Causes of Back Pain - Where Does Back Pain Come From?

Back pain is mankind's bane. It is one of the most common reasons for visiting the doctor, and around 90 percent of adults have at one time or another experienced it. The pain we feel can originate from any one of our numerous bones, joints, muscles, tissues and ligaments in the back. In terms of pain, our back can be divided into four sections. There is the tailbone pain, the lower back pain, the pain in the upper back and the pain in the neck. Pain can come and go, it can be mild or excruciating, and it can also be chronic. It can start in one place then radiate to other parts of the back. There are back pains that radiate to the arms, legs and feet, and sometimes radiating even to the head. Sometimes the pain is accompanied by a tingling sensation, even numbness and weakness.

What keeps us upright is our spine, which is a complex interconnection of bones, nerves, joints, ligaments and muscles that are all susceptible to injury or damage which in turn can cause pain. What ensues is a brief look at some of the causes of back pain.

The number one cause of back pain is lumbar muscle strain, which can be due to a variety of causes, and a patient may not be able to pinpoint what happened to trigger the muscle strain. The upside of this type of back pain is that it subsides over time and may be completely resolved in weeks.

As we age, our spinal canal can be constricted and cause back pain. This is known as spinal stenosis, and is common among the elder population. The constriction of the spinal canal can be caused by a number of reasons the most common of which is arthritis.

A herniated spinal disc is another cause of back pain. The spinal disc is a cushion located in the gaps between each vertebra. It is elastic but wears out with age, and an injury or an accident can rupture it, causing a portion to slip outside its normal boundary, causing back pain.

While arthritis usually occurs in the joints of the extremities, such as the fingers and knees, sometimes it can affect our joints in the spine as arthritis can affect all the joints in the body. This is a condition known as lumbar spine arthritis. Arthritic pain comes and goes, and happens in varying degrees.

Discogenic back pain occurs at the lower region of the back, caused by injury to the intervertebral disc where the disc is not herniated. A discogram is used to diagnose this type of back pain.

Back pain can also come from osteoporosis, or "brittle bone disease". This condition causes the weakening of the bones, and its increased susceptibility to breakage. Osteoporosis can cause a broken hip or a spine fracture. This is usually prevented by taking calcium to strengthen the bone. Never mind the back pains, osteoporosis could be quite debilitating and life-threatening if it remains unchecked.

Spondylolisthesis is another cause of back pain. It occurs when adjacent vertebra becomes unstable causing it to slip. Degenerative changes causes spondylolisthesis, this is when the stabilizing structures of our spine are lost. An unstable back is a painful one.

Understanding the causes of back pain would make it easier to control or eliminate altogether, but we are still the best judge of whether our back pain is something we can manage, or if we would need to seek medical attention.