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Causes of Back Pain
If you are suffering from back pain, you are not alone.
Severe back pain affects 80% of Americans at some time in
their lives. Our practice specializes in the diagnosis
and treatment of chronic and acute back pain.
 Severe
back pain affects 80% of Americans at some time in their
lives. It comes in many forms, from
lower back pain,
middle
back pain, or
upper back pain to low back pain with
sciatica. Common back pain causes include nerve and muscular
problems, degenerative disc disease, and arthritis. Many
people find relief from symptoms of back pain with pain
medication or pain killers.
Most people have experienced back pain sometime in their
life. The causes of back pain are numerous; some are
self-inflicted due to a lifetime of bad habits. Other back
pain causes include accidents, muscle strains, and
back pain from sports
injuries. Although the causes may be different, most often
they share the same symptoms.
Typical Causes of Back Pain
- Unsuccessful surgery of spine -
whether the surgery is
discectomy,
spine fusion, or
laminectomy, you have a risk of getting
chronic back pain or pain in arms and legs.
Although the pain has known causes, surgeons
call such after effect as failed back
surgery syndrome.
- Sciatica - when your sciatic
nerve inflames, you experience a piercing
pain through your hips that goes down to the
back of your leg.
- Spondylosis - this is also known
as Degenerative Disc Disease. It marks the
slow wear and tear of the disc located
between your vertebrae. As you age, there is
a reduction of moisture present in
intervertebral disc of spine. Thus, the
normal disc space narrows down and, in turn,
pinches the nerves of the vertebrae. This is
one of the common causes of back pain.
- Spinal Stenosis - here, your
spinal canal narrows down, as the herniated
disc exerts force on your spinal cord.
- Herniated disc - there is a
gelatinous, soft part in the center of the
intervertebral disc. When a part or whole of
it is forced through a fragile part of the
disc, this condition arises and becomes one
of the causes of back pain. You might also
experience neck, arm, or leg pain due to
irritation in the root of nerves. It happens
when the internal part of the disc, known as
nucleus pulposus, exerts force on a nerve
root that comes out through the spinal cord.
- Spondylolisthesis - in this
condition, one vertebra slips forward over
the other. It happens in adults due to
degeneration of discs as well as ligaments
that connect and support your spine. The
slippage causes narrowing of the
intervetebral space, leading to compression
of nerve roots. Thus, causes of back pain
are created.
The symptoms for back
pain are:
- Persistent aching or stiffness anywhere along your
spine, from the base of the neck to the hips.
This is often associated with a
spine injury.
- Sharp, localized pain in the neck, upper back, or
lower back -- especially after lifting heavy objects or
engaging in other strenuous activity.
- Chronic ache in the middle or lower back, especially
after sitting or standing for extended periods.
- Back pain that radiates from the low back to the
buttock, down the back of the thigh, and into the calf
and toes.
- Inability to stand straight without having severe
muscle spasms in the low back.
Call Your Doctor About Back
Pain If:
- You feel numbness, tingling, or loss of control in
your arms or legs. This may signal damage to the spinal
cord.
- The pain in your back extends downward along the
back of the leg. You may be suffering from sciatica.
- The pain increases when you cough or bend forward at
the waist. This can be the sign of a
herniated disc.
- The pain is accompanied by fever, burning during
urination, or strong-smelling urine. You may have a
bacterial urinary tract infection.
- You have urine or fecal incontinence.
- You have dull pain in one area of your spine when
lying in or getting out of bed. If you are over 50 you
may be suffering from
osteoarthritis.
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