Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : February 16, 2015 6:15 PM IST
Back pain ranks second only to headache as the most common and frequent cause of body pain. It is usually caused when one or more structures of the back, namely the muscles, bones, cartilage or spinal cord are affected, either due to physical injury or any underlying clinical condition. The lower part of the back is a common site of pain as it bears your weight and hence is more susceptible to injuries.
Most cases of back pain are found to be caused by minor strains, irritated nerves, sprains or injuries and not due to serious damage or any underlying disease (as many of us might think).
Your backache can range from dull, constant pain to a sharp and sudden pain. It can either worsen quickly with physical stress or may worsen gradually.
What can cause a back pain?
Several physical activities that you perform on a daily basis can lead to excessive strain on your back due to stress. The pain that results from these activities usually subsides within a few days, with proper rest and avoiding activities that can strain your back. Common activities that can lead to a back pain are:
Other conditions or diseases responsible for back pain
Ankylosing spondylitis: In this condition, the ligaments, spinal joints and sacroiliac joints (joints present at the base of the spinal cord) become inflamed causing pain and stiffness in the lower back.
Sciatica: This is caused due to irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve. This clinical condition causes sharp pain in the back and in the hips.
Pregnancy: Due to weight gain (body weight of the woman plus baby weight), changes in posture, hormonal changes and muscle separation put pressure on the back and pelvis region resulting in back pain.
Slipped Disc: Also known as a herniated disc, this condition is characterized by a ruptured disc (intervertibral disc gets torn due to strain and the gel leaks out). Due to injury, the disc puts pressure on the nerves causing severe pain in the back.
Osteoarthritis: Degeneration of the joints present in the back of the spine causes osteoporosis that decreases flexibility and results in back pain.
Spondylolisthesis: This condition is resulted when a small fracture causes one vertebra to slip forward, generally at the bottom of the spine. It causes nerve pinching and leg pain in addition to lower back pain.
Cauda Equina Syndrome: It is characterized by extreme swelling and pressure on the nerves present at the end of the spinal cord causing severe back pain.
Spinal stenosis: In this, the space in the spinal cord is reduced. This results in extra pressure on the nerves leading to pain in the back region.
Bulging Disc: In this condition, the disc gets compressed and bulges, which in turn causes nerve compression and finally back pain.
Other Conditions: Inflammatory disease of the pelvic region, cancer of the spine, spinal infections, stress, bad sleeping postures, etc are all found to cause back pain.
References:
What Is Back Pain?- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Living With Low Back Pain - WebMD
Frymoyer, et al. Epidemiologic Studies of Low-Back Pain
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