Lower back pain is a nagging companion for many, but the source of that ache can be a mystery. It’s not just one culprit; a cast of characters can be behind your discomfort. Understanding the potential causes empowers you to find relief—let’s read together and find out more.
Come in and see us for your personalized diagnosis and solutions. One size does not fit all—we are Uncommon PT—finding unique solutions for your mobility and pain issues.
What Are The Causes of Lower Back Pain?
Lower back pain is very common. It commonly appears that overuse or what may be a minor injury can be the cause, but sometimes there may be no obvious reason behind the back pain. On the other hand, an underlying medical condition can also be a symptom of lower back pain.
Lower back pain may develop unexpectedly or moderately, and later on, it can be a dull ache to an intense, severe ache. However, back pain emerges chronic in some people, so collectively. Today you will be learning all about the possible causes behind lower back pain and their treatments. We also uncover when to see a doctor.
Sprains and Strains
Strains and sprains both come out as common causes of lower back pain. Moreover, a sprain develops when a trusted source person overstretches or tears a ligament while doing the same to a tendon or muscle, causing a strain.
Back sprains and strains can both be outcomes of overuse, sports injuries, twisting awkwardly, and lifting something too heavy or improperly. Tenderness, muscle spasms, and swelling are seen as the obvious symptoms of back sprains or strains.
Lower Back Pain Treatment at Home
A person can often treat Trusted Source back sprains and strains at home with rest, ice packs, and over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen.
Gently stretching and engaging in low-impact activities such as walking may help prevent the back muscles from becoming too tight.
Must avoid forceful impact to the back because it may promote spinal damage as herniated or ruptured discs. When it comes to other main causes, there are falls, sports injuries, as well as motor vehicle accidents.
Any severe injury can also develop sudden lower back pain, while tingling and numbness may be among the other symptoms that spread down the legs.
Back Pain Treatment for Persons with Minor Injuries
As we revealed, the lower back pain treatment at home in case, a person suffers from minor injuries can heal aches by applying ice, rest, OTC pain relievers, and gentle stretches.
When to see a doctor? After suffering from severe injuries, a doctor can recommend best physical therapy for lower back pain as well as pain management procedures, medications, and surgery.
Infections from other parts of the body moving to the spine also cause pain in your lower back. These spinal infections can also raise the injuries or spinal surgery, or maybe as a complication of conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and HIV.
Not only spinal infections but also vertebral osteomyelitis, known as an infection of the spinal bones, and a spinal epidural abscess, promote the protective membranes around the spinal cord. Severe back pain or flushing, swelling, and tenderness may be among the symptoms of a spinal infection, depending on their exact cause.
Infections Treatment
After falling in lower back pain, you must visit a physical therapist near you because he may better prescribe you antibiotics or antifungal medications. Your therapist may also recommend surgery to get rid of pressure on the spine and drain the infected body part.
- A person falls into degenerative disc disease as the discs between the spinal vertebrae start wearing down.
- The discs between the spinal vertebrae play a role like protective cushions, so when they begin degenerating, rubbing appears between the vertebrae that may promote lower back pain.
- The back pain has been examined as worsening as a person tries to bend, twist, and lift, though it doesn’t mean it cannot be treated, as routine walking or exercises can reduce the ache.
Lower Back Pain Treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease Patients
The Arthritis Foundation has revealed treatment options for degenerative disc disease, including:
- Perform physical and occupational therapy.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Intake of painkiller medications
- Visit a doctor if these treatments don’t work.
- Lower back and other symptoms, including stiffness and pain, are commonly seen in patients of arthritis as osteoarthritis.
- Physical therapists cannot announce the exact causes of back pain because these may vary in terms of age.
Lower Back Pain Relief Treatment for Osteoarthritis Patients
Doctors usually suggest non-surgical lower back pain treatments for osteoarthritis patients, which are:
- Control Weight
- Intake of anti-inflammatory medications
- Epidural Steroid Injection
- Physical therapy exercises for lower back pain
- Osteoporosis patients are more likely to suffer from vertebral compression fractures just because of weak and brittle bones. These fractures may be the cause of lower back pain.
- Older individuals commonly experience osteoporosis effects.
Treatment
- The doctor recommends wearing braces to most patients because braces prove helpful and patients recover early.
- Moreover, to treat an osteoporotic, an expert recommends vertebroplasty. The only reason is that it includes injecting cement into a defective bone. It’s helpful to stabilize the broken bone and reduce pain.
- Spondylitis and ankylosing include inflammation caused in the joints and ligaments of the spine of persons. It is one of the forms of arthritis.
- During the suffering, people feel stiffness and lower back pain. However, symptoms can change concerning weakness and deficiency.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Treatment
Treatment for ankylosing spondylitis may include Trusted Source:
- Treatment for spondylitis Ankylosing up to the trusted source are
- Medication for anti-inflammatory.
- Biologic medicine.
- Steroid injections.
- Replace joint surgery.
For narrowing spinal stenosis, the spinal canals are useful. It will place pressure on the spinal cord and nerve roots. This treatment will mostly apply to older people because it is recommended by many doctors and has never left any negative impact on the body or bones.
- Spinal stenosis symptoms involve:
- Back pain.
- Feel weakness in leg bones.
- Facing difficulty in walking. sciatica.
Spinal Stenosis Treatment
- The home treatment process for stenosis spinal can involve OTC, exercise, and pain relievers to give strength and power to the back muscles to improve mobility.
- For people who are facing severe symptoms, steroid injections are mostly recommended by doctors. Further neuropathic pain medications include nerve block procedures or surgery.
- The facet joints support to push vertebrates together. vertebrae bones supporting a person’s spine to heal.
- Due to the damage to facet joints, people suffer from back pain; without treatment, the level of pain increases and causes facet joint diseases. Meanwhile, the condition also occurs after a sports injury or any other accident.
Facet Joint Treatment
Facet joint damage treatment up to the underlying causes. Apart from that, it includes taking inflammatory medication, radio frequency, and physical therapy.
Scoliosis disease causes shoulder and hip pain. The diseases start affecting the children at the age of 11 and their further growth will continue with time. After becoming adults, these diseases make children face lower back pain.
Scoliosis Treatment
- The best treatment for the children is to start wearing the special back brace during their growing stage.
- In adult treatment, the medicine for the pain also involves variant exercises, including flexibility and posture.
- Moreover, in deep levels of suffering, patient doctors advise surgery for children and adults.
Sciatica Other Causes or Reasons:
- Lower back discomfort can be caused by a variety of conditions, not simply back problems.
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (a bulge in a major blood artery in the abdomen)
- Endometriosis is a disorder in which tissue identical to the uterine lining develops outside it.
- Fibromyalgia (a disorder that causes widespread discomfort).
- Kidney stones are hard deposits within the kidneys.
- Pregnancy cancer
Sciatica causes sharp back pain that radiates through the buttocks and down into the legs. It occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes compressed due to other causes like spinal stenosis or arthritis.
Additional symptoms can include numbness or burning and tinging sensations that run down the leg. Symptoms may get worse when a person moves, sneezes, or coughs.
Sciatica Treatment
A person can often treat mild symptoms at home with rest, ice, and OTC pain relievers. For more severe symptoms, a doctor may recommend steroid injections or surgery.
Learn more about how to relieve sciatica pain here.
- Cauda equina syndrome is a rare condition that develops when something compresses or damages the cauda equina, which is a bundle of nerves in the lower part of the spinal cord.
- This condition typically results from a herniated disc, but other causes include spinal stenosis and fractures, infections, and tumors that affect the spine. It can sometimes also occur as a complication of spinal surgery.
Symptoms of Cauda Equina Syndrome Can Include:
- Severe lower back pain
- Bowel and bladder problems
- Numbness, weakness, or loss of sensation in one or both legs
- Difficulty walking
Cauda Equina Syndrome Treatment
- Cauda equina syndrome is a medical emergency that can lead to serious complications if a person does not receive prompt treatment, so a person should call 911 immediately if they experience any symptoms.
- Doctors will generally recommend surgery to relieve pressure on the nerves. This reduces a person’s risk of developing permanent paralysis and incontinence.
Lower back pain can sometimes also be a symptom of conditions that do not relate directly to the back.
Some other possible causes of lower back pain can include:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Endometriosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Kidney stones
- Pregnancy
- Cancer
When to See a Doctor?
Lower back pain usually goes away on its own, but you should visit a doctor if it is severe, not improving, or you have additional symptoms such as tingling or numbness in your legs.
If you develop signs of cauda equina syndrome, a dangerous illness characterized by severe back pain and loss of bladder or bowel control, get medical attention immediately.
A doctor can help determine what is causing the discomfort and provide the best therapy.
Stop living with back pain! Our experienced lower back pain therapy in North Charlotte can diagnose the cause of your discomfort and create a personalized treatment plan for lasting relief. Schedule your appointment today at (704) 803-8038. For more inspiration and tips, you can follow us on Instagram.
Reference: [https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325381]
