Here’s Why People Get Lower Back Pain

Millions of Americans are affected by back pain every year. One of the most common types of back pain people experience is lower back pain. Why?

Below we’re going to detail many of the different reasons that people suffer from lower back pain and how a chiropractor can help you manage your pain.

Common Reasons for Back Pain

Your back is responsible for bearing the weight of your upper body. Your back muscles also allow you to twist and bend over. Because of these things, any injury or misalignment in your back can cause either sudden or recurrent pain.

The most common source for lower back pain is a ligament or muscle that gets torn or pulled. This can happen with:

• A sudden, jerky movement
• Improper posture
• Lifting a heavy object
• Injury during sports training or performance

Low back pain can be intense, but is not usually an immediate threat to your health. However, its intensity can cause you to lose concentration and productivity, and can also decrease your range of motion, which can negatively affect your quality of life.

You can consider your back pain to be chronic if the pain lasts longer than three months without any improvement. Chronic back pain can result from the following conditions:

Arthritis

Arthritis causes chronic joint pain and inflammation and may be linked to degenerative disc disease.

Degenerative disc disease

When we age, our discs cannot weather forces as well. Also, as the disc walls age, they can tear, which may cause herniation. Aging discs can even collapse, which may lead to intense pain.

Herniated disc

Your discs are filled with jelly-like material. When a disc is under stress, the jelly-like material may escape the disc wall and burst out onto surrounding nerves, causing inflammation and debilitating pain.

Fracture

Osteoporosis causes weakness in your bones and is frequently seen in older adults. Weak bones can cause fractures in the vertebrae, which can lead to back pain.

Joint dysfunction

Your discs are protected by joints. The joints can become inflamed or negatively impacted by too much or too little movement.

Physical deformity

If your spine is curved due to scoliosis, pain can result due to the spinal deformity.

Pregnancy

The extra weight a woman carries during pregnancy can put painful pressure on her back.

Spinal stenosis

When your spinal canal narrows, it is called spinal stenosis. This condition can cause chronic pain.

Traumatic injury

If your back is injured in a fall or an automobile accident, spinal trauma can cause significant pain.

Vertebrae issues

Some people have vertebrae that slip over each other due to fractures, defects, or degenerative conditions. Pain is the frequent result.

Less Common Reasons for Back Pain

Some rare conditions can be the source of back pain. Even though these conditions occur infrequently, it’s important to know what they are in case these conditions affect you.

Autoimmune disorders

If you have an autoimmune disorder, your body attacks healthy tissue. The chronic inflammation in autoimmune disorders like lupus, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis may cause pain.

Spinal Infection

Though spinal infections are rare, they can cause severe back pain and life-threatening issues. Spinal infections are often associated with other warning signs such as high fevers.

Tumor

If a cancer patient experiences back pain, they must be checked to see if the cancer has spread to the spine.

Treatments for Back Pain

Since 80 percent of Americans will experience back pain at one time or another, it is helpful to understand what types of treatments are available for common back problems.

Heat application

Some people experience temporary relief by applying hot pads to sore back muscles.

Massage

By gradually loosening tight muscles, your chiropractor can alleviate your pain through regular massage or hydromassage.

Physical therapy

With regular physical therapy sessions, your chiropractor can teach you exercises and stretches to strengthen your back muscles.

Medication

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen can provide sufficient relief from some back pain sufferers. More acute pain may respond well to prescription muscle relaxers and analgesics.

Spinal manipulation

Your chiropractor can realign your spine, which can relieve back pain due to injury or bad posture. Spinal manipulation often decreases inflammation, which may significantly reduce your pain level.

Electrical stimulation therapy

This treatment uses painless electric waves to provide distracting sensations that can take your mind off back pain.

Surgery

If you have a physical deformity, disc herniation, or spinal stenosis, surgery may be necessary to correct the problem causing your back pain.

If You Have Back Pain

If your symptoms have lasted longer than three weeks with little to no improvement, don’t suffer in silence. Many people gain relief from chiropractic treatments, and you can too. Set up a chiropractic appointment today.

About the Author: 

Dr. Singer has been a practicing chiropractor for more than 20 years, and USA Health & Therapy has been around since 2004. Over the course of his career, Singer has helped tens of thousands of people with all kinds of issues by using a wide variety of treatment strategies. He has extensive knowledge of chiropractic modalities, including Gonstead, Diversified, Thompson Drop Table, and Activator, and in 1997 he earned a special adjunctive Chiropractic Certification in Spinal Trauma (CCST) to better provide care for car crash victims. Dr. Singer is licensed to practice chiropractic medicine in both Florida and New York.