You are going about your day when that painful twinge hits, causing you to stop short and rub that familiar area just above your hips. Lower back pain strikes again. This is something that far too many people deal with in their day-to-day routine. The cause of lower back pain can be a myriad of different possibilities, from muscle strain to sciatic nerve problems.

A proper diagnosis can be determined with a visit to the doctor’s office, and perhaps a handful of tests. When it comes to internal pain, it is better to be over cautious than do nothing. Sometimes waiting even just a few weeks can almost be too late. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Iceberg Or Ice Cube?

A low back strain is a very common lower back pain cause. What happens exactly? Basically you do too much and lift too much for too long, which results in the muscle fibers in your lower back being pulled in ways they are not accustomed to. Most of the time this is not a serious injury; you will, however, need to stop your twisting and shaking for a few weeks. 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 the latter, lumbar sprains can be much more painful; a sprain occurs when the ligaments are torn. Think of ligaments as the cables that keep a suspension bridge suspended. If a cable snaps, the integrity of the bridge is threatened and weakened. The symptoms of the two are so alike that it may be easier to tell the Double Mint twins apart than to nail down a diagnosis for this lower back pain cause.

For women, painful cramps during their menstrual cycle and premenstrual syndrome can be a lower back pain cause. During the latter part of pregnancy puts much added pressure on the spine and vertebrae, causing 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.

Exercising these muscles do aid in relieving the pain, especially for anyone whose job requires repetitive motions. Not giving your muscles a variety of movement and stretching throughout the day can also cause upper back pain. Something as simple as a few arm and back stretches in the morning could do wonders for your overall spinal health. Regular visits to your family physician are an important key in taking care of yourself.