Many people attribute certain afflictions only to getting old. In the general sense, this may be true but when it comes to things like low back pain, it can happen to anyone, at any age. While it is often reserved for the elderly and aging, back pain can and does afflict many.
The back consists of many different parts. Down its centre is the spinal column, which holds the back in place and also protects the spinal cord and its adjoining nerves. The spine is made up of different types of vertebrae, each of which are separated by round cartilage pads called discs. There are also ligaments and tendons that hold the vertebrae in place and connect the muscles of the back to the spine. Vertebrae are divided up into parts such as the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and root or sacrum. The lumbar area of the back is where low back pain happens.
The length of time someone experiences low back pain is part of how it is diagnosed to be either acute or chronic. Acute back pain lasts a few days to a few weeks, at the most a month or two. Chronic back pain, however, is back pain that lasts longer than three months.
Many things can cause the spine to experience low back pain. Posture, obesity, weight gained due to pregnancy and a poorly kept physical condition also attribute to back pain. Simply losing weight and living a healthy active life can greatly improve the health of the spine and back.
Trauma to the lower back is a serious cause of low back pain that has to be examined as soon as it occurs. Car accidents that whip the body around can cause back pain, as well as people who overstretch when reaching or pick up something too heavy. These things can cause trauma to the back, causing the discs between the vertebrae to bulge. Nerve and muscle tissue can become irritated, bone lesions can occur, and left untreated, these things can become much more serious.
If low back goes untreated and is of a serious nature, it can become something else more serious such as sciatica. Sciatica is caused when herniated or ruptured discs press on the sciatic nerve. This nerve runs down the spinal column to the pelvis and if irritated, can cause shock like or burning back pain. This pain shoots through the buttocks and travels down a leg, going often as far as below the knee.
Low back pain in general can reduce a person's flexibility, making it nearly impossible for them to bend. The muscles ache with shooting or stabbing pains, and often a person is not able to stand up straight. Men and women are equally afflicted by back pain. In a single year, Americans will spend approximately fifty billion dollars in total on treating back pain. It is the most common cause of job related disability and missed work. Even teenagers can be afflicted by back pain when they carry heavy backpacks full of school supplies. While aging of course brings such ailments as osteoporosis and its symptom of back pain, this type of pain can be caused by gardening, housework, lifting something improperly or simply poor sleeping habits and posture.
Any sort of back pain caused for whatever reason should be examined by a doctor if it doesn't go away after a few days. Acute low back pain can easily turn into something more chronic. It might also be the sign of something more serious. Visit a doctor or back specialist to confirm any diagnosis.
