Learn the Causes of Lower Back Pain

Is this a familiar scenario for you: in the middle of your day to day activities, a spasm of pain suddenly forces you to stop and attempt to ease the discomfort in the vicinity of your lower spine. The culprit? Lower back pain. Countless individuals suffer from this condition as they go about their daily tasks. And a lot of them don’t understanding the exact cause of their pain.

Straining a muscle is often the reason for lower back pain. What happens exactly? You’re probably overdoing it physically, or lifting and carrying incorrectly. The end result is that your lower back muscles get pulled in directions they’re not used to moving in.

Most often, this is not a serious injury. But you’ll need to take it easy for a little while and avoid sharp movements. Be prepared to break out the ice pack and spend some quality time with your sofa.

A lumbar sprain is similar to a strain in that they are both popular causes of lower back pain. But unlike a strain, lumbar sprains can be much more painful, because it’s a result of the ligaments being torn. Ligaments are like the supporting stay cables on a suspension bridge. If one of the cables breaks, the bridge suddenly becomes less stable and reliable.

Women often experience lower back pain as a result of menstrual cramping or premenstrual syndrome. The latter part of pregnancy also puts added pressure on the spine and vertebrae. This leads to pinched nerves and quite a bit of discomfort. Endometriosis is another health issue for women that many times will be made worse by pain in the lower back area.

When you don’t stretch your muscles enough it can also lead to upper back pain. Even performing some back and arm stretches first thing every day can dramatically improve the health of your spine. Exercising your back muscles can aid in relieving the pain, especially for anyone whose job requires repetitive motions.

The causes of lower back pain can be a myriad of different possibilities, from muscle strain to sciatic nerve problems. Make an appointment with your doctor to get a diagnosis through an examination and perhaps some further testing.

When it comes to back pain treatment, it’s better to be overly cautious than do nothing to eliminate it. Even putting it off for a few weeks can make the condition worse. As they say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.