Causes / Low back Pain
Bad Posture, Disuse of the Low back:
Keeping the same posture for long periods of time gives the greatest harm to our low back. Any wrong movement or bad posture in the daily life that does not comply with the mechanics of the low back will cause wear and tear in your low back.
Sore Back, Muscle Spasms:
In general, this arises from over-tension or breaking of the muscles or ligaments that support the low back. Lifting heavy objects, jumping, falling down and sports activities can cause sore low back. The response of the body against this is painful muscle spasms. Seasonal temperature changes, wind and air drafts will increase the severity of sore back.
Disk Herniation, Dislocation of Disk:
This is the slipping or coming out of the jelly-like cartilaginous tissue that functions as a cushion between two lumbar vertebras. This cartilage piece can come out of its place and compress the nerve going to our leg and foot to cause pain and SCIATICA complaints. Low back and leg pain worsens with coughing, sneezing or straining. Most of the patients are relieved from their complaints with bed rest and medical therapy. In case the compression on the nerve and spinal cord, complaints like loss of strength in muscles, sensory defects, diminishing of reflexes and incontinence may appear. Treatment of such cases is surgical.
Narrowing of the Spinal Canal (Narrow Canal – Stenosis of the Spine):
This is the result of the narrowing of the canals that the spinal cord and nerves pass through to compress the nerves. It presents with pain, numbness and claudicating in the advanced age after walking some distance.
Spondylolisthesis and Deformations:
Spondylolisthesis characterized with sliding of lumbar vertebras on each other is another cause of low back pain. Pain worsens with movement. In addition, incurvature in the low back (scoliosis),flattening (lordosis), split lumbar spina (spina bifida), abundant or missing lumbar vertebras (lumbalization- sacralization) can also be the cause of low back pain.
Tension, Stress, Smoking:
This is the most important reason that causes low back pain to become chronic. Your economic, social and psychological problems will increase your low back pain. Laughing, working, social activities and holding to life are our most important weapons against low back pain. Since obstructions occur in vessels feeding the lumbar region in smokers, damages in the disk will be more rapid, and healing of the bone will be slower.
Being overweight:
This is undesirable, because it increases the amount of load born by our low back.
Calcification - Osteoarthritis:
With the advancing age, wear and tear starts in the bony structures, ligaments and disks. Bone looses its calcium content and fractures happen more easily. To prevent this, body calcifies these worn tissues as a natural response and tries to keep these areas immobile. The new small bones formed, ligaments stoned and narrowed disk spaces compress the nerves and cause pain in the back, low back, and body in general.
Osteoporosis:
Osteoporosis is a women’s disease in general. It causes weakness and softening in bones, and fractures to occur readily and therefore pain. Lack of calcium and vitamin D in the diet, sedentary life, early menopause, alcohol intake in excessive amounts, smoking and corticosteroids increase the risk of osteoporosis.
Rheumatoid Diseases:
These diseases develop as a consequence of fight of the immune system of the body against the cells of the body of its own. Normal bones and cartilages of the spine become damaged. Diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ancylosing Spondylitis cause pain and swelling in the joints and restricts daily motions. Morning joint stiffness and sore muscles are warnings for rheumatoid diseases.
Back Pain
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