Acute lower back pain is one of the most common complaints of people, with 8 out of 10 Americans experiencing it and 4 out of these 8 experienced it more than once in their lifetime. According to experts,
acute lower back pain is a symptom and not a disease. It occurs because some reasons or incidences happened thereby triggering the pain to attack. The studies further showed that no specific cause was identified in around 70% of the people known to suffer from lower back pain. Go on reading as you discover the different things that trigger the pain to attack.
Injuries or diseases in the muscles, spinal nerves, and bones are some of the reasons or factors that trigger acute lower back pain. It could also be triggered by abnormalities in the chest, abdomen, pelvis, or other organs, all of which are characterized by the pain in the back. Lower back pain may also be caused by bladder infections, ovarian disorders, pelvic infections, aneurysm, appendicitis, kidney diseases, and other intra-abdominal disorders. Even pregnant women can experience acute lower back pain. Back pain in pregnancy is due to irritation of the nerves, strain and pressure placed on the lower back, and stretching of the pelvis ligaments. All these are important factors that will help in the evaluation and diagnosis of your condition.
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.
Acute lower back pain may also be triggered by other medical conditions such as tumors, fibromyalgia, osteomyelitis, and inflammation of the nerves. Tumors are said to be the number one culprit to acute lower back pain. Fibromyalgia s signaled by symptoms such as muscle aches, lower back pain, fatigue, generalized stiffness, and tenderness and pain in the body. Symptoms of osteomyelitis include spine pain and tenderness, while nerve inflammation symptoms include upper and lower back pain and shingles in the spine.
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.