Help For My Back

Low back pain can occur for no apparent reason, or in response to injury, disease or simply poor physical conditioning. In most cases, the cause is never discovered and the pain goes away on its own.  It can happen to anyone, but certain conditions predispose to back pain.  For example, those who are overweight or work in physically demanding jobs are more likely to experience acute back pain. Chronic or persistent pain is more common with aging, and in persons who are out of shape, depressed or anxious.

 

Back pain may develop slowly or suddenly, depending on the cause. Often there is no apparent injury or other cause. When pain has developed recently, we call it “acute” pain. (Something that is acute is not necessarily severe, just something new.)  In most cases, back pain is aggravated in certain positions or during certain activites and alleviated by rest. As a rule, this type of pain should not be cause for alarm. Pain may stay in the back, or spread down one or both legs (sciatica).  There may be numbness or tingling in the legs or feet, indicating nerve irritation.

 

The most common source of pain is the muscles and ligaments that support the spine.  Injury to these structures is called a lumbar strain. In other cases, pain may arise from injury to or degeneration of the bones, joints or cartilage disks of the spinal column.  Finally, conditions affecting structures outside the spine itself, like the kidneys, aorta, bladder and ovaries, may cause acute lower back pain. A good example is a kidney stone. In rare cases, back pain my indicate a more serious medical condition (see the section on Red Flags).

 

After lumbar strain, a frequent cause of acute lower back pain is a herniation of an intervertebral disc, also called a slipped disk. The discs are made of collagen and act as cushions between the spinal bones.  With normal aging, the discs tend to wear out, but this is not painful by itself. In some instances, a tear may form in the outer rim of a disc, allowing some of the softer inner material (nucleus pulposus) to escape and put pressure on and inflame adjacent tissues, like nerves. This will often cause rapid onset of back and leg pain that may last for several months.