It should be noted, however, that a number of medical conditions, such as lung and heart problems and chronic headaches, commonly occur with low back pain, but a causal relationship is uncertain.
Muscular Abnormalities
Some research is suggesting that some people have motor control abnormalities in the deep muscles near the spine. Such lack of control causes instability in the spine that can lead to pain.
Medications
Medications may trigger back pain. For example, anticoagulants can cause bleeding or an internal bruise. Long-term steroid use can cause infection or compression fractures.
Conditions That Cause Back Pain in Children
Persistent low back pain in children is more likely to have a serious cause that requires treatment than back pain in adults. According to one small study, one third of children being treated at a hospital for back pain were found to have serious underlying problems.
Stress fractures (spondylolysis) in the spine are a common cause of back pain in young athletes. Sometimes a fracture may not show up for a week or two after an injury. Spondylolysis can cause spondylolisthesis, a condition in which the spine becomes unstable and the vertebrae slip over each other.
Hyperlordosis is an inborn exaggerated inward curve in the lumbar area. Scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine in children, does not usually cause back pain.
Juvenile chronic arthropathy is an inherited form of arthritis. It can cause pain in the sacrum and hip joints of children and young people. It used to be grouped under juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but is now defined as a separate problem.
Injuries, benign tumors such as osteoblastoma or neurofibroma and cancers, including leukemia, can also cause back pain in children.
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