Lower Back Pain Causes - What Are the Main Causes?

Joints and bone conditions, lumbar strain, bony encroachment, lumbar radiculopathy, and nerve irritation are some of the common lower back pain causes. Read on if you want to know more about these lower back pain causes because this article reviews each of these causes.

1. Irritation in the nerves

Irritation in the nerves is one of the known back ache causes. Patients with this condition experience extreme pain due to the irritation in their lumbar spine caused by diseases developing on the nerves' paths, which can affect the roots of the spinal cord up to the skin's surface. Different diseases caused by back pain, including nerve inflammation, bony encroachment and lumbar diseases are often associated with the irritation in the nerves.

2. Lumbar Strain

Lumbar strain is one of the known lower back ache causes suffered by many low back pain patients. This condition often occurs after an injury caused by stretching occurred in the tendons and ligaments in the lower back muscle. This occurrence causes varying levels of microscopic degenerations in the tissues affected by the injury, often through overuse improper use, or trauma. Lumbar strain is considered acute if the patient has experienced pain for only days or weeks while it is considered chronic if the pain is experienced for over three months.

3. Bony Encroachment

Bony encroachment is experienced when the vertebrae located in the lumbar spine grows or move, causing the space of the nerves and spinal cords to be limited. Because of the extreme pain it causes, it is considered as one of the major lower back pain causes and is typically caused by foraminal narrowing, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis, which are also the known causes of sciatica pain characterized by a radiating pain in the lower part of the body. Pain felt after walking is known as the spinal stenosis but this can be eased by resting. Different treatments for these conditions are available but the treatment plan is based on how severe or serious the condition is. The treatment plan may be as easy as taking a rest or as complicated as surgical decompression.

4. Lumbar Radiculopathy

Lumbar radiculopathy is one type of irritation in the nerves, often caused by damaged discs located along the vertebrae. This can be due to wear and tear of the discs' outer ring, traumatic injury, or combination of the two. As a result, the central portion may be damaged, thereby causing sciatica pain characterized by extreme pain in the legs.

5. Joint and Bone Conditions

Joint and bone conditions are one of the leading back pain causes. These conditions can be congenital injury acquired from birth or wear and tear injury due to the degeneration of tissues, muscles, and bones, or due to injuries caused by arthritis or inflammation of the joints. Some of the more common congenital injuries are spina bifida and scoliosis while spondylosis is one of the more common degenerative injuries. Fractures and arthritis are two of the more common joint and bone conditions

The lower back pain causes mentioned and discussed above are just some of the many factors causing lower back pain. If you've been experiencing pain in your lower back, visit your physician right away so your doctor can devise an effective treatment plan for your lower back pain.