Causes of Sharp Lower Back Pain

Over 80 million Americans suffer from lower back pain each year. Whether it is caused by car accidents, sports injuries or simply from overuse, the effects of this type of pain can be debilitating to even the most athletic person. In order to achieve the fastest healing time possible from your back injury, it's vital to understand what sort of events cause sharp lower back pain versus the more chronic type of dull pain.

Sharp lower back pain is typically caused by a sudden event, such as a car accident, or even from a simple event like lifting an object that is heavier than you can manage by yourself. The sharp pain that occurs during situations like these is due to damage to one or more body tissues surrounding the spinal bones. The most common tissues damaged in these types of injuries, in order, are the muscles, tendons and ligaments, bones, and the nerves.

Muscles are the most easily traumatized tissues in the spinal column. They are responsible for maintaining spinal balance and movement. However, when spinal muscles are pushed beyond their normal physiological capacity, tearing of the muscle fibers occurs. Microtearing is what happens during sprains and typically do not leave any visible signs other than pain. Macrotearing often results in bruising around the site of injury due to blood leakage from torn muscle tissue.

Ligaments and tendons are also sources of sharp lower back pain. Some traumatic events cause such force to be applied to the tissues that the ligaments can also tear or rip from their attachment points on the bones. This is a much more serious injury and can often require surgery to correct the problem. Both ligament and tendon injuries as well as muscle injuries can often be diagnosed with simple orthopedic tests.

Damaged bones can also be a source of sudden sharp back pain. Compression fractures in the elderly and in those individuals with osteoporosis are the usual targets of this type of damage. Bones without an adequate matrix of calcium trabeculae are brittle and weak, and can fail relatively easy with a simple fall or even moderate lifting. An x-ray, CT scan or bone scan can identify the exact area of fracture. Depending on its severity, the fracture may be left alone to heal on its own or may require interventions to try and stabilize the spinal bone height and prevent future fracturing.

Nerve damage causing sharp lower back pain requires immediate medical attention. The muscles, ligaments and bones are all designed to protect the nerves, so when they fail and the nerves become damaged, time is of the essence in stabilizing the injury to obtain the best outcome. Signs of nerve damage would include muscle weakness or paralysis, numbness and tingling in the legs or feet, or even loss of bowel or bladder function. If this occurs, seek emergency medical help immediately.

See your doctor immediately if you've suffered a recent low back injury. Sharp lower back pain has many causes, but with the right diagnosis, relief and healing are just around the corner.