A common painful condition of the spine and its associated structure is medically referred to as dorsalgia which is basically back pain.

To understand back pain let us first study the spine itself.

The 24 articulating bones and nine fused bones that form the lower end making up a total of 33 bones anatomically make up the spine or vertebral column. It is divided into four regions: cervical or neck region, thoracic or upper back, lumber or lower back and pelvic region. The vertebral column houses the spinal cord which is the nervous connecting link between the body and the brain. Nerves radiate out from the spinal cord to all regions of the body and are responsible for sensory and motor functions. The intervertebral fluid filled disks that cushion the bones and provide lubrication are present in the bones of the spine. The articulating structure of the spine is responsible for its flexibility.

Any injury or damage to the spinal column, the associated skeletal muscles, tendons, ligaments, intervertebral disks or the spinal cord itself can result in back pain. The most common form of back pain is lower back pain. Lower back pain occurs in the lumbar region and hence it is referred to as "lumbago".

The prevailing cause of lumbago is believed to be muscle strain. Lifting heavy weights, improper posture, etc. results in pain of the lumbar region as it strains the soft tissues. Injury and pain requires corrective surgery as it may have resulted from disk tear or herniation and it is very painful. The vertebral bones grind against each other as the intervetebral disks shrink as people age and such a condition leads to chronic pain.

In old age another cause of lower back pain is 'spondylolisthesis', it is the condition in which due to weakened ligaments and muscle tissue the vertebrae move to a greater extent . Arthritis is another cause of lumbago in the elderly.

Swelling of the tissue surrounding the spinal cord is caused due to infection of the cartilage or bone and this results in pain and exerts pressure on spinal chord. In such cases expert medical help should be immediately sought. Ruptured disks or inflammation which can be very painful can result from similar physical trauma.