Having lower back and hip pain is very common. At least four out of five people will have it sometime during their life. Some people tend to have more problems than others and some factors are controllable, while others are not. Learning more about lower back and hip pain is the first step towards being pain free.

Types of Lower Back and Hip Pain

There are three categories of lower back and hip pain depending on how long your pain lasts and how often you get it. If the pain lasts less than three months, it is acute back pain. Most back pain is this type. It is easy to deal with at home and no doctor's care is needed. Get a few days of bed rest if you like, then back on your feet and work through the pain. Exercise will help, as can analgesics.

Some people have acute pain, but it comes back again, making it recurrent. While it is annoying and frustrating to have the pain return, if you treat it carefully as before, it should go away again, hopefully forever this time.

If the lower back and hip pain last longer than three months, and your back is painful most of the time, you have chronic back pain. It would be smart to talk to your primary care physician, or you can try an alternative method, such as chiropractic care or acupuncture. Be sure to go to a qualified professional, as you don't want to exacerbate the problem!

One exception to the not longer than three months rule would be hip and lower back pain during pregnancy. Pregnant women can have backaches off and on throughout their pregnancy, primarily due to the growing uterus and straining ligaments. But once she had delivered her baby, the back pain should ease.

What are the Likely Causes?

Several things can cause lower back and hip pain. By far, the most common cause is a muscle strain, but it can also be sciatica, an uneven pelvis or even one leg shorter than the other. You could have flat feet, or you could have very weak muscles that don't do an adequate job of protecting your spine. There are also other things that can cause lower back and hip pain.

What is Piriformis Syndrome?

Piriformis syndrome is an inflammation in the piriformis muscle. This muscle is found very deep within the buttock, and it is the muscle that helps our hips to rotate. If there is tightness in the hamstring, the piriformis can become inflamed and sore, even to the outside back section of the buttock. It can swell and put pressure and inflammation on the sciatic nerve too, causing sciatica. Sitting can also aggravate this situation.

To relieve the lower back and hip pain and swelling, it is wise to use ice (wrapped in a towel for twenty minutes, several times a day). Taking an anti-inflammatory medicine will also help, if you don't mind taking a drug to ease matters. If touch is tolerable, massage the muscle deep into the tissues. Also strengthen and stretch out the hip area, using exercises targeting the hip, lower back and hamstring muscles.