in the spinal column. As a result, it is not uncommon for sciatica to accompany other back problems such as muscle and ligament strains.

Back Pain From Spinal Stenosis

Spinal stenosis is generally associated with old age and conditions such as arthritis which restrict the movement of the spinal column. This can then cause pressure on the spine or surrounding nerves causing pain.

Back Pain From Osteoporosis

Back pain from osteoporosis is usually experienced by the elderly. As the bones begin to weaken, the vertebrae may experience compression fractures which causes pain especially during movement.

Back Pain From Lumbar Spine Arthritis

Although most people think of arthritis as affecting only the external parts of the body, such as the hands and feet, it can also affect the spine. When this occurs, any movement of the spine can be extremely painful.

Back Pain From Spondylolisthesis

When adjacent vertebrae in the spine become unstable due to a degenerative condition in that area of the body, the individual vertebra can begin to shift their positions relative to one another.

This may then cause the vertebra to grind or rub against each other causing a great deal of back pain.