Almost every woman has complained of suffering from lower back pain at some time in her life. Whether acute or chronic, lower back pain seems to target the females of our species to a much greater degree than our male counterparts.
The layman (or woman) generally describes the area which is painful as the 'lower back' which, by definition, could be anywhere from the top of the hips to the coccyx (or tail bone at the very end of the spine). The medical profession commonly defines 'lower back' as being the area between the top of the legs and the bottom of the rib cage. Even though these descriptions of the location of the pain vary, it can be assumed that it is around the area where the upper half of the skeleton meets the lower half. It is this meeting point which bears most of our bodies' weight and, because we are also able to twist sideways and bend over double, it is thus at great risk of a huge array of problems.
The most common causes of lower back pain are the well known culprits of lifting items which are too heavy, twisting in an unnatural way (as when trying to prevent a fall), sports injuries or knocks received in a car accident, for instance. All the symptoms of the dreaded lower back pain caused by the above reasons will slowly disappear if one simply rests and does not do anything too physical for a week or two and, if necessary, taking an over the counter anti-inflammatory or pain killing medication.
The major problem associated with lower back pain is when the pain persists over a period of time and either does not go away completely, or does not respond to simple medication and rest, as described above. The diagnosis then becomes more complex, the symptoms become chronic and a host of testing needs to be done in order to pinpoint the exact cause - and thus the treatment plan - to ensure that the patient is able to continue with her normal day to day existence.
The 3 uncommon causes of your chronic lower back pain could be:
Arthritis - both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis attack points in the body which have previously been damaged or weakened; and the lower back is therefore a prime target which get progressively more stiff and painful the older one gets;
A herniated or ruptured disc - the little gel-filled cushion between each vertebra which gets more brittle with age and, when forced out of its correct place, may press on a nerve; and
An unknown or undiagnosed compression fracture which could be caused by osteoporosis (or thinning of the bones).
Stress, depression and tension have also been shown to have an adverse affect on lower back pain, especially the chronic version of the syndrome. It is therefore recommended to consult your doctor if your pain persists for more than two weeks and does not respond to rest and over the counter medications.
