Acute lower back pain is a common concern of people, affecting up to 80% of the American population. Around 50% experience more than one episode of back pain. Acute lower back pain is not considered a disease. It is rather a symptom that occurs from different processes. In fact, in around 70% of people with lower back pain, no specific cause can be identified despite thorough medical examinations. Nevertheless, there are some reasons or incidences that trigger the pain to attack. Read on and know some of them.

Acute lower back pain may be triggered by different factors such as bone, spinal nerves, and muscle injuries and diseases. It may also characterize some organ problems within the abdomen, pelvis, or chest, as well as intra-abdominal disorders like appendicitis, kidney diseases, pelvic infections, aneurysm, bladder infections, ovarian disorders, and a lot more. Acute lower back pain may also be caused by normal pregnancy due to the strain placed on the lower back, stretching of pelvis ligaments, and nerve irritation. All these things will be considered and ruled out during the evaluation of your pain.

Nerve impingement, a condition caused by ruptured or herniated disc between the lower back bones, may be characterized by symptoms including acute lower back pain. One example of this condition is called sciatica, manifested by acute lower back pain together with other symptoms like numbness in the area of the leg where the affected nerve supplies blood. Spondylosis, a condition caused by the decrease in the disc height and loss of moisture and volume of the interverterbral discs due to aging, may also be characterized by acute lower back pain. Other cases that may be characterized by this symptom include minor physical trauma from similar circumstances.

Spinal stenosis, a problem with the spine, may also be signaled by some lower back pain symptoms, including pain that radiates down to lower part of the body, felt more often then a person is standing for a long period of time. A medical emergency referred to as cauda equine syndrome can also trigger acute lower back pain to attack, especially when the spinal cord is compressed directly. Myofascial pain is another condition that can trigger back pain as well as other symptoms such as feeling of tenderness in some areas, difficulty to move certain muscle groups, and pain along the peripheral nerves.

Other factors that trigger acute lower back pain are osteomyelitis, fibromyalgia, tumors, and nerve inflammation. Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain and tenderness throughout the body, generalized stiffness, fatigue, lower back pain, and muscle aches. Osteomyelitis is characterized by stiffness and pain in the spine. Cancerous tumors are said to be characterized by acute lower back pain. Spinal nerve inflammation is caused by spinal nerve infection from the virus known as herpes zoster. This condition is characterized by shingles in spine and lower and upper back pain.

Those given in this article are just a few of the factors or reasons you have acute lower back pain. However, it is still best to seek medical attention when any of the above symptoms manifest in your body.