The Most Common Causes Of Lower Back Pain Are A Strain Or Sprain
Whether you notice it or not, your lumbar spine gets put to work throughout the entire day.
Amid all of this work and motion, a lower back sprain or strain can result from an acute injury, such as one experienced while falling, lifting something too heavy or playing sports. A sprain or strain can also develop over time due to repetitive movements or poor posture.
“Straining a muscle or spraining a ligament are the most common causes of lower back pain,” says Dr. Palmer. “While they can be serious, these common causes of lower back pain aren’t long-lasting taking anywhere from a few days to heal or, at most, a few months.”
Your doctor can help you determine the particular course of self-care that can help heal your lower back pain.
“The treatment for a pulled back muscle or strained back ligament is fairly simple and can include pain and anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxers, ice to help reduce inflammation, heat to promote healing, and avoiding strenuous activity until the pain recedes,” explains Dr. Palmer. “The best course of care will depend on the severity of your injury as well as your overall core and lower body strength.”
If your lower back pain persists despite treatment, it may be time to consider other causes of lower back pain.
Causes Of Back Pain And Fatigue
There can be various underlying reasons for back pain. Usually, lower back pain can be caused when soft tissues become injured. A damaged disc, nerve compression, improper spinal joint movement, stretched muscles, torn or damaged muscles, all become a reason for lower back pain, which then becomes the cause for increasing fatigue.
Dissection Of The Aorta
One of the lesser known causes of back pain and shortness of breath is the dissection of the aorta. Blood leaks out of the arterial lumen when there is an aortic dissection. Pain in the upper back region and chest pain are the most common symptoms of aortic dissection. Other symptoms are shortness of breath, sweating, fainting, weakness, and dizziness.
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Treatment Options For Stress
The first thing we do with every patient who has back pain is determine its root cause. Its important to understand that no adult can expect to live 100 percent pain-free or stress-free. However, we can discuss ways to minimize discomfort and help patients feel less tense.
An effective way to reduce stress and back pain is to exercise and stretch more.
Physical activity can release endorphins and improve overall health, which can help reduce stress. Make a point to get up during the work day and do a few laps around the office every few hours, or try a standing desk. At home, reserve time to exercise. Physical therapy also can help relieve spine pain and return your neck and back to optimal flexibility. A physical therapist can show you specific stretches to pinpoint trouble areas in your neck and back.
Eating a healthy diet also can help reduce stress.
When you eat well long term, your general health can improve, and you will likely feel more energetic. Healthy eating is key to weight loss and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight offloads pressure from your spine and improves your posture.
Additionally, its important to make time in your schedule to relax.
Many patients with back pain are very busy with work, family, and social commitments. Carve out time to read a good book, spend time with family and friends, or practice mindfulness or meditation.
Chronic Low Back Pain Is Serious But Rarely Ominous
Back pain can suck the joy out of your days for week, months, even years. It can definitely be serious even when its not dangerous. I have worked with many truly miserable chronic low back pain patients, and of course the huge economic costs of back pain are cited practically anywhere the subject comes up. But your typical case of chronic low back pain, as nasty as it can be, has never killed anyone.
Ominous is medical jargon for truly scary. Cue Jaws theme music. Low back pain is ominous when it is caused by something that can cripple or kill you. Such causes are rare, fortunately. But awful things do happen, even the best doctors can miss them .
Ordinary back pain can be fierce & awful but not dangerous. Its bark is almost always much louder than its bite.
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How To Fix Lower Back Pain In Women
The treatment of low back pain depends on the underlying cause, which is yet another reason why you should schedule an appointment and see the doctor for symptoms you experience. The doctor evaluates each patient, assesses your health status and physical activity level and recommends different tests to rule out other conditions with similar symptoms in order to make an accurate diagnosis.
In cases when lower back pain is associated with other health conditions, then treatment for that problem can also help alleviate pain and discomfort. Depending on the diagnosis, patients have different treatments to try, but a combination of different approaches seems to be the most effective.
When it comes to lower back pain, youre not helpless. There are many things you can do to alleviate pain and discomfort and improve quality of life. Here are some treatment options even your doctor will recommend:
When To See A Specialist For Lower Back Pain
If you’re experiencing lower back pain that’s not responding to rest and self-care, it’s time to consider seeing a spine specialist.
“A spine specialist will likely perform a physical exam as well as one or more imaging scans to diagnose the root cause of your lower back pain. Depending on your diagnosis, he or she will then design a treatment plan aimed at alleviating your pain and preventing it from disrupting the everyday activities you enjoy,” says Dr. Palmer.
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Less Common Causes Of Low Back Pain
While considerably less common, low back pain may also be caused by:
Infection. Also called osteomyelitis, a spinal infection is rare but can cause severe pain and is life threatening if untreated. It can be caused by surgical procedures, injections, or spread through the blood stream. Patients with a compromised immune system are more susceptible to developing an infection in the spine.
Tumor. Most spinal tumors start in another part of the body and metastasize to the spine. The most common tumors that spread to the spine start from cancer in the breast, prostate, kidney, thyroid, or lung. Any new symptoms of back pain in a patient with a known diagnosis of cancer should be evaluated for possible spinal metastasis.
Autoimmune disease. Back pain is a possible symptom associated with autoimmune conditions, such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, crohns disease, fibromyalgia, and others.
This list includes the more common causes of back pain, but there are many more. Finding the optimal treatment for low back pain usually depends on obtaining a correct clinical diagnosis that identifies the underlying cause of the patients symptoms.
What Causes Back Pain In Fibromyalgia
People with fibromyalgia may experience long-term back pain along with a number of other symptoms. Back pain thats patient-reported and physician-observed called paraspinal lumbar tenderness is very common, says Dr. Schiopu. All the areas of the body that are being used on a regular basis could hurt, like your hands, neck, or upper or lower back.
The back is a common area to have pain in fibromyalgia because muscles in general are often painful in fibromyalgia, and the human back has a large quantity of muscle fibers to support posture, says Amanda Sammut, MD, a rheumatologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
Also, says Dr. Schiopu, patients with fibromyalgia could have a degree of wear-and-tear arthritis of the lumbar spine, which is amplified by fibro. In fact, its common to have fibro at the same time as other diseases, such as inflammatory arthritis or osteoarthritis.
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Home Treatments Lower Back Pain And Fatigue Causes
Over-the-counter pain alleviation medication, typically nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications , such as advil, can ease discomfort. Applying a warm compress or an ice bag to the painful location may likewise minimize pain.
Resting from arduous task can aid, but walking around will certainly reduce rigidity, lower pain, as well as avoid muscular tissues from weakening.
Can Back Pain Lead To Complications
The good news is that most people recover from back pain within a few weeks.1 See your doctor if you experience additional symptoms, such as:
- loss of bowel and/or bladder control
- severe pain that gets worse instead of better over time
- problems with passing urine or bowel movements
- numbness or a pins-and-needles sensation in your legs, back or elsewhere
- unexplained weight loss
- back redness or swelling
For some people, back pain becomes an ongoing problem. Around 1 in every 2 people who experience back pain will experience it again, and for 1 in 5 people, back pain may last beyond 8 to 12 weeks. Possible complications that result from persistent, long-term back pain include:
- dependence on strong pain medicines, such as opioids
- reduced quality of life
- more difficulty finding work and keeping active
See your healthcare professional if your back pain is unresolved and limits your movement and activities. A health care professional can help you find ways to manage your pain and regain a better quality of life.
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When To See A Medical Professional
Many back pain slowly improves with residence treatment and self-care, typically within a few weeks. Contact your doctor if your back pain:
Persists past a couple of weeks Lower Back Pain And Fatigue Causes
Is serious and does not improve with rest
Spreads down one or both legs, particularly if the discomfort prolongs below the knee
Reasons weakness, tingling or prickling in one or both legs
Is accompanied by inexplicable weight management
In uncommon situations, back pain can signify a major clinical trouble. Look for prompt care if your back pain:
Reasons new digestive tract or bladder issues
Is accompanied by a fever
Complies with a loss, impact to your back or other injury Demand an Appointment at Mayo Clinic
Low Back Pain Brought On By Spine Degeneration And Injury.
Repeated hefty training or a sudden unpleasant movement can stress back muscle mass and also spinal tendons. If youre in inadequate physical problem, constant stress on your back can create excruciating muscle spasms.
Disks function as paddings in between the bones in your spine. The soft product inside a disk can bulge or burst and press on a nerve. Nonetheless, you can have a protruding or burst disk without back pain. Disk illness is usually located incidentally when you have spine X-rays for a few other reason.
Osteo arthritis can affect the lower back. Sometimes, arthritis in the spine can result in a constricting of the room around the spinal cord, a condition called spinal constriction.
Pain That Is Worse After Waking Up And Better After Moving Around
Many who experience low back pain report symptoms that are worse first thing in the morning. After getting up and moving around, however, symptoms are relieved. Pain in the morning is due to stiffness caused by long periods of rest, decreased blood flow with sleep, and possibly the quality of mattress and pillows used.
Of course, there are other ways people experience low back pain. Low back pain varies on an individual level, and many factors influence the pain experience, including mental and emotional health, financial stress, or exercise and activity level.
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Arthritis Of The Spine
Arthritis of the spine the slow degeneration of the spinal joints is the most frequent cause of lower back pain. All of us experience wear and tear as we age, and it is normal for your lower back to start acting up as you get older. As the cartilage breaks down between the spinal joints, surrounding tissues may become inflamed. The inflammation and the thinning of cartilage increase friction in the joints, which may cause pain in the lower back.
What Research Is Being Done
The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to seek fundamental knowledge of the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. NINDS is a component of the National Institutes of Health , the leading supporter of biomedical research in the world.
As a primary supporter of research on pain and pain mechanisms, NINDS is a member of the NIH Pain Consortium, which was established to promote collaboration among the many NIH Institutes and Centers with research programs and activities addressing pain. On an even broader scale, NIH participates in the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee, a federal advisory committee that coordinates research across other U.S. Department of Health and Human Services agencies as well as the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
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Is Your Work Contributing To Back Pain
A work that entails pulling, lifting, or turning with the low back can create injury and low back pain. Also prolonged sitting in an awkward position can trigger low back pain. Basing on your feet for hours on end? That can cause lower back pain too. The very best method to avoid back pain is to understand if you go to threat.
Lower Back Pain: What Could It Be
Do you have lower back pain? You are not alone. Anyone can experience lower back pain at any time, even if you dont have a prior injury or any of the risk factors. It is not always serious and can often get better on its own. But in some cases pain is your bodys way of telling you that something isnt right.
Learn more about lower back pain and what causes it from rehabilitation physician Akhil Chhatre, M.D., who specializes in back pain in the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
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Side Effects With Poor Spinal Alignment
There are a number of different side effects attributed to poor spinal alignment or other issues with the spine. These include:
Fatigue attributed to fatigue can become chronic if not addressed quickly enough. Remember that the nervous system and the brain control the rest of our body. If the spine is out of alignment, the rest of the body needs to work that much harder to maintain proper posture.If nerves are pinched and muscles are tight, it is going to lead to a tremendous power drain. This is going to make the person feel fatigued or overly tired. Even though some may not assume that exercise and better posture could lead to more energy, you might find yourself surprised at the results.
Symptoms Of Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can develop gradually or may start all of a sudden. In either case, the pain would show several signs that should not be ignored. A person would have the following symptoms:
- Front, back, or side of your legs may pain
- Back pain and fatigue may become severe with an increase in the activity
- A prolonged sitting may bring an increase in back pain
- Back pain may become worse at night
- A person may feel numbness in certain parts of the legs.
Though lower back pain and extreme tiredness are strongly connected, these are controllable if a person takes proper notice of the symptoms. The specialists at San Ramon Urgent Care & Clinic work diligently to ease a person from severe back pain and fatigue so he/she may live a healthy life. For urgent care and relief of your back pain, call us, and we will take care of you.
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Types Of Low Back Pain
There are many ways to categorize low back pain two common types include:
- Mechanical pain. By far the most common cause of lower back pain, mechanical pain is pain primarily from the muscles, ligaments, joints , or bones in and around the spine. This type of pain tends to be localized to the lower back, buttocks, and sometimes the top of the legs. It is usually influenced by loading the spine and may feel different based on motion , activity, standing, sitting, or resting.
- Radicular pain. This type of pain can occur if a spinal nerve root becomes impinged or inflamed. Radicular pain may follow a nerve root pattern or dermatome down into the buttock and/or leg. Its specific sensation is sharp, electric, burning-type pain and can be associated with numbness or weakness . It is typically felt on only one side of the body.
There are many additional sources of pain, including claudication pain myelopathic pain, neuropathic pain, deformity, tumors, infections, pain from inflammatory conditions , and pain that originates from another part of the body and presents in the lower back .
It is also possible for low back pain to develop with no definitive cause. When this happens, the primary focus is on treating the symptoms and the patients overall health.
Howto Find Relief If The Pain Is Spinal Stenosis
If you do have spinalstenosis, there are several treatments:
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