Lower Back Pain | Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Lower Back Pain

• Overview
• Symptoms of Lower Back Pain
• Causes of Lower back Pain
• Treatment

Introduction

Lower back pain is a common problem among people around the world. Many individuals with chronic pain rush to see doctors while some of them just ignore it and live with it.

However living with a pain that literally brings so much discomfort and that limits your day-to-day movement and body functions to a large extent.

The pain in the lower back region may start with anyone at any given point of time in their life, and it can range from some dull ache every now and then to a sharp constant pain.

Most of the cases are driven from poor body mechanics; usually, the dysfunction of muscles, tendons and ligaments or the spine as a result of overusing them or an injury. However, other issues, like kidney and bladder problems, cancer and arthritis may cause pain in the lower back as well.

Symptoms of Lower Back Pain

• Muscle ache
• Feeling of stabbing
• pain radiating to the leg
• Pain on one side
• Difficulty standing for long
• Difficulty bending
• Decreases flexibility (Inability to move easily in all directions)

Causes of Lower back Pain

Lets have a look at the most common causes of lower back pain.

1. Strains: These are the most common and they happen due to overstretching or tearing the muscles or ligaments. Sports activities like lifting heavy weights, especially with poor mechanism, or daily jobs that require using the lower back for prolonged periods are the main factors that lead to muscle and ligament strains and sprains.

2. Herniated Disks and  vertebral fractures: These are injuries received from sports activities, falls or road accidents and can cause severe damage to the spine.

3. Degenerative Disc Disease: Aging is the chief cause of the discs to wear down losing their integrity. Deterioration of the disks causes the lower back to lose their ability of flexion and torsion.

4. Sciatica: This is pain due to a problem with the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back to the back of each leg. The pain extends to affect one leg, especially upon sitting or coughing and it can last for days or weeks.

5. Glutes Weakness and posture: As a matter of fact, these two affect each other. Underdeveloped gluteal muscles contribute largely to bad posture (Anterior pelvic tilt) and also lack of adequate support and stability of your body.

Treatment

Treatment depends on how severe the condition is. Surgery can be a solution only if corrective exercises and physical therapy can’t solve the problem; say, if it is a tumor or nerve damage (Sciatica). 

Other less serious conditions are generally treated by rest; Laying for a prescribed amount of time (usually up to 48 hours), physical therapy or corrective and strengthening exercises.

If your condition does not need a medical interference, consider doing the following exercises to relieve pain:

1. Laying On The Floor: You might want to use the floor for your sleep. Lay flat on your back at night and sleep if your spine hurts due to excess arching. This may make you feel ache at the beginning as your spine is forced in a straighter position, but you will get used to it as time passes by. Keep doing this until you see a more upright posture; mind! This may take a bit long.

2. Deadlift: This exercise is believed to be the only movement that hit the deep back muscles (Erector spinae) which are directly attached to the spine and hold it nice and tall if they are strong. Deadlift also works on your glutes and hamstrings which are crucial for a more natural posture.

3. Hip Thrusts (Bridges): These are great for strengthening your glues and correcting your imbalance and posture.

4. Superman Pose: This exercise strengthens the back muscles in general and that is what you might want to have, especially in a case of lower back pain.

5. Cat Cow Pose: This is more of a yoga exercise which has tremendous benefits. On the one hand, it strengthens your lower transverse abdominis muscle, which plays a major role in keeping your pelvis and lumbar spine in a natural position. On the other hand, the movement itself (Shifting from a cow pose to a cat pose) allows for pain relief as opening your vertebrae releases that pain.