Lower Back Pain

Posted: April 1, 2004

Back pain that interferes with work or daily activities happens to most Americans at some point in their lives. Fortunately, most occurrences of low back pain go away within a few days. But for others, the pain takes much longer to resolve.

Acute pain
Acute or short-term low back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Most acute back pain is mechanical in nature — the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident or other stress on spinal bones and tissues.

Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and/or range of motion, or an inability to stand straight. Occasionally, pain felt in one part of the body may “radiate” from a disorder or injury elsewhere in the body. Some acute pain syndromes can become more serious if left untreated.

Chronic pain
Chronic back pain is measured by duration — pain that persists for more than three months is considered chronic. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine.

What causes lower back pain?
Low back pain may reflect nerve or muscle irritation or bone lesions. As people age, bone strength and muscle elasticity and tone tend to decrease. The discs begin to lose fluid and flexibility, which decreases their ability to cushion the vertebrae.

If the spine becomes overly strained or compressed, a disc may rupture or bulge outward. This rupture may put pressure on one of the more than 50 nerves rooted to the spinal cord that control body movements and transmit signals from the body to the brain. When these nerve roots become compressed or irritated, back pain results.

• Most low back pain follows injury or trauma to the back.
• Pain may also be caused by degenerative conditions such as arthritis or disc disease, osteoporosis or other bone diseases, viral infections, irritation to joints and discs, or congenital abnormalities in the spine.

Other contributors to back pain include:

• Obesity
• Smoking
• Weight gain during pregnancy
• Stress
• Poor physical condition
• Posture inappropriate for the activity being performed
• Poor sleeping position also may contribute to low back pain

Serious warning signs
Occasionally, low back pain may indicate a more serious medical problem. Pain accompanied by fever or loss of bowel or bladder control, pain when coughing, and progressive weakness in the legs may indicate a pinched nerve or other serious condition. People with diabetes may have severe back pain or pain radiating down the leg related to neuropathy. People with these symptoms should contact a doctor immediately to help prevent permanent damage.

Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

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