Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Back pain - low

Table of Contents

Most back problems will get better on their own. The key is to know when you need to seek medical help and when self-care measures alone will allow you to get better.

Low back pain may be acute (short-term), lasting less than one month, or chronic (long-term, continuous, ongoing), lasting longer than three months. While getting acute back pain more than once is common, continuous long-term pain is not.


Common Causes

You'll usually first feel back pain just after you lift a heavy object, move suddenly, sit in one position for a long time, or have an injury or accident. But prior to that moment in time, the structures in your back may be losing strength or integrity.

The specific structure in your back responsible for your pain is hardly ever identified. Whether identified or not, there are several possible sources of low back pain:

  • Small fractures to the spine from osteoporosis
  • Muscle spasm (very tense muscles that remain contracted)
  • Ruptured or herniated disk
  • Degeneration of the disks
  • Poor alignment of the vertebrae
  • Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
  • Strain or tears to the muscles or ligaments supporting the back
  • Spine curvatures (like scoliosis or kyphosis) which may be inherited and seen in children or teens
  • Other medical conditions like fibromyalgia

Low back pain from any cause usually involves spasms of the large, supportive muscles alongside the spine. The muscle spasm and stiffness accompanying back pain can feel particularly uncomfortable.

You are at particular risk for low back pain if you:

  • Work in construction or another job requiring heavy lifting, lots of bending and twisting, or whole body vibration (like truck driving or using a sandblaster)
  • Have bad posture
  • Are pregnant
  • Are over age 30
  • Smoke, don't exercise, or are overweight
  • Have arthritis or osteoporosis
  • Have a low pain threshold
  • Feel stressed or depressed
  • Bladder infection
  • Kidney stone
  • Endometriosis
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Ovarian cysts
  • Testicular torsion (twisted testicle)

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Review Date: 07/07/2005
Reviewed By: Kevin B. Freedman, MD, MSCE, Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Speclalists, Bryn Mawr, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)