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Nearly 80% of people have back pain, including lower back pain, at some point or another during their life. Since this is a problem which affects nearly everyone, it is important to know what the causes of lower back pain are. It’s important to understand how you can keep lower back pain at bay by controlling these factors.

Causes of Lower Back Pain

As we age, we lose a lot of our body’s natural muscle tone and elasticity. As well, bone strength generally decreases as we get older. Our spinal discs lose flexibility due to the loss of fluid. This means that they do a less effective job of protecting the vertebrae. Simply growing older can be a cause of lower back pain.

If the ligaments or muscles in your back experience a sprain, spasm, or strain, the spinal discs can burst or bulge. This in turn places pressure on the nerves in your spinal cord. Your back will let you know about this through neural signs, more commonly known as pain. So what causes your sprains, strains and spasms? Frequently, this type of injury is caused by attempting to lift heavy objects or overstretching the muscles.

Lower back pain can also be caused by diseases like osteoporosis and arthritis. There are also causes including viral infections, joint or disc irritation and spinal abnormalities.

Lifestyle factors can also be contributors to lower back pain. Being out of shape or overweight, having poor posture, experiencing stress and even being pregnant are all examples of this. Hip pain and lower back pain sometimes come as a distressing package deal. Another cause of lower back pain can be scar tissue from old injuries - this can also lead to further, more critical injuries.

When to Worry About Lower Back Pain

You should take your lower back pain seriously if it comes along with other symptoms. Watch out for weakness in the muscles, particularly in the legs, loss of bowel or bladder control, fever or coughing. If you experience any of these symptoms along with your lower back pain, see your doctor right away. They may indicate a pinched nerve or other underlying problem. If you suffer from diabetes, your back pain might be related to neuropathy.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain

By taking good care of your back in daily life, most lower back pain can be avoided. Poor posture is often the root cause of lower back pain that never quite goes away. There are ways to change this. Stand straight, remember to lift with your legs rather than with your back, and do exercises to build lower back strength. Be certain that you pay attention to workplace ergonomics while on the job. This can go a long way towards preventing lower back pain.

Having lower back and hip pain now a days seems  very common. At least four out of five people will have it at some point in their life. Some people tend to have more symptoms than others and some factors are controllable, while others are not. Educating yourself more about lower back and hip pain is the first step towards being pain free.

The Three Categories Of Lower Back And Hip Pain

The three categories of lower back and hip pain are determined depending on how long your pain lasts and how often it occures. If the pain lasts less than three months, it is referred to as acute. Most back pain is of this type. It is easy to deal with and there is no need for a doctors care. Get yourself a few days of bed rest, then back on your feet and work through the pain. Exercise will assist with working out the pain, as will analgesics.

Some people suffer from recurring acute pain. While it is bothersome and frustrating to have the pain return, if you treat it carefully as before, it should go away again, hopefully forever this time.

If you have lower back and hip pain last longer than three months, and you are in pain most of the time,then  you have what is known as chronic back pain. It is advisable that you talk to your primary care physician, or try an alternative method, such as chiropractic care or acupuncture. Be sure to find a qualified professional, as you do not want to aggravate the problem!

 Hip and lower back pain during pregnancy changes the rules. Pregnant women can have backaches off and on throughout their pregnancy, primarily due to the growing uterus and straining ligaments. But once the baby is delivered, the back pain should ease.

 Likely Causes?

There can be many causes to lower back and hip pain. The most common cause being muscle strain, sciatica, an uneven pelvis or even one leg shorter than the other. You could have flat feet, or you even have very weak muscles that do not do an adequate job of protecting your spine. There are also other things that can cause lower back and hip pain.

Piriformis Syndrome: What Is It?

Piriformis syndrome is an inflammation in the piriformis muscle. This muscle is found very deep within the buttock, and it is the muscle that helps our hips to rotate. If there is tightness in the hamstring, the piriformis can become inflamed and sore, even to the outside back section of the buttock. It can swell and put pressure and inflammation on the sciatic nerve too, causing sciatica. Sitting can also aggravate this situation.

To relieve the lower back and hip pain and swelling, it is wise to use ice (wrapped in a towel for twenty minutes, several times a day). Taking an anti-inflammatory medicine will also help, if you don’t mind taking a drug to ease matters. If touch is tolerable, massage the muscle deep into the tissues. Also strengthen and stretch out the hip area, using exercises targeting the hip, lower back and hamstring muscles.

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More than 65 million Americans suffer from back pain every year. Back pain can develop anywhere from the neck to the lower spine. It is an all-too-familiar problem that can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that leaves you incapacitated.

Back pain should not be equated with a need for bed rest. Treatment is usually only necessary for chronic back pain, which is pain that lasts for more than 3 months. It can also directly result from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots, or bone loss. Back pain is extremely common in today’s society.

Back pain can come without warning, and it can be debilitating especially if you have to concentrate on your work. It is the second most common reason people visit their family physician (just behind upper respiratory infections). It could be acute or chronic.

Chronic back pain can be treated with or without surgery, although doctors usually recommend non-surgical treatments first, and can be caused from a wide array of conditions. It is the involuntary, habituated contraction of muscles induced by emotional issues, stress and an ongoing reaction to the pain (except where there is a severe physical injury or a documented disease process). It tends to last a long time, and is not relieved by standard types of medical management.Chronic back pain can become a lifelong burden for the patient.

Lower back pain can occur in people who are overweight, in poor physical shape, have poor posture or are compelled to sit or stand for long periods of time. It is one of the most common causes of job-related disability and why some people miss work.

Back pain can develop anywhere from the neck to the lower spine. It is an all-too-familiar problem that can range from a dull, constant ache to a sudden, sharp pain that leaves you incapacitated.

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Since four out of five of people have back pain, often lower back pain, sometime in their life, we should know what causes it and how to avoid it.

Causes Of Lower Back Pain

As we get older, our bodies tend to lose their muscle elasticity and tone, as well as bone strength. The discs in our spine lose fluid and flexibility, and they can’t cushion the vertebrae as well anymore. Aging is one reason we get lower back pain.

If the muscles or ligaments in the back have a spasm, sprain or strain, the discs in the spine can rupture or bulge. That puts a lot of pressure on the nerves that are based in the spinal cord. When there is compression or irritation in those nerve roots, the back complains by giving us pain. What causes the back spasm, sprain or strain? Usually some form of trauma or injury, for example attempting to lift something too heavy, or overstretching.

Degenerative diseases like arthritis or osteoporosis can also cause lower back pain. Other potential factors are congenital abnormalities in the spine, viral infections and irritation to the joints and discs.

Some life conditions can also contribute to lower back pain. These include smoking, obesity, pregnancy weight gain, poor physical condition, stress, poor posture and poor sleeping position. Oftentimes, lower back and hip pain go hand in hand. If the body has scar tissue from previous injuries, buildup in the area can, over time, weaken the back and contribute to more serious injuries.

When To Worry About Lower Back Pain

If your lower back pain in accompanied by some other symptoms, it is time to take things more seriously and consult your primary care physician. The symptoms to watch out for include fever, pain while coughing, loss of bladder control or bowel control, progressive weakness in legs. These can indicate a pinched nerve or similar situation. If a person has diabetes, back pain can be related to neuropathy.

Avoiding Lower Back Pain

If you take proper care of your back in your day-to-day life, you can avoid lower back pain. If the back pain is recurring, there is a good chance it is from poor body mechanics. Be sure to have correct posture and to lift with your legs (instead of using your back), as well as strengthening your back with exercises. Be sure that your workplace follows healthy ergonomics, planning ahead by having furniture and tools and such to avoid injury, as this can protect the body from lower back pain.

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Surgery May Not Be The Right Treatment For Back Pain

It used to be that if a person had a lot of back pain their doctor would recommend surgery to fix the problem. Following the surgery, the person would usually be on bed rest for a few weeks, and then, if all went well, their back would be better - unless it wasn’t. In the past, experts agree, there was too much back surgery done. Most people weren’t any better after the surgery, and many were worse.

Now, research has shown that most back pain, even lower back pain, will resolve itself without surgery, given rest and time. In fact, for most back pain, all other options should be tried prior to scheduling surgery on the back. Less than one percent of all people ever actually need surgery for their back pain, though four out of every five people have back pain at some time in their life.

Who Needs Surgery?

Generally, physicians believe that surgery should only be considered if other methods have been tried and were unsuccessful at relieving the back pain (or the pain returns), the pain is significantly affecting a person’s day-to-day life, or if left alone the back condition could deteriorate into a more serious state.

Non-Surgical Treatments

Physical therapy can be a great way to help the back and spine heal. Along with special, specific exercises, often the physical therapist will use other modalities, such as heat or cold therapy (reduces inflammation, pain and muscle spasms), ultrasound (uses sound waves to head and encourage circulation and reduces inflammation, pain and muscle spasms), massage, spinal traction, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) (uses a painless electrical currently on certain nerves to relieve pain and improve mobility of the back) and water therapy.

Some patients find relief by using medication to relieve their back pain. There are many kinds, some over the counter and others prescription. They include muscle relaxants, analgesics and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

Spinal injections can relieve pain and help the doctor determine the reason for the back pain. Two kinds are Facet Joint Injections and Epidural Steroid Injections. Spinal injections are not used alone, but are used along with physical therapy and exercise. They should always be recommended or prescribed by your doctor.

Often, chiropractic care can help relieve back pain. They can palpate, apply pressure, manipulate, massage and use other methods to re-align the vertebrae of the spine.

Other methods for dealing with back pain are considered alternative medicine. They include acupuncture, certain herbal medicines and biofeedback. If you use one of these therapies, be sure to have a reputable practitioner.

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