5 common causes of lower back pain

 

5 common causes of back pain and how to relieve it

by Aaron Corley D.C. 941-539-3412

Back pain is one of the most common health problems worldwide. It affects millions of people and continues to grow as our lifestyle becomes more complex. Whether you experience back pain as a dull ache, sharp discomfort, or chronic stiffness, it can significantly impact your quality of life. Either way, it makes even simple tasks such as sitting or standing feel challenging. Recent studies on back pain prevalence show this problem as a leading cause of disability globally, with nearly 80% of adults experiencing it at some point in their lives.

However, the causes of back pain can be difficult to trace. They vary widely, from poor posture and muscle strains to complex issues like herniated discs, which are much more common than people think. In any case, the first step to finding effective relief is understanding the root cause of your pain. Most people use quick fixes like painkillers but keep in mind these only mask the symptoms and do not address the underlying problem.

However, most cases of back pain are treatable and preventable. If you still have it after trying a few methods, it is probably because you haven’t found the right approach. There are numerous ways to alleviate discomfort, but it should be adapted to the cause of your pain to be effective and provide long-lasting effects.

That’s why, in this article, we decided to explore five common causes of back pain and provide practical tips to help you find relief in each case.

1. Poor Posture

Poor posture is one of the most common causes of back pain, and it is highly ovelooked. Nowadays, many of us spend hours hunched over desks, slouching on a couch, or staring down at the phone. As an article published by Harvard specialists shows, these habits can strain the spine excessively, causing discomfort, stiffness, and sometimes even long-term damage.

The spine is designed to maintain neutral alignment. It does so by maintaining three natural curves: one at the cervical (neck) level, another in the thoracic (mid-back) level, and the third in the lumbar (lower back) region. Slouching or sitting incorrectly forces these curves, along with the muscles and ligaments supporting them, to work harder to support the body. This extra strain causes muscle fatigue and tension and ultimately triggers pain.

The workplace is a good example of how poor posture causes back pain. Many office workers spend hours sitting at a desk, and they usually do not have adequate ergonomic support. Something as simple as a poorly positioned computer monitor or an unsupportive chair can contribute to poor posture. After a while, they may even experience a condition such as “tech neck,” where the neck and shoulders become stiff and painful from constantly looking down at screens.

The good news is that poor posture is often correctable with awareness and effort. Here are some practical tips to improve your posture and relieve back pain:

• Ergonomic Adjustments: In time, a workspace that supports good posture may improve back pain. For instance, your computer monitor should be at eye level, your chair should support your lower back, and your feet should rest flat on the floor.

• Take Breaks: Avoid sitting for long periods at work or home. Stand up, stretch, and move around every 30 minutes. Something as apparently simple as this can relieve pressure on your spine and reduce pain symptoms.

• Strengthen Your Core: Core muscles are those that keep your torso straight, such as your abs and lower back. A strong core supports the spine and helps maintain proper posture. A program to strengthen your core can include exercises like planks, bridges, and yoga.

• Mind Your Devices: Proper device use may also reduce back pain. For example, hold your phone or tablet at eye level to avoid straining your neck, and limit the time you spend looking down at screens.

• Practice Good Standing Posture: You can also modify your standing posture. For instance, distribute your weight evenly on both feet, keep your shoulders back, and engage your core muscles.

2. Muscle Strains and Sprains

Muscle strains and sprains do not only affect athletes. They are very common in the elderly, and even house chores can sometimes leave us with a muscle strain. These injuries occur when the muscles or ligaments in the back are overstretched or torn. Sudden movements, overuse, or improper lifting techniques often trigger this problem, and it can happen to anyone.

A muscle strain occurs when the muscle fibers are stretched beyond their limits. This improper stretching causes tiny tears that may affect mobility and cause pain. Muscle strains usually result from twisting, lifting, or sudden changes in direction. For example, athletes who engage in tennis, golf, or weightlifting are particularly prone to back strains. However, as mentioned above, everyday activities like lifting a heavy box, bending awkwardly, or even coughing forcefully can cause a similar problem.

Sprains, on the other hand, involve the ligaments. It typically occurs when a joint is forced into an unnatural position, and the ligaments stretch or tear. In the back, this can happen during a fall, a car accident, or any activity that places sudden stress on the spine. It may not happen as frequently as a muscle strain, but you can also experience this as a long-term effect of an accident.

The symptoms of muscle strains and sprains can vary depending on how severe the injury turns out. Mild cases may cause slight discomfort and stiffness. More severe injuries can result in sharp pain, swelling, and limited mobility.

While muscle strains and sprains can be painful, they often respond well to conservative treatments. Here are some steps you can take to relieve pain and promote healing:

• Rest: When you have a sprain or strain, it is essential to rest the articulation or muscle involved in the problem, in this case, your back. Avoid activities that aggravate the pain, but don’t stay completely immobile. Gentle movement can help prevent stiffness and promote blood flow to the injured area.

• Ice and Heat Therapy: For the first 48 hours after a sudden movement or accident, apply ice packs to the affected area to reduce swelling and inflammation. Afterward, switch to heat therapy to relax tight muscles and improve circulation. Do not apply ice directly to your skin to avoid cold burns.

• Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, can help reduce pain and inflammation. They are essential to treat inflammation and improve mobility.

• Gentle Stretching: Once the acute pain subsides, gentle stretching exercises can help restore flexibility and prevent stiffness. Avoid overstretching, as this can worsen the injury. If you’re unsure of how to stretch correctly, ask your doctor or physical therapist for assistance with the correct positions and exercises.

• Strengthening Exercises: As you recover, incorporate exercises to strengthen the muscles supporting your spine. Focus on your core, lower back, and hips to improve stability and prevent future injuries.

But all of the above is to treat the problem. Prevention is key when it comes to avoiding muscle strains and sprains, and it is much easier than solving an aching back. So, practice proper lifting techniques by bending at the knees and keeping your back straight, warm up before physical activity, and avoid overexertion.

3. Herniated or Bulging Discs

Spinal discs contain a gel-like center between one another, which helps cushion the joint. Herniated or bulging discs occur when this soft, gel-like center pushes through its outer layer. It bulges out and irritates nearby nerves, causing pain, numbness, or weakness. A bulging disc occurs when the disc protrudes outward but remains intact, while a herniated disc involves a tear in the outer layer, allowing the inner material to leak out.

Intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers and allow for flexibility. However, these discs can degenerate over time due to aging, wear and tear, or injury. Factors like poor posture, repetitive strain, heavy lifting, and trauma can increase the risk of disc problems. For example, lifting a heavy object with improper form can place excessive pressure on the discs, causing them to bulge or herniate. If they are already weak due to aging, the risk is even higher. That’s why bulging and herniated discs are so widespread among the elderly, even if they do not realize it.

Symptoms of a herniated or bulging disc depend on the location and severity of the issue. In the lumbar spine (lower back), a herniated disc can cause sharp, shooting pain that radiates down the leg, which is similar to sciatica pain. It may also include numbness or tingling in the legs or feet, muscle weakness, or difficulty standing or walking. The pain symptoms are localized in the lower back and may worsen with movement.

Symptoms are sometimes different in the cervical spine (neck), which causes neck pain that radiates to the shoulders, arms, or hands, numbness or tingling in the arms or fingers, weakness in the arms or hands, and headaches, particularly at the base of the skull.

Thankfully, herniated or bulging discs can be managed with noninvasive treatments. For instance:

• Rest and Activity Modification: Some activities, such as heavy lifting or prolonged sitting, may worsen pain. You can avoid these, but not to the extreme of inactivity. Complete bed rest is not recommended, as it puts an extra burden on your back and weakens your core. Instead, gentle movement can help reduce stiffness and improve circulation.

• Physical Therapy: A physical therapist can design a personalized exercise program to strengthen the muscles that provide support to the spine, improve flexibility, and reduce pressure on the affected disc.

• Chiropractic Care: Chiropractors use spinal adjustments to realign the vertebrae and relieve pressure on the affected disc. This step is fundamental to maintaining good spinal health and reducing back pain, not only in herniated or building discs. If you have them, chiropractic care can help relieve pain and improve mobility.

• Heat and Ice Therapy: Applying ice packs can reduce inflammation and numb the pain, while heat therapy can relax tight muscles and improve blood flow to the area. However, as stated above, applying ice directly to the skin is not recommended.

• Medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs can help with pain and inflammation. A doctor may prescribe muscle relaxants or corticosteroid injections in more severe cases.

In rare cases where conservative treatments fail to provide relief, surgery may be considered. Procedures like discectomy or spinal fusion aim to remove the damaged portion of the disc or stabilize the spine. However, surgery is typically a last resort and is only recommended when there is significant nerve compression or loss of function.

4. Spinal Misalignments (Subluxations)

Spinal misalignments, or subluxations, occur when one or more vertebrae in the spine move out of their proper position. This can disrupt the normal functioning of the nervous system, leading to pain, stiffness, and many other health issues. The spine is a complex structure that contains and protects the spinal cord, which serves as the primary communication pathway between the brain and the rest of the body. When the vertebrae are misaligned, they can interfere with this communication, causing discomfort, affecting overall well-being, and triggering chronic pain.

Subluxations can result from poor posture, repetitive stress, trauma, or even emotional stress. For example, sitting for long periods with a slouched posture causes pain, as shown above, but after a while, it gradually pulls the spine out of alignment. Another example is a car accident or sports injury, which can cause a sudden misalignment. Even everyday activities like carrying a heavy bag on one shoulder or sleeping in an awkward position can contribute to spinal misalignments over time.

The symptoms of spinal misalignments can vary depending on the location and severity of the issue. The most common signs include localized pain or stiffness in the back, neck, or shoulders and a reduced range of motion or difficulty moving. Patients often experience headaches, particularly tension headaches or migraines. Depending on the area of your back where the problem is located, you may also have numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs.

The good news is that spinal misalignments are highly treatable, and chiropractic care is one of the most effective solutions. Chiropractors are trained to identify and correct subluxations using gentle, targeted adjustments. These adjustments involve applying controlled force to the affected vertebrae to restore proper alignment and relieve nerve pressure. By realigning the spine, chiropractic care alleviates pain and improves nervous system function, promoting overall health and well-being.

If you’re experiencing back pain, stiffness, or other symptoms of spinal misalignment, don’t wait to seek help. A chiropractor can assess your spine, identify any misalignments, and provide personalized care to restore balance and function. By addressing the root cause of your pain, chiropractic care offers a natural, drug-free solution for achieving long-term relief and maintaining a healthy spine.

5. Chronic Stress and Tension

This blog repeatedly mentions stress and tension, but they deserve a separate section. Both are often overlooked as significant contributors to back pain, but they play an important role in the onset and persistence of the symptoms. Sometimes, chronic stress and tension are the main problems we need to address to relieve back pain.

In our modern world, stress is almost inevitable, and even children have their own source. However, the problem is how its physical effects can manifest in various ways, such as in the muscles and joints of the back. When stress goes chronic, it triggers prolonged muscle tension, poor posture, and even structural changes in the spine, all of which contribute to pain and discomfort. Plus, it is known that stress can heighten the sensation of pain, wherever it comes from. So, if you’re under stress, your pain scores are likely to go up and up.

When we examine the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, there's a clear link between stress and back pain. When you’re stressed, your organism releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones prepare you to respond to perceived threats. While this response is helpful in limited situations, when sustained for an extended period and becomes chronic stress, it keeps your body in a constant state of tension. As a result, you may start experiencing tightening in the muscles in your back, neck, and shoulders as they remain contracted for extended periods, leading to stiffness, soreness, and pain.

Over time, muscle tension can alter posture. For example, stress often causes people to hunch their shoulders or clench their jaws, and even this may sometimes push the spine out of alignment. Poor posture, in turn, places additional strain on the muscles, ligaments, and discs in the back, because they are trying to bring back the body to an ergonomic position. This creates a vicious cycle of pain and tension that grows and feeds on itself. Additionally, stress can exacerbate existing back problems, such as herniated discs or spinal misalignments, by increasing inflammation and reducing the body’s ability to heal. So, it’s all interconnected, and the first step is chronic stress.

Fortunately, there are several effective strategies to manage stress and reduce its impact on your back:

• Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Practices like deep breathing, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help calm down our nervous system and release muscle tension. Even a few minutes of mindfulness each day can make a difference, and it is a great tool we can carry everywhere.

• Exercise: Physical activity is a powerful tool against stress. Activities like yoga, Pilates, or walking reduce stress and strengthen the muscles that support your spine. So, you’re doing a good work on both sides. At first, exercise might seem a bit challenging or difficult, but keep at it and you will see the benefits after a few weeks.

• Chiropractic Care: Regular chiropractic adjustments can help realign the spine, relieve muscle tension, and improve nervous system function. Chiropractors do not limit their attention to providing therapeutic movements and postures. They can also give you insight on stress management and lifestyle habits that may help you cope with stressful situations.

• Sleep Hygiene: Quality sleep is fundamental if you want to keep stress away. If you have trouble sleeping, you may try making it better by creating a relaxing bedtime routine, avoiding screens before bed, and ensuring your sleeping environment is comfortable.

If stress-related back pain affects your quality of life, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. It is also important to look for help if you suspect another of the common causes of back pain mentioned throughout this article. Some can become serious medical concerns while others stay in the background for years affecting your quality of life.

A chiropractor or physical therapist can assess your condition, provide treatments to relieve pain and recommend lifestyle changes to reduce stress and promote proper spinal health. By addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of back pain, you can break the cycle and start over again feeling supported by a healthier back.