Common Lower Back Pain Causes

Back pain can have a massive impact on our life, preventing us from working, playing or doing the basic functions of everyday life. Most of us will suffer from this at least once in our life, especially lower back pain, the most common type of back problem. We will look at the lower spinal pain causes and identify some prevention methods.

Common Lower Back pain causes:

1. Back Muscle Strain

Straining a muscle in your back is a very common injury and lower back pain causes. The injury can occur through the overuse of muscles or ligaments, whether from work, sport or any physical activity. This is also a typical lifting injury with many people suffering from a muscle strain in the lower spine area from lifting a very heavy object or twisting awkwardly while lifting.

2. Degenerative disc disease

Although degenerative disc disease normally affects elderly people, it can also affect younger people, as young as 20. The disease causes the vertebrae discs to start to decay and break down, putting more pressure on the spine and causing inflammation. It is the inflammation from degenerative disc disease that causes the most pain, causing sciatica and compressed nerve roots.

3. Pressure on nerve roots

There are many different conditions that can result in additional pressure on the nerve roots in the lower spine area. Pressure on the nerve roots can be very painful and debilitating. With many back injuries rest is needed but with injuries that conditions that causes compressed nerve roots, it is normally associated with other back injuries such as a herniated disc, osteoarthritis or spinal stenosis.

4. Spinal deformities

Although not as common as the above causes of back pain, there are many spinal deformities that can bring on lower pain. Causes such as scoliosis can result in extreme curvature of the spine and can be very painful.

5. Compression fractures.

Compression fractures can be very painful and can be caused by trauma, osteoporosis or cancer that has spread to the bone. A compression fracture resulting from a trauma can heal very well but also depend on if there are any underlying issues. With people suffering from osteoporosis, the general weakness in the bones can cause many back issues that are very painful.

6. Slipped disc

Pressure on the lower vertebrae can cause a rupture or bulge of one of the vertebral discs. The bulging disc tends to push cartilage towards the spinal cord nerves, pressing against them and causing intense pain.