Low Back Pain, Mechanical Causes, Developing Risk Factors & Prevention!

low back

What is Low Back Pain? 

Low back pain is a leading cause of disability. It occurs in similar proportions in all cultures, interferes with quality of life and work performance, and is the most common reason for medical consultations. Few cases of back pain are due to specific causes; most cases are non-specific.

Acute back pain is the most common presentation and is usually self-limiting, lasting less than three months regardless of treatment.

Chronic Back Pain is,

A more difficult problem, which often has a strong psychological overlay, work dissatisfaction, boredom, and a generous compensation system contributes to it. Among the diagnoses offered for chronic pain is fibromyalgia, an urban condition (the diagnosis is not made in rural settings) that does not differ materially from other instances of widespread chronic pain.

Disc,

Although disc protrusions detected on X-rays are often blamed, they rarely are responsible for the pain, and surgery is seldom successful at alleviating it. No single treatment is superior to others; patients prefer manipulative therapy, but studies have not demonstrated that it has any superiority over others.

What Are The Symptoms?

• Pain that radiates from your lower (lumbar) spine to your buttock and down the back of your leg is the hallmark of sciatica.
• You might feel the discomfort almost anywhere along the nerve pathway, but it’s especially likely to follow a path from your low back to your buttock and the back of your thigh and calf.
•  The pain can vary widely, from a mild ache to a sharp, burning sensation or excruciating pain.
• Sometimes it can feel like a jolt or electric shock.
• It can be worse when you cough or sneeze, and prolonged sitting can aggravate symptoms.
• Usually, only one side of your body is affected.
• Some people also have numbness, tingling or muscle weakness in the affected leg or foot.
• You might have pain in one part of your leg and numbness in another part.

Lower Back Pain Causes: 

The vast majority of low back pain is mechanical in nature. In many cases, low back pain is associated with spondylosis, a term that refers to the general degeneration of the spine associated with normal wear and tear that occurs in the joints, discs, and bones of the spine as people get older.

Examples of Mechanical Causes of Low Back Pain Include:

1. Sprains & Strains Account For Most Cute Back Pain:

Sprains are caused by overstretching or tearing ligaments, and strains are tears in tendon or muscle. Both can occur from twisting or lifting something improperly, lifting something too heavy, or overstretching. Such movements may also trigger spasms in back muscles, which can also be painful.

2. Intervertebral Disc Degeneration:

It’s one of the most common mechanical causes of low back pain, and it occurs when the usually rubbery discs lose integrity as a normal process of aging. In a healthy back, intervertebral discs provide height and allow bending, flexion, and torsion of the lower back. As the discs deteriorate, they lose their cushioning ability.

3. Herniated or Ruptured Discs:

Can occur when the intervertebral discs become compressed and bulge outward (herniation) or rupture, causing low back pain.

4. Radiculopathy:

Radiculopathy is a condition caused by compression, inflammation and-or injury to a spinal nerve root. Pressure on the nerve root results in pain, numbness, or a tingling sensation that travels or radiates to other areas of the body that are served by that nerve. Radiculopathy may occur when spinal stenosis or a herniated or ruptured disc compresses the nerve root.

5. Sciatica:

Sciatica is a form of radiculopathy caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, the large nerve that travels through the buttocks and extends down the back of the leg. This compression causes shock-like or burning low back pain combined with pain through the buttocks and down one leg, occasionally reaching the foot.

In The Most Extreme Cases,

when the nerve is pinched between the disc and the adjacent bone, the symptoms may involve not only pain but numbness and muscle weakness in the leg because of interrupted nerve signaling. The condition may also be caused by a tumor or cyst that presses on the sciatic nerve or its roots.

6. Spondylolisthesis:

Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which a vertebra of the lower spine slips out of place, pinching the nerves exiting the spinal column.

7. A traumatic Injury:

Such as from playing sports, car accidents, or a fall can injure tendons, ligaments or muscle resulting in low back pain. Traumatic injury may also cause the spine to become overly compressed, which in turn can cause an intervertebral disc to rupture or herniate, exerting pressure on any of the nerves rooted in the spinal cord. When spinal nerves become compressed and irritated, back pain and sciatica may result.

8. Spinal Stenosis:

Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal column that puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that can cause pain or numbness with walking and over time leads to leg weakness and sensory loss.

9. Skeletal irregularities:

Include scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that does not usually cause pain until middle age; lordosis, an abnormally accentuated arch in the lower back; and other congenital anomalies of the spine.

Low back pain is rarely related to serious underlying conditions, but when these conditions do occur, they require immediate medical attention.  Serious underlying conditions include:

I. Infections:

are not a common cause of back pain, However, infections can cause pain when they involve the vertebrae, a condition called osteomyelitis; the intervertebral discs, called discitis; or the sacroiliac joints connecting the lower spine to the pelvis, called sacroiliitis.

II. Tumors:

Tumors are a relatively rare cause of back pain, Occasionally, tumors begin in the back, but more often they appear in the back as a result of cancer that has spread from elsewhere in the body.

III. Cauda Equina Syndrome:

is a serious but rare complication of a ruptured disc it occurs when disc material is pushed into the spinal canal and compresses the bundle of lumbar and sacral nerve roots, causing loss of bladder and bowel control. Permanent neurological damage may result if this syndrome is left untreated.

IV. Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms:

Occur when the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the abdomen, pelvis, and legs becomes abnormally enlarged. Back pain can be a sign that an aneurysm is becoming larger and that the risk of rupture should be assessed.

V. Kidney Stones:

Kidney stones can cause sharp pain in the lower back, usually on one side.

VI. Inflammatory:

Inflammatory diseases of the joints such as arthritis including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as well as spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae can also cause low back pain. Spondylitis is also called spondyloarthritis or spondyloarthropathy.

VII. Osteoporosis: 

Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease marked by a progressive decrease in bone density and strength, which can lead to painful fractures of the vertebrae.

VIII. Endometriosis:

Endometriosis is the buildup of uterine tissue in places outside the uterus.

IX. Fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome involving widespread muscle pain and fatigue.

The Risk Factors For Developing Low Back Pain:

Beyond underlying diseases, certain other risk factors may elevate one’s risk for low back pain, including:

A. Age:

The first attack of low back pain typically occurs between the ages of 30 and 50, and back pain becomes more common with advancing age. As people grow older, loss of bone strength from osteoporosis can lead to fractures, and at the same time, muscle elasticity and tone decrease.

The intervertebral discs begin to lose fluid and flexibility with age, which decreases their ability to cushion the vertebrae. The risk of spinal stenosis also increases with age.

B. Fitness Level:

Back pain is more common among people who are not physically fit. Weak back and abdominal muscles may not properly support the spine. “Weekend warriors” people who go out and exercise a lot after being inactive all week are more likely to suffer painful back injuries than people who make moderate physical activity a daily habit. Studies show that low-impact aerobic exercise is beneficial for maintaining the integrity of intervertebral discs.

C. Pregnancy:

Pregnancy is commonly accompanied by low back pain, which results from pelvic changes and alterations in weight loading. Back symptoms almost always resolve postpartum.

D. Weight Gain:

Being overweight, obese, or quickly gaining significant amounts of weight can put stress on the back and lead to low back pain.

E. Genetics:

Some causes of back pain, such as ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis that involves the fusion of the spinal joints leading to some immobility of the spine, have a genetic component.

F. Occupational Risk Factors:

Having a job that requires heavy lifting, pushing, or pulling, particularly when it involves twisting or vibrating the spine, can lead to injury and back pain. An inactive job or a desk job may also lead to or contribute to pain, especially if you have poor posture or sit all day in a chair with inadequate back support.

G. Mental Health Factors:

Pre-existing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression can influence how closely one focuses on their pain as well as their perception of its severity. Pain that becomes chronic also can contribute to the development of such psychological factors. Stress can affect the body in numerous ways, including causing muscle tension.

H. Backpack Overload in Children:

Low back pain unrelated to injury or other known cause is unusual in pre-teen children. However, a backpack overloaded with schoolbooks and supplies can strain the back and cause muscle fatigue. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends that a child’s backpack should weigh no more than 15 to 20 percent of the child’s body weight.

How to Avoid Low Back Pain?

There are several things you can do to prevent or avoid low back pain. These include learning correct posture and strengthening your muscles.

1. Spinal Adjustments:

As far back as 1985, medical research was reporting that a two to a three-week regimen of daily spinal manipulations by an experienced chiropractor brought significant improvement in 81% of totally disabled patients with chronic low back and referred leg pain.

The patients in the study were from a university back pain clinic for patients who had failed to respond to previous conservative or surgical treatment. The researchers stated that anything less than two weeks of daily manipulation is inadequate for chronic back pain patients.

2. Postural Stabilization:

A significant factor in reducing excessive biomechanical forces on the lumbar spine is frequently overlooked by practitioners – the use of external supports to decrease external forces.

Positioning aids such as:

• Sitting postural supports (examples are postural backrests or ischial lifts for chairs and car seats),.
• Standing postural supports (such as foot orthotics and heel lifts).
• And sleeping postural supports (such as mattresses and pillows) can all greatly assist in the long-term management of painful lumbar spine conditions.

Best, 

A. Position For Standing?

• Maintain good posture while you stand.
• Keep your ears, shoulders, and hips in a straight line, with your head up and your stomach pulled in.
• Try not to slouch or arch your back.
• These put added pressure on your lower back.
• Wear shoes that are comfortable and provide support.
• If you stand for long periods, rest 1 foot on a low stool to relieve pressure on your lower back.
• Every 5 to 15 minutes, switch the foot you’re resting on the stool.

B. Way to Sit:

• Sit in chairs with straight backs or low-back support.
• Keep your knees a little higher than your hips.
• Adjust the seat or use a low stool to prop up your feet.
• To turn in your chair, move your whole body rather than twist at your waist.

C. Position When Driving:

• When driving, sit straight and move the seat forward.
• This helps you not have to lean to reach the controls.
• You may want to put a small pillow or rolled towel behind your lower back if you must drive or sit for a long time.

D. Position For Sleeping:

• The best way to sleep is on your side with your knees bent.
• You may put a pillow under your head to support your neck.
• If you sleep on your back, put pillows under your knees and a small pillow under your lower back.
• You also may put a pillow between your knees for added comfort.
• Don’t sleep on your stomach unless you put a pillow under your hips.
• Use a firm mattress.
• If your mattress is too soft.
• put a 1/2-inch plywood board under the mattress to add support.

3. Rehabilitative Exercises:

Corrective exercises done at home to strengthen supporting muscles are recommended as an adjunct to chiropractic adjustments and postural stabilization. Active involvement of the chronic low back patient in an appropriate exercise program has been found to be very beneficial, even for patients with herniated discs.

Flexibility and strength exercises can bring about rapid improvements in lumbar spinal function as well as decreases in pain levels. The activity should focus on developing strength in the abdominals and supporting pelvic and low-back muscles. Read more about How Exercises Can Assist Relieve Lower Back Pain!

 

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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment for any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.” sciatica pain sciatica pain sciatica pain sciatica pain

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Exercises Can Assist Relieve Lower Back Pain!

 

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