Saturday, January 24, 2009

Lower Back Pain - Causes and Cures

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 severe 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. Loss of fluid results in the discs in your spine becoming less flexible. This means that they do a less effective job of protecting the vertebrae. Simply growing older can be a cause of lower back pain.

A strain, sprain or spasm in your muscles or ligaments can result in the rupture of a spinal disc. This in turn places pressure on the nerves in your spinal cord. Our back lets us know about this with the neural signals we know as pain. What are the causes of these strains, sprains 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. Other causes include disc or joint irritation, viral infections, or spinal abnormalities.

Lower back pain can also be caused by various physical conditions. This includes smoking, being overweight, pregnancy, stress, bad posture and being in poor shape. Lower back pain and pain in the hips often appear together, increasing your discomfort. 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. These might include a fever, a painful cough, loss of bladder or bowel control and muscular weakness, especially in the legs. 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 paying attention to proper back pain management techniques, most lower back pain can be avoided. Recurring lower back pain can usually be traced to poor posture. You can work on correcting 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 will greatly impact your ability to prevent lower back pain.

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