Acute Lower Back Pain - Helpful Information and Advice

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:13:21 +0100

Many people complain about acute lower back pain. Around 80% of the US population is said to be affected by it and around 50% suffer from more than one episode of this condition. However, as opposed to what many people believe it is, acute lower back pain is not a disease but rather a symptom that may arise from different medical conditions. As a matter of fact, 7 out of 10 people with this condition had gone through medical evaluations but no specific cause was identified. Nonetheless, incidences or reasons as to why this pain attacks exist. Continue reading this article to get to know them.

Some of the reasons why a person experiences acute lower back pain are injuries or diseases in bones, muscles, and spinal nerves. The pain caused by organ abnormalities within the pelvis, abdomen, or chest may also be experienced in the back. Different intra-abdominal disorders such as kidney diseases, appendicitis, aneurysm, pelvic infections, ovarian disorders, bladder infections, and others can cause lower back pain. Even normal pregnancy can cause acute lower back pain in many ways, such as stretching pelvis ligaments, straining the lower back, and irritating nerves. All these will be considered by your doctor as he evaluates your pain.

Another probable reason for acute lower back pain is nerve impingement, which is said to be caused by the herniation of the disc located between the lower back bones. One example of nerve root impingement is sciatica, which causes acute lower back pain that affects a specific area in the back with associated numbness in the leg area supplied by the affected nerve. You may also experience acute lower back pain due to spondylosis that occurs when the intervertebral discs lose its volume and moisture with age, thereby decreasing the height of the disc. Even minor physical trauma in similar circumstances may also cause nerve impingement and inflammation, thereby producing classic sciatica without rupturing the disc.

Spinal stenosis, a problem with the spine, may also be signaled by some lower back pain symptoms, including pain that radiates down to lower part of the body, felt more often then a person is standing for a long period of time. A medical emergency referred to as cauda equine syndrome can also trigger acute lower back pain to attack, especially when the spinal cord is compressed directly. Myofascial pain is another condition that can trigger back pain as well as other symptoms such as feeling of tenderness in some areas, difficulty to move certain muscle groups, and pain along the peripheral nerves.

Other factors that trigger acute lower back pain are osteomyelitis, fibromyalgia, tumors, and nerve inflammation. Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain and tenderness throughout the body, generalized stiffness, fatigue, lower back pain, and muscle aches. Osteomyelitis is characterized by stiffness and pain in the spine. Cancerous tumors are said to be characterized by acute lower back pain. Spinal nerve inflammation is caused by spinal nerve infection from the virus known as herpes zoster. This condition is characterized by shingles in spine and lower and upper back pain.

Those given in this article are just a few of the factors or reasons you have acute lower back pain. However, it is still best to seek medical attention when any of the above symptoms manifest in your body.

Visit our blog to learn more about lower back pain causes.

Detailed Advice About Lower Back Pain Causes

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:46:29 +0100

Lower back pain causes such as nerve irritation, lumbar radiculopathy, bony encroachment, lumbar strain, and joints and bone conditions are some of the reasons you feel pain in your lower back. All these lower back pain causes will be discussed in this article.

1. Irritation in the nerves

Irritation in the nerves is one of the known lower back pain causes. Patients with this condition experience extreme pain due to the irritation in their lumbar spine caused by diseases developing on the nerves' paths, which can affect the roots of the spinal cord up to the skin's surface. Different diseases caused by back pain, including nerve inflammation, bony encroachment and lumbar diseases are often associated with the irritation in the nerves.

2. Lumbar Strain

A lumbar strain is also one of most common lower back pain causes. It is the stretching injury to the tendons, ligaments of low back muscles. The incidents of stretching often lead to varying degrees of microscopic tears in these tissues. The injury occurs because of improper use, overuse, or trauma. There are two types of lumbar strain: acute and chronic. Acute lumbar strain means the pain it cause has been present only for days to a few weeks while it is considered chronic of it lasts for longer than three months.

3. Bony Encroachment

Bony encroachment results from movement in or growth of the vertebrae in the lumbar spine, thereby limiting the space for the adjacent spinal cord and nerves. This condition is one of the main lower back pain causes as it is caused by any of the following: Spondylolisthesis; Spinal stenosis and foraminal narrowing. The three above conditions cause sciatica pain with extreme pain radiating down to the lower extremities. Spinal stenosis is very painful especially when walking but this pain can relieved by resting. These conditions have different treatments depending on their severity. The treatments can be as simple as taking some rest or as complex as surgical decompression which involves bone removal.

4. Lumbar Radiculopathy

A type of nerve irritation, lumbar radiculopathy is a result of the damages in the discs along the vertebrae. This is usually caused by degeneration or wear and tear of the outer ring of the discs, traumatic injury, or even both. Because of these, the middle portion may rupture or be herniated through the outer ring of the disc and adjacent to the spinal column. The damage in this area causes sciatica pain that can be felt through the legs.

5. Joint and Bone Conditions

Joint and bone conditions are also common lower back pain causes. These conditions include congenital injury, degenerative injury, or injuries caused by the inflammation of joints (arthritis). Congenital injuries or bone conditions include spina bifida and scoliosis. Degenerative joint and bone conditions result from the changes in our body's cartilage. One of the common degenerative joint and bone conditions is called spondylosis, or the narrowing of the normal space between the vertebrae. Other joint and bone conditions include fractures and arthritis.

The abovementioned lower back pain causes are just a few of the many other causes of lower back pain. Consulting your doctor about any of the known lower back pain symptoms will greatly help you come up with a perfect treatment plan for your condition.

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Acute Lower Back Pain - Helpful Information and Advice

Detailed Advice About Lower Back Pain Causes