Causes of Lower Back Pain

We have all experienced lower back pain at some point in our
lives. Lower back pain can be acute where the pain happens quite suddenly and
resolves with the healing of its underlying cause or chronic where the pain is
constant for more than 3 months.

What does the research say?

According to the Cochrane library ( French, Grant, Green, & Walker , 2011) about 80% of people will experience lower back pain in their lives. The majority of these people will present with acute, non-specific lower back pain with serious underlying conditions being rare. Chronic lower back pain can be disabling and costly.

So what causes lower back pain?

Lower back pain can be caused by damage to the muscles,
intervertebral discs, and compression to a nerve or improper movement of the
spine.

Acute lower back pain

The most common cause of acute lower back pain is muscle
strain. Muscle strain is caused by over stretching the muscle fibres to the
point where the fibres cannot return to their original length.

A muscle strain can happen over time from poor posture or suddenly by picking up a heavy object or twisting the spine in a sudden movement.

A muscle strain may seem like a minor injury but can result in pain and severe muscle spasm. If left untreated it can result in chronic lower back pain.

Chronic lower back pain

Chronic lower back pain can be pain that lasts for longer than 3 months. It can be caused by a variety of problems resulting from the spine.

Herniated discs can be the most common cause of chronic lower back pain. Your intervertebral discs act as a pivot and as shock absorption which allows you to bend, stand, twist, jump, run etc. When the disc is exposed to constant strain the central gel part of the disc will start bulging into the outer elastic fibres until it eventually breaks through causing irritation to the nerve. This can result in sharp shooting pain into your legs as well as limited mobility.

Herniated discs can regress and be managed conservatively
with correct treatment and exercise.

Take care of your spine as it is the only one you have. Core and lower back exercises as well as awareness of posture is key in maintaining a healthy spine.